It seems all we hear these days is gloom and doom within the wine industry, but somewhat tucked away from much of the head-spinning corporate news about vanishing export figures and global generational cliff-diving in wine consumption, there’s a new energy in the region.
Sure, all that roller coaster riding has meant every grape grower and every wine producer, no matter where they are, has had to think hard about managing a fast-changing business environment, yet in Langhorne Creek there’s a glass-half-full attitude amongst key producers.
New opportunities are springing to life in the region, Kimbolton Wine’s Nicole Clarke enthuses, with a discovery trail starting to be built linking the four major wine businesses in the district, Bleasdale, Kimbolton, Lake Breeze and Bremerton.
As well, an increasingly closer connection to the Monarto Safari Park, just half an hour away, has marked five years of an inventive “Grapes For Good” fund-raising project for protecting African wildlife species.
The support from the region has tipped more than $200,000 in monies raised from wine sales plus wine product into the Monarto wildlife programs, and as the park’s development expands, visitation into the Creek region via there has risen.
Now with a new Monarto resort lodge open, Nicole expects even more benefits to arise via wine tastings in house and out on the park’s safari tours.
It’s such “from little things do big things grow” thinking that spurs on Nicole and her region’s colleagues – literally when it comes to the Kimbolton cellar door, which offers a family atmosphere including a booked kids tasting – three flavoured milks, a large chocolate freckle, gingerbread max, fluffy marshmallows and activity book, with gluten and dairy free options – while adults are engaged with their wines.
“We’ve always brought in that winery tourism element to who we are, with what we do with our family flights, and different experiences and the way we do our tastings,” Nicole says.
And now, with the four main producers consolidating in terms of tourism, the trail, and Monarto, we’re all helping each other and that’s working really well for the whole region.
The Creek’s attractions stretch well beyond just wine, however, with an increased awareness that what it offers, so close to expanding population centres like Mt Barker and Murray Bridge, is a genuine country town feel and a renewed sense of its diversifying food and agritourism potential.
Along with more than 175 years of winemaking heritage, the Langhorne Creek community continues to embrace further opportunities in agricultural pursuits, food, hospitality and event offerings, as well as alternative beverages like cocktails, gins and limoncellos.
And back to its central theme – exciting new Mediterranean grape varieties now thriving in the region’s unique geographic and climatic conditions are writing an important new episode in the Creek’s wine story.
The region’s potential and transformation reflect a long history of innovation and adaptation, chair of Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine Inc, and local vigneron Tom Keelan says.
“Langhorne Creek has always evolved with changing agricultural markets,” Tom says.
“Now we’re seeing the next chapter of that story unfold.
“Wine remains central to our future, but we’re also seeing exciting growth in vegetables, flowers, alternative beverages, tourism experiences and food production.
“This isn’t a story of decline, it’s a story of diversification, resilience and opportunity.”
There has been some recent vineyard land transition to vegetables, turf, flowers, livestock and specialty crops which, he notes, are supported by the region’s fertile soils, favourable climate and secure water resources.
“We have all the ingredients needed for long-term growth: affordable land, reliable water, fertile soils, proximity to major population centres and an innovative farming community.
“Few regions can match our combination of natural advantages.”
Lake Breeze’s Greg Follett agrees that there’s potential for more focus on the region’s agritourism.
“I would love to see a little bit more of that paddock to plate aspect of what we do here,” Greg says.
“People can see that we’re a food bowl, and there’s more to the region than just wine.”
Cellar doors in the district are stocking local products, there are roadside produce stalls, and a wider recognition of produce like horseradish, vegetables, almonds, grains, chicken, beef and pork is also on the rise.
It might appear to be a bit old-fashioned, he says, but it shows the district celebrates its genuine country-lifestyle.
Visitors get that there’s an honest and welcoming community feel here, he notes, and it’s something locals don’t shy away from.
