True passion for viticulture, persistence, and a New York to McLaren Vale love story are the catalysts for the new cellar door of wine label As If Wines. The new McLaren Flat cellar door welcomed its first guests late last year.
Run by winemaking and life partners Alie Shaper and Tim Brunato, the cellar door invites guests to taste the full As If Wines range while learning the stories behind each bottle. According to Alie, “As a cellar door, we are what you would expect. The difference,” she says, “is really in our story.”
Alie says the venture is shaped by lived experience, philosophy, and a deep connection to winemaking.
Tim and Alie come from opposite sides of the world. They met in New York more than a decade ago through the wine industry. Tim is fourth generation in his family to work in wine in McLaren Vale. Alie is first generation, having shifted into winemaking from her family’s long engineering background.
The As If Wines name reflects a guiding philosophy that shapes both the brand and the cellar door experience. “The word ‘if’ is inside every question you ask yourself,” Alie explains. “What if I turn left? What if I try this? That’s how the magic and pathways in life are created.”
“Tim and I met because of those decisions. I changed careers into wine. He decided to see what the wine industry was like in New York. That question of ‘if’ is what brought us together.”
“Our wines are about the pathways of life and how interesting things happen by following serendipity, courage, and persistence,” Alie says. “That’s how the wines have been named.”
There is a certain spirituality that surrounds this space and its wines. It’s an attribute that sets As If apart from the cellar door experience you might expect.
That sense of reflection carries through the whole venue. The space was designed by Alie herself and features natural materials, soft earthy tones, and a striking bar built from old wine barrels.
“The bar features what we call a barrel weave,” Alie says. “We deconstructed old barrels and used the staves to create a woven pattern, leaving them raw with wine stains and markings from the cellar.”
One wall displays an aged Grenache vine removed from the vineyard, offering a tangible link to the land and its history. Alie puts it nicely: “It’s like a sculpture from Mother Nature.
“One of our Grenache blocks is 75 years old,” Alie says. “Tim found a vine that had stopped producing and took it out of the vineyard.”
It isn’t hard to witness this passion firsthand, and guests are encouraged to take their time with tastings. “You experience it best by chatting with us,” Alie says. “Wine is about community, being together, and sharing. That’s what we want to offer in our cellar door.”
The wine range reflects that thoughtful approach. Alongside Grenache, rosé, and Shiraz, the lineup includes pet-nat, white, and orange wines made from Traminer.
As If Wines Cellar Door opened on 13 December and has already seen strong local support with what Alie describes as a “lovely response from the community.”
As If Wines Cellar Door
Where: 72 Ingoldby Road, McLaren Flat
When: Seven days, 10am – 5pm
For more info, click here.
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