little island encounter –
Springs Road wines recently took part in Gutsy Kangaroo Island, our winter drinking and eating festival that celebrates the determination and brilliance of our island producers. Held over the June long weekend, Gutsy was launched in 2022.
Kangaroo Island is not always the easiest place to be a producer, with a few more odds to overcome than making wine at our McLaren Vale based Battle of Bosworth and Spring Seed Wines. The distance, the weather and the isolation are ones that come instantly to mind! Just ask Jane our cellar door manager who was trapped, Gilligan-like, last weekend as the swell and wind conspired to keep the ferries in port.
The challenges we face as producers does however makes the products that we make that much more unique. Gutsy is a celebration of facing the odds of being a producer on an isolated island and the stories to be told about how we make our products in such challenging conditions. We had an awesome weekend and were sooooooo lucky with the weather!
Eats
This year Emma Loretan, our logistics and export whizz brought out her secret culinary weapon; Noah her son, who did a fabulous job catering for Gutsy. Noah’s year 12 project at the local Waldorf school is catering under his Bottle e Schetti tag and our Gutsy ‘little island encounter’ was his test drive for his main project coming up in July.
Noah worked like a Trojan in conditions that were more bush chef than MasterChef and did so with a smile on his face! Awesome job Noah! The slow cooked ragu and mash was a triumph.
Staff of Life
Local baker Naomi O’Donnell from d’Estrees Bakery provided some of her super sourdough loaves for the gluten tolerant. Louise dug deep and using poached quinces from the Battle of Bosworth quince tree, made a few desserts – an upside-down cake, and a quince pudding using a recipe supplied by Joch’s sister. Feedback was OK!
A-Hunting we will go
On top of the Gutsy excitement, we also had the combined state hunt ride up the driveway on the Saturday as part of their long weekend celebrations. The state hunt was hosted by the Kangaroo Island Hunt Club. Most of the hunt club members who came over from the mainland stayed at the KI racing club, some from as far away as the Eyre Peninsula. On the Saturday before the state hunt on Sunday everyone joined in for a big ride out, ending up at Springs Road where they had a BBQ lunch and some Springs Road Wines. It was such an amazing sight to see them all riding up the driveway. Leading the pack was ex-Springs Road cellar door sales person Zoe Wauchope. She looked awesome. (Thanks Dean Wiles for the shot)
The A-team
Dodging the rain, we got this photo of the Springs Road ‘Gutsy’ workers taking a break in between the showers. Good to see Celia and Peggy Bosworth on the team, there, as well as Louise, Joch, Jane and Emma. I think chef Noah was still rattling the pans out the back. Great job team!
2023 little island rosé –
We have just bottled the next release of the little island rosé, the coming together of Shiraz fruit from Kate’s Block at Springs Road and Bradens from our Bosworth McLaren Vale vineyards. The 2023 has been assessed by Joch, who always checks our newly bottled wine is ready to go (after being bottled, some wines take a while to settle down) before releasing to the market. Jane has already unloaded the wine into the cellar door stock room!
Victorian Visitors
Our fearless Victorian salespeople from Sante Wines braved the elements to visit us as Battle of Bosworth and Springs Road to get better acquainted with our vineyards, wines and people. They flew in, spent time tasting at the McLaren Vale vineyards, with a quick tour of some of our favourite spots, before a quick lunch at the magnificent Victory Hotel. Then we drove down through the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula to end up at Cape Jervis to get the ferry across to Penneshaw. The ferry trip was pretty good, with no green faces.
We visited Stokes Bay (voted the Best Beach in Australia, 2023) but couldn’t get through to the beach because the king tide blocked off access. We drove down through Parndana, the heart of KI, to the General Store at Vivonne Bay. No trip to the south coast is complete without their whiting burger for lunch. We ate them out of the wind in a spot down near the ocean.
We cooked dinner for the team and ate and drank on the deck next to cellar door. We lit a fire, and then like we did at Gutsy, burned a barrel. There may or may not have been some dancing. The poor neighbours must have wondered what on earth was going on up at Springs Road, on a cold Thursday evening. The Cure blasted out on the speaker and a barrel burned brightly against the backdrop of cellar door, picking out the shadows of older people dancing awkwardly under a starlit sky. Until next time, Cygnet River!
Lambkins
It’s lambing season at Springs Road, and there are plenty out in the front paddock. It seems so cruel that lambing season is during the coldest season, but the little bleaters seem to sproing their way happily through the rain, mist and wind.
Gentle Reds Pack
A light touch with oak and tannins in red wines seems to be the general zeitgeist, at the moment. Falling in line with this spirit of gentleness, we have put together a six pack which contains two bottles each of our Battle of Bosworth 2022 ‘Puritan’ Shiraz, our 2021 Spring Seed Wine Co ‘Aster’ Pinot Noir and the 2021 little island red from Springs Road Kangaroo Island.
Our Gentle Red offer is $125.00 for the six bottles INCLUDING delivery, Australia wide. The combined RRP of these wines at cellar door is normally $138.00 plus freight. If you are a little island club member (or a 1485 wine club member) you will get this pack for $110.00 (and free freight).
Tune in to your softer side this winter.
Wet wet wet
They told us it was going to be a dry (and late) start to the season, but they got that a little wrong. I gather it will be dry and warm later (El Nino) on this year but for the last 2 or 3 weeks we have been inundated with rain, here at our Springs Road Kangaroo Island vineyard.
The black sky behind cellar door looks ominous (though the sheep don’t seem to care) and the driveway down at the bottom I think will be closed for a while! Follow the sign round to the entry off 183 Springs Road.
Stay warm and dry!
Cheers, the team from Springs Road.