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Winter at Thorn-Clarke


It's that time of year where the temperature drops and the layers of clothing triple in a vain effort to fight away the winter chill. This winter the big warm reds have certainly been the answer to fight the away the cold.
It has certainly been one of the colder winters that I can remember, almost reminiscent of the 80's and 90's. With plenty of big antarctic blasts rolling through, those memories of warm summer days seem to be drifting further and further away. The only positive I can draw from these cold wintry days is that it brings back those fabulous nights keeping warm with a glass of wine (and plenty of glasses of tawny!!) in front of a roaring fire.
Here at Thorn-Clarke, winter brings on plenty of work in the vineyard and around the winery. With the vines dormant, we are now able to get out and prune in preparation for vintage next year. The sheep are grazing through the vineyards which helps keep our environmental impact over winter down, and also has a very good byproduct that helps put nutrients back in the soil!
In the winery, the end of vintage means lots of barrel work and preparation for bottling the next batch of wine. All this is keeping our vineyard and winery teams very busy!
We have lots of exciting things happening over the next few months. Gourmet Weekend is the first weekend in September, this is always an action packed weekend for wine lovers with plenty of events to keep you entertained. We are holding a couple of events and details are below. We are also excited to announce we will be doing a big event out at our cellar door late October, but i can't give you any more details yet.. its a bit hush hush! If you can't make it, be sure to pop out to our cellar door and say hi! Make sure to let us know your on our mailing list as well. We always love to see our members.

The other night during one of our colder winter nights I was sitting down in front of the fire with my wife. While she sipped on her glass of wine she said, “I love you so much, you know. I don’t know how I could ever live without you.”

I said, “Is that you or the wine talking?”

She said, “It’s me talking to the wine.


Stay warm!

Introducing our new winemaker, Peter Kelly
If you take a look at Peter’s growing list of achievements, you would be forgiven for thinking that Peter had grown up around wine and vineyards his whole life, but it was the complete opposite. 
Peter is a born and bred Queenslander, growing up on the beautiful sunshine coast. He is certainly not your typical winemaker found in the Barossa, but sometimes a different perspective can be the world of difference, or in this case a breath of fresh country air.
Peter’s journey with Thorn-Clarke began back in 2007 after graduating winemaking at the University of Adelaide. During his time as assistant winemaker at Thorn-Clarke he was awarded The Wine Society’s “Young Winemaker of the Year – Member's Choice Award 2009.” Recently Peter was also named Dux of the Australian Wine Research Institute’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course.
It was while studying Anthropology that Peter’s real love for wine began. “While I was studying I discovered wine and how interesting and complex it could be.” 
After studying wine at what Peter calls an amateur level (or more commonly called drinking lots of wine) the passion and love for all things wine grew. From there, Peter packed up and moved to Adelaide to further his knowledge of all things wine.
While studying Peter worked several vintages around Mclaren Vale and also worked at the National Wine Centre as a Wine Educator, furthering his passion for wine.
Peter’s love for wine stems from the science involved, “I love being able to use science and creativity in equal parts.  It’s addictive and creates new challenges every day.”
So what keeps him in the Barossa? The diversity of the region. “There are very few wine regions in the world that can produce both red and white wines as well as the Barossa.  From the iconic Shiraz and Cabernet's to world beating Riesling and Semillon.”
Peter has always loved the wines that have come from Thorn-Clarke, so the opportunity to put his mark on the range brings an exciting time for both Peter and Thorn-Clarke Wines. 
First wine you tried? 

This was probably one of the sweeter offerings from Brown Brothers a long time ago.  Maybe it was the Crouchen Riesling but that memory has been lost to history.

Hobbies?

I love going fishing and camping, but when I can’t get away I’ll probably be outside in the garden.

Favourite Holiday location? 

I love travelling around Australia.  It is so big that even if you think you’ve seen it all there is something new and interesting waiting just around the corner.  I do go back to the Sunshine Coast a couple of times a year though.  It’s great to catch up with family and friends and doubles up as a great holiday destination.

Books or Movies? Favourite?

I love a good book and couldn’t pick a favourite but I love science fiction and historically based work.  I probably prefer a good TV series to movies.  Vikings, The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones.

Barossa Gourmet Weekend 2016 


With Gourmet Weekend not too far away, it means spring is just around the corner! We have some exciting events happening this Gourmet Weekend. If you are interested in attending the events click the button below and we will be in contact to confirm you're booking. 

We would love to see you there!

Barossa meets Bordeaux Masterclass


Try your hand at winemaking with new senior winemaker, Peter Kelly and experience the art of creating the perfect blend of wine. You will have the opportunity to interact with the winemaker as you increase your knowledge of this unique style.

In this fun 90 minute session, you will blend and create your own Bordeaux style wine, finishing with light nibbles of local produce and the best part, you get to take home a bottle of our famous Shotfire Quartage free!

Tickets $40
Sessions 10am and 2pm
Book Masterclass

That Spring Dinner
@ Thorn-Clarke Wines


Kick of the start of spring in style and join us for a delightful spring dinner in our cellar door. You will get a chance to meet our new senior winemaker, Peter Kelly and chef Prudence Gill from 'Barossa Decadence'.

Enjoy pre-dinner drinks and a three course meal of locally sourced food to match the beautiful spring weather and a fantastic selection of wines to complement your meal. We will also have a selection of museum release wines to enjoy on the night.

Tickets $90
Includes dinner and drinks
Book Dinner
 

Vintage 2016 Report


As we sit here with the cool bite of winter nipping at our fingers, an opportunity to reflect on the vintage that has just passed presents itself.  The rain that we have received in the last month is in stark contrast to the warm and dry conditions that defined vintage 2016.  In the Barossa we rely on these winter rains, and good falls in Spring to provide our vines with sufficient water to see them through to harvest.  The 2015 Spring was one of the driest on record, this led onto similarly dry conditions in early Summer with warm temperatures allowing excellent fruit set in the vineyard.  Picking began in early February with the first fruit showing great freshness and vibrant fruit characters.  Mid February, we received some welcome rain which refreshed those grapes yet to be picked.  From that point on milder conditions meant that the grapes could come in at optimum ripeness without the threat of heat damage.  Overall, the quality of fruit from 2016 was fantastic.  The whites show good flavour and varietal character with lovely balance.  Reds show typical Barossa warmth and generosity, with bold flavours and structure.  Wines from this vintage should age well.
  
Cheers
Pete

Winter Warmer Special

 

 

There is no better match for a cold winters night than an open fire and a glass of good red wine.

Whether you have an nice fire place or climate controlled air-conditioning, this red wine pack is perfect to keep you warm this cold, cold winter.



Three Pack Include:

2015 Thorn-Clarke Graciano
2014 Shotfire Shiraz
2012 William Randell Shiraz



$92    Save $23
Buy Now
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