A few recent changes
Long time caretakers Wendy and Craig Wayling have now taken over management of our Marananga Cottages, leaving our winery team to be totally absorbed with the task of growing, making and selling great Greenock Creek wine. Felicity Osborne joined the team early in the year as Cellar Door Manager, as we farewelled the wonderful Debbie Atyeo to spend more time with grandchildren in well-deserved retirement. Sarah Bittner stepped into the newly created role of Sales & Marketing co-ordinator, more than successfully navigating the myriad of digital platforms and portals that rule a modern marketer’s life. As with our wine, we don’t have many people, but the ones we do have are very, very good!!
Vineyards update
Vineyards are the foundation of our wine masterplan, and we are now 3 years through a 5 year program of renewal; replacing missing vines, addressing the challenges of Eutypa, switching treated pine posts out for more sustainable steel, and upgrading irrigation infrastructure to provide our dry grown vines supplementary water should it be required during the inevitable extended dry periods. Under Peter Atyeo’s leadership, the Cornerstone Grenache block has produced the best fruit quality in decades, leading to trophy wins and a decision to reserve the very best of the crop for a special Grenache wine to be released in our 40thanniversary year in 2024. After many unproductive years, the Creek Block Shiraz vineyard is again beginning to consistently yield the quality of fruit that positioned this wine as one of the Barossa’s greatest single vineyard expressions of Shiraz. We can confidently state that whilst we don’t make very much Creek Block Shiraz, what we do make is very, very good!
Our journey through Spring has not been without challenges, with significantly above average rainfall combined with below average temperatures slowing the development of the vine canopy and delaying flowering by 3-4 weeks. The Barossa vineyard landscape is typically a low disease pressure environment, but conditions this year have heightened the risk of the spread of powdery mildew which has the potential to be hugely damaging. Our vineyard team led by Peter Atyeo have been out in force removing excess shoots in order to maintain air flows and sun exposure to minimise the risk and prevent the emergence of botrytis as the temperatures begin to rise. Unfortunately our efforts to promote quality will lead to a reduction in potential yields, and we are again looking a below average crop in 2023. Whilst not belittling the efforts and skills of the winemakers, this will be a year for the vignerons to shine, and we’re exceptionally fortunate to be able to draw on Peter’s decades of experience nurturing our vineyards through all nature of conditions.
Winery update
Four years under second generation ownership and the efforts of the winemaking team led by Alex Peel combined with the rewards of investments in new oak and winery upgrades are now bearing fruit. A trip to Sydney in August to present the new vintage wines to one of the most respected names in Australian fine wine Andrew Caillard MW yielded a follow up article that neatly captured the sense of renewed purpose that drives our wine program.
“Greenock Creek Vineyard and Cellars is undergoing a profound renaissance. Combining established traditions and shaping the future for a recognised wine brand is a difficult pathway for any wine business. But over the last three years or so the team at Greenock Creek have been working on renovating vineyards and refining the style. While still retaining opulence and richness, the current releases of Greenock Creek highlight the successful balancing act of keeping in touch with the past and taking a modern focus.”
Our aim is simple – to take great pride in our deserved reputation for Barossa wine excellence, and to make the very best Greenock Creek wines we can.
Most of the 2021 wines have now been bottled, and will be released through next year following at least 6 months bottle maturation – again, good things to take time. The purity of fruit expression in these wines is quite remarkable, and we are confident to proclaim these to be close to the pinnacle of Barossa wine quality, such were the exceptional conditions of the 2021 vintage. The earlier release Grenache and Mataro wines from the 2022 vintage are also showing fine early form.
Cellar door update
What a difference a year can make. The many lonely days at the peak of COVID era are a distant memory, as this spring we welcome increasing numbers of visitors from across Australia and around the world to cellar door. We launched on line bookings in September, and continue to encourage our loyal friends to book on line, or call or email ahead to let us know you’re coming. We are one of the smallest cellar doors in the Barossa, and want to ensure we can accommodate everyone in comfort and be able to spend a good amount of time talking through the latest release winesOur tasting list remains a moving feast, with many of the latest release wines already sold out. However, we’re always well placed to present a great showcase of our distinctive Barossa wine style, and lead you on a journey of discovery into what makes each wine special. Highlights at the moment are the 2020 High Ridge Cabernet from Moppa, along with the exceptional 2020 Shiraz from the adjacent Alices and Casey’s Block vineyards. Of course, we’ll always endeavour to offer each visitor a tasting of our grand wine, the 2017 Roennfeldt Road Shiraz.
2023 is a Barossa Vintage Festival year, and in the spirit of ‘good things take time, as they should’ we’re hosting a classic winery long lunch on Saturday 22ndApril. Join the Greenock Creek team in the winery for a lazy day, served up with a big dose of true home style hospitality, Enjoy platters of pickles and preserves, local cheeses and smoked meats, freshly baked harvest pies, and traditional Barossa desserts. Taste wines from the barrel, get hands on in the vintage action, and take an appetite restoring stroll through one of Australia’s most famous vineyards. Place a note in your diary, and we’ll update with more details as soon as tickets go on sale.
