All images: Haselgrove Wines
Surrounded by Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre vineyards dating back more than 60 years, Haselgrove Wines sits in an iconic location that is the perfect blend of history, beauty and, of course, great wine growing conditions.
Initially established in 1981, Haselgrove changed hands in 2008 when the current owners purchased the property and ultimately revamped the presentation of the brand. And now, the prominent McLaren Vale winery has established a brand-new rooftop cellar door, making its award-winning wines available for tasting to the public.
Haselgrove’s Rooftop Cellar Door is nestled amongst the age old vines that surround the property and is elevated to offer 360-degree uninterrupted views of McLaren Flat and beyond – all of which was made possible with the support of a grant from the South Australian Tourism Commission’s Tourism Industry Development Fund (TIDF).
Visitors will be able to taste a wide range of Haselgrove’s offering including wines from their Legend, Origin, Alternative, First Cut and ‘H by’ Haselgrove series. The Haselgrove Wines Rooftop Cellar door also offers a great food menu comprising of hand stretched pizzas and gourmet grazing platters.
The facility is also offering visitors the opportunity to blend their own wine varietals in a fun and even competitive format called Winemaker for a Minute that will help to distinguish genuine amateur sommeliers from GSM charlatans!
Its extensive range, which also includes a series of increasingly popular emerging Mediterranean varietals, has been promoted largely B2B in both domestic and overseas markets, but as Haselgrove Wines CEO Christophe Forel explains, the winery is not only opening its doors to the end consumer, but sharing its award-winning range in the most immersive way possible.
“Winemaker for a Minute is about giving wine enthusiasts the opportunity to tackle the art of wine blending and for those who enjoy a bit of friendly competition and banter, to test their palates against others to determine the wine buffs from the wannabes and ultimately, the best GSM blend of the day,” explained Mr Forel.
The Winemaker for a Minute concept allows visitors to experiment with blending 3 key McLaren Vale varieties, Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvèdre – all from Haselgrove’s current range – to create their own ‘signature’ blend.
Under the expert tutelage of Haselgrove staff, participants will experiment with percentage combinations of different wines until they produce their favourite blend, which can then be bottled, labelled and home delivered.
“It’s amazing the difference just a few percent of a particular varietal can make to the overall sensory characteristics of a blend and the process is therefore very educational, interesting and fun and great for corporate team-building or family and friends celebrations,” added Mr. Forel.
Haselgrove Wines was recently judged the winner in the Small Business category of the Business SA 2019 Export Awards on account of its export successes. It services international markets such as Germany, Malaysia, Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Canada, USA, Singapore, Denmark and Indonesia.
It specialises in small-batch, hand-crafted artisan wines, using a combination of traditional, old-world wine-making techniques and the best modern practices.
Haselgrove Wines is a 5 Red Star Winery, the 2015 Dark Horse Winery of the Year (James Halliday), and was awarded the 2017 Wine Company and Wine Maker of the Year Award (Winestate Magazine).
Additionally, several Haselgrove wines are currently on the menu in the Business and First-Class cabins on Qantas and Korean Airlines flights. Over the past 10 years, the winery has accumulated 16 trophies and 124 gold medals from the national and international wine show circuit.
For more information, visit the website and follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
Haselgrove Wines is located at 187 Sand Road, McLaren Vale 5171
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