Harvest Team
Words: Sid Pachare, Assistant Winemaker
Our harvest team hit over 20 people this season, including our Aussies who have stuck around for the year, and a group of diverse internationals who joined us for a few months over the harvest period. We’re also very proud of our team’s gender diversity this season, with just over 40% female!
Our Cellar Supervisor, Leo, has joined us from Lyon, France, bringing with him an abundance of winemaking qualifications and his beautiful partner, Laura, who is now celebrating the completion of her first-ever harvest! Working alongside this power couple are two Italian lads who bring years of winery experience and a great sense of humour. To top it off, we have three women from the USA who have contributed strong lab skills and an unparalleled passion for winemaking.
Our new international friends have taken Adelaide by storm, with visits to the Southern beaches, Fringe Festival and the almighty WOMAD!
Varieties In Focus
Words: Sam Watkins, Head Winemaker
Grenache: The quality is looking exceptional, particularly the early development of acid and tannins, and the colours and flavours are developing nicely. Expect a straight Grenache, a Rose, a GSM, and a Chilled Light Red blend with Sangiovese to come out of these grapes!
Chardonnay: We picked a large proportion of the Chardonnay early this year for our Sparkling base. Although the yield was slightly lower than expected, we’re very pleased with the resultant quality. These grapes will be used for another memorable Blanc de Blancs and blended into a Sparkling Rose.
Nebbiolo: Many moons ago we planted Nebbiolo but with the demand for Shiraz we grafted the vines to Shiraz. Around 2021, we cut the Shiraz back to let the Nebbiolo sing again and this is the first year we will yield a crop of Nebbiolo. So far, the quality and flavour development seems sensational! We will hand-pick the Nebbiolo this year given the age of the vines.
New plantings: As you might know, we planted Sauvignon Blanc, Fiano, Pinot Noir, Glera and Tempranillo at our Langhorne Creek Vineyard in October 2022. Off to a strong start, the vines have shoots protruding above the grow-guards and we’re excited to watch the vines go from strength to strength!
Vineyard
Words: Mark Evans, Vineyard Manager
There is no doubt this has been a challenging year for Vineyard Managers, particularly those like us practising Organic and Sustainable Viticulture methods.
On the bright side, we’ve seen our bunch weights smaller than in previous years but looser! This has encouraged an even ripening of the grapes, meaning the quality is looking strong, and a cool ripening season should present some interesting flavours and complexity in the resulting finished wine!
To top that off, Langhorne Creek has seen better conditions than other wine-growing regions and we feel fortunate to be in the location that we are.
Cellar Door
Words: Taylor Jones, Cellar Door Manager
To our beloved community, what a bangin' spring/summer that was! We have watched in awe as our visitations have hastily increased since our renos in late 2022. Plus, we’ve been blessed by the disco disc heavens (aka pizza 🍕) and welcomed
59 Pizzeria, who pump out wood oven pizzas, Friday through Sunday.
Friday nights have been the star of the season as people unwind from the working week, watching the sunset over St Vincent Gulf with a pizza and wine tasting.
We strongly encourage booking as both 59 Pizzeria and Watkins Cellar Door have been at capacity most weekends. Give us a buzz on 0458 832 998 for a chat if you have any questions.
Awards
Words: Jo Watkins, Brand & Marketing Director
We're pleased to see you made it this far! And as you'd know, this wouldn't be a winery email without a little toot of the ol' horn, now would it?
Whilst the Watkins brand has only been around for three years, we’re proud to draw upon 25 years of viticulture and winemaking experience that bolsters our capability to make award-winning wines. This is what we’ve achieved in the last few months:
2017 Watkins Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
Awarded 93 points by James Suckling
2022 Watkins Chilled Light Red
Won 5th best drink in Australia at the Drink Easy Awards
2022 Watkins Grenache
Awarded 91 points by Huon Hooke
Awarded 94 points by Sam Kim
2021 Watkins Ruscello Sangiovese
Awarded 91 points by Huon Hooke and ranked 5th best Sangiovese in South Australia
2020 Watkins Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
Awarded 91 points by Wine Enthusiast in the USA
And for the grand finale, a little message from the rest of the family...
A Note From The Others
Words: Ben, Ros and David Watkins
Having only recently soft-launched our Watkins Wine Club, we are thrilled to have signed up nearly 50 members already. If you’re eager to join the family, you’ll do so on our website and receive a drop for Christmas in December and recently in April for Easter. In the meantime, we hope 2023 is treating you well thus far and we look forward to having a chat next time you’re up at the cellar door.
