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 Bremerton wines
Langhorne Creek, South
Australia
Bremerton vineyard - A
little bit of history...
When the Willson family purchased
the 100-acre "Bremerton Lodge" property in 1985, it was considered a lifestyle
change for the family. Coming from Whyalla and a media background is not the
normal recipe for farming, grape growing or winemaking. Bremerton Wines evolved
in 1988 when the first wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon, was made from grapes
purchased from a neighbour. The family continued experimenting with small
batches of fruit over the next five years, launching a Shiraz in 1991.
Previously, owner Craig Willson had been a passionate wine drinker and
collector from 18 years of age. In fact, part of his first pay packet in 1963
went to purchasing three bottles of 1954 Claret.
Bremerton vineyard - A family business...
Bremerton is very much a family business. Craig Willson is overall
manager of the 280-acre estate, bought in 1985, producing predominantly red
wine – although the Verdelho is not to be missed! – and Rebecca, his
elder daughter, is winemaker. Rebecca's sister, Lucy, runs the cellar door
operation from a converted 1866 stone stable, while Mignonne, Craig's wife,
provides her 'mood food' (whatever she feels like cooking!) in the visitor
centre, which is one of the finest in the region.
The wines are
testament to the Willsons' natural aptitude for viticulture and winemaking, and
are intensely expressive of the region – and the family's warm-hearted
nature!
Bremerton vineyard - The
region...
Bremerton vineyard is situated in the cooler, dry
climes of Langhorne Creek, South Australia - one of Australia's oldest
wine-grape growing districts. The alluvial soil and micro climate influenced by
the breezes from Lake Alexandrina provide perfect conditions for the ripening
of the grapes to produce intense flavours.
Langhorne Creek,
population 700, is situated on the banks of the Bremer River. There is no such
creek (stream/river) as Langhorne Creek, only a town. In typical Australian
style, back in the early 1800s a cattle drover called Alfred Langhorne
frequently camped, with his cattle, on the banks of the Bremer River where the
town now sits and people referred to the spot as Langhorne’s
Creek.
In the original survey, the town was to be called
Bremertown but never assumed the name. Bremerton’s property lies on the
edge of the town and hence took its name from what was to be the town name. The
area was first settled in the 1850’s when Frank Potts, an English
shipwright, took up a tract of land and planted grapes. This was the foundation
of Bleasdale Wines — Australia’s second oldest family owned winery.
Bremerton farm was occupied in 1866 by William Hill.
The district
settled at 450 hectares of vineyard until 1990 when expansion began, taking it
to 5000 hectares at the end of year 2000. It is the only vineyard region in the
world that, prior to the expansion, relied solely on annual flooding from the
Bremer River to irrigate the vines. They may have received one flooding a year,
sometimes none, other times three or four. This caused the root system to
penetrate deeply, searching for moisture. The oldest existing vines in
Langhorne Creek are 108 years old.
More
information (Click on links):
Bremerton wines of Langhorne Creek: Regional
map
(Click on map to see
all wines on our list from langhorne Creek, Australia):
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