Bellarine Times
Tuesday 16 February 2010
VOL 3. No 07
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p a g es 1 4 & 1 5
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FROM PAGE 79
Boost for Bellarine vineyards as Leura Park Estate signs major deal with Brown Brothers BY ALISON MARTIN
LEURA Park Estate grapes will be sold to major Australian wine producer, Brown Brothers, in yet another coup for the Bellarine’s vineyards. The wine growers have also completed installation of a state-of-theart new winery on site at their Curlewis vineyard. The winery will be activated for the first time this week with the first harvest of grapes for vintage 2010. Director of Leura Park Estate, David Sharp, said the new winery facilities encompassed all production stages – from grape to bottle – and would lead the way in new world winemaking under the watchful eye of winemaker Ray Nadeson, Australian Winemaker of the Year finalist 2009. “Although our focus will always remain on boutique, small batch handling with a view to preserving and enhancing the natural fruit characteristics, the new technology will provide dynamic efficiencies,” Sharp said. In a huge month for Leura Park, the new winery opening has coincided with the Brown Brothers’ contract. Brown Brothers viticulturalist, Mick Griffith, said the company had researched a number of premium vineyard regions in Victoria looking for extra cool climate Chardonnay grapes and was won over by the Bellarine. “We target vineyard sites with natural vigour restriction, inherently low cropping levels and very well balanced vine growth,” Griffith said. “We were very impressed with the Leura Park Estate vineyard and the operation as a whole.” ‘Patricia’ is a high-end Brown Brothers premium range of wine, and is named after the company’s matriarch. The Patricia range retails between $40 and $60 per bottle and is found only in exclusive restaurants and cellars throughout Australia. Sharp said the Brown Brothers contract was an honour and gratifying for both the vineyard and the Bellarine.
Leura Park Estate director, David Sharp, and vineyard manager, Andrew Mahoney, admire the Chardonnay grapes which will go to Brown Brothers for its premium ‘Patricia’ wine range.
“The Bellarine has always been renowned for the quality of its Chardonnay and to be selected for consideration in the Patricia range is serious confirmation that when it comes to fruit and wine quality, this region is up there with the best in Australia,” he said. Sharp said the Brown Brothers contract was a credit to Leura Park Estate’s vineyard manager, Andrew Mahoney.
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“The vineyard is extremely well maintained in all aspects – soil, water consumption and grape integrity is monitored on a daily basis to ensure optimum vintage results,” he said. Bellarine Tourism chair, Hugo Armstrong, said the region had offered the whole good food and wine experience for a while but the work of local wineries was “pushing the Bellarine up there in an extremely competitive market”.
Local wineries have won significant national awards recently, while Spray Farm’s A Day on the Green brought a new, younger crowd to the Bellarine. Bellarine wines will be showcased on February 28 at Federation Square, as part of a special event to promote the Bellarine Taste Trail and other local attractions. Just weeks later, local wines, produce and culinary skills will be shared when Kilgour Estate, Bellarine
Estate and Oakdene host events for the 2010 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Armstrong said the Bellarine wine industry’s achievements were creating a focus on the Bellarine, across Victoria, interstate and internationally. However, he said it was important that people who lived on the Bellarine also experienced the great food and wine on offer. “There is so much right here in front of you,” Armstrong said.
WED 1ft inconsistent, S/SE 22° THU 1ft small, SE 22° FRI 1ft clean N 25° SAT 1ft clean NNW 30°
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