While many food and market-style outlets have been gentrified in other regions closer to Adelaide, Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine Inc. executive officer Lian Jaensch emphasises it’s more a country village atmosphere at the Creek.
“You come down here, and there are pomegranates, pumpkins, limes,” Lian says.
“What you see is reflecting the region’s roots.
“We’re a production area, and if you want real farm produce, you can go get your big bag of spuds – it just suits who we are.”
And, of course, there’s always the wine.
“There are plenty of people who have never heard of Langhorne Creek, or never been here,” Greg Follett suggests.
“And to be able to come here and discover that the wines are bloody good, and they’re not going to cost you an arm and a leg – bonus.”
The calling cards of a country wine community are its cellar doors, and they too have grown with contemporary expectations.
“If you asked me 20 years ago what would we be doing now at Lake Breeze, would we have said we’re running music festivals, having weddings, and a restaurant?” Greg says.
“We would have said, ‘Nah, that’s not us. We’re all about the wine’.
“But it’s part of the evolution here, it’s what we do now.
“It’s an integral part of the business.”
Along the same lines, Bremerton’s expanded cellar door with extensive lawn area outside offers a greater range of winery experiences.
The kids are playing lawn games, friends and families are having a casual day out, maybe a gin, maybe a limoncello rather than a classic red, a pizza, a ploughman’s lunch, a sticky date pudding.
It’s not just what’s at the bar, anymore, says Lucy Willson, who with her winemaker sibling Rebecca are the high-profile soul sisters of Bremerton and the region.
“It’s a whole day out in the region,” Lucy says.
We do good food, good wine and a great opportunity to relax – and we’re not alone in the region doing that.
“People are seeking us out now because they can cruise the district, hang out at one of the wineries for a while, and soak in the country town vibe.
“There aren’t that many places left like that within cooee of the city.”
As part of this more relaxed way of experiencing wine, Bremerton, like every other of the key producers, has embraced an exciting range of non-traditional wine varieties that have shown a special affinity with the region’s growing conditions.
And they suit the lifestyle of an easy-going drink with a plate of food.
Wines bearing their Mediterranean heritage names but with unique Langhorne Creek styling are now poured in most cellar doors.
Bremerton’s whites, Fiano and Vermentino, for instance, sit comfortably side by side with more classic reds.
Kimbolton’s Fiano and red-star Montepulciano likewise.
At Lake Breeze, it’s Pecorino, Vermentino, an exciting red Nero d’Avola, with their popular Rosato and Moscato that attract more adventurous tasters looking for something different to their highly respected Cabernets and Shiraz.
And then there’s the historic centrepiece of the region, Bleasdale, which proudly maintains its traditional visitor experience and wine portfolio, but it too is moving with the times as new winemaker Nicole Brasier steers a more modern direction.
“With 176 years of history I think it’s important to stay within our moral compass,” Nicole says.
“But also to remain relevant for another 176 years as well.
“So there has been a lot of focus on doing things that we’ve done, and continuing to do them well, but also in looking at the traditional varieties with a more modern take.”
Hence a new range, “Stories” with alternate varieties like Montepulciano and Fiano, as well as varieties that have been part of the Bleasdale collection for years, like Malbec and Verdelho, but with more vibrant, fresh fruit characters than in the past.
The region’s potential and transformation reflect a long history of innovation and adaptation
Contemporary winemaking techniques and employing new ferment and maturation vessels such as amphora are a giant leap forward for the old-school producer.
Labelling, too, for the new range, presents a bold new face.
Such evolution is indicative of a new energy in the region, Nicole has observed.
“Everyone adapts well to change here,” she says.
“There’s a huge hype in the region at the moment, and some really exciting wines being produced that are different to what you’d expect when you think about Langhorne Creek from a traditional winemaking perspective.
“We’ve got such versatility in what we’re actually producing here, so there is excitement because there’s change, and everyone’s taking it on with a really positive attitude and looking at it as a great opportunity.
“It’s a great time to be in the region.”
