Grant Burge

GRANT BURGE HOLDS A RIGHTFUL PLACE AMONG THE MOST CELEBRATED AUSTRALIAN WINE HOUSES, AND IS CULTURALLY RECOGNISED NOT ONLY BY ITS EPONYMOUS FOUNDER BUT ALSO ITS DISTINGUISHED QUALITY AND INTEGRITY. FORMED FROM THE KNOWLEDGE OF FIVE GENERATIONS, THE BRAND REMAINS TRUE TO LONG HONOURED TRADITIONS AND A COMMITMENT TO THE BAROSSA REGION – BOTH OF WHICH HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO ITS INCREASING SUCCESS.

Grant Burge Wines Meshach Cellar. A BAROSSA NATIVE, BURGE’S upbringing among the fruits of his family’s vineyard served as an incubator for a deep understanding of terroir, and a respect for the vines it produces. In 1988, these instilled values drove him, alongside wife Helen, to develop plans for a new business venture – Grant Burge Wines. Together the pair centred on one simple philosophy: to create wines of character and value that they would be proud to put their name to.

At first the Grant Burge offering focused around the styles for which the Barossa Valley was known for, producing a first ‘edition’ of wines for the brand that included the Hillcot Merlot, Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon and the iconic Meshach Shiraz.

As wine drinkers readily embraced the emerging range, concentration shifted towards developing new products, and the idea of creating the label’s own sparkling wine. Behind this ambition was Grant’s own criticism towards the ‘typical’ Australian sparkling of the time, which he found were made from the wrong varietals and lacked mid-palate flavour.

Capitalising on his winemaking knowledge, Grant tried his hand at making a sparkling wine from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, the correct Champagne varietals. The aim was to create a premium wine which was easy drinking and, above all, enjoyable.

Born from that ambition, Grant undertook the first bottling of a Non Vintage (NV) Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay in 1990, which was proudly distributed through the cellar door. The line, elegant, full flavoured and with a balanced finish, marked more than a mere brand-extension for the company, it instead represented a change to the way Grant conducted his business.

As production continued, and demand grew, the difficulty of securing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit that met the natural acidity and structure required became apparent. As a result, Grant extended his search for grapes to other premier cool regions of Australia such as Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley and the Alpine Valley.

Finding many suitable parcels of land, Grant turned this obstacle into security for future winemakers by establishing long term partnerships with the respective grape growers - a foresight that has provided the backbone of quality and consistency for which the Grant Burge brand is renowned.

Now, the majority of fruit for the NV Pinot Chardonnay is grown in these elevated cool climate regions that produce grapes displaying delicate, yet quite intense flavours, as well as benchmark natural acidity required to make high-quality sparkling wine in the tradition of Champagne. This heritage-driven process has seen the NV Pinot Chardonnay evolve into one of Australia’s leading sparkling wines and one of the most popular wines in the Grant Burge portfolio.

Today, as it was when Grant produced the first batch, every sparkling is made with the most considered methods. First, the selected fruit is handpicked to minimise damage and the subsequent leeching of colour or oxidation rough handling can cause. Next the grapes are chilled, pressed as whole bunches and fermented at cold temperatures. The wine will then spend 30 months on tirage resting before dosage and bottling to develop the complex characters sought after in top-class sparkling wine.

Presently, Grant Burge is one of the few cellar doors in the Barossa to offer a tasting of five different sparkling wines, and despite being widely distributed, great care and effort remains on retaining the delicate flavours and aromas in the wine, remaining true to the founding philosophy. ❧

Tasting notes

NON VINTAGE (NV) SPARKLING PINOT NOIR CHARDONNAY

Appearance: Pale yellow with tinted copper hues

Aroma: A familiar nose of ripe strawberries and peach meet with biscuit-like characteristics

Flavour: A generous, creamy mouth-feel with lifted full flavours and cleanly balanced acidity. The flavour of this sparkling adapts well to any food occasion, or can be enjoyed on its own