TUESDAY 17th APRIL 2018: Sirromet Wines began its 2018 harvest mid-January, bringing in 8 tonnes of Chambourcin and the first 3 tonnes of the Moscato Giallo fruit from its Mount Cotton vineyard. 10 different varieties off 92 blocks from their Granite Belt vineyards followed soon after, bringing in a total of approx. 450 tonnes of fruit for the 2018 vintage.
“This year we are pleased to see exceptionally high quality red fruit, in particular Cabernet, Shiraz and Pinot Noir, along with premium Chardonnay. Each exhibiting a good level of colour, acidity, flavours and regional characteristics” said Chief Winemaker Adam Chapman.
“Given the location and high elevation (820m) of our vineyards in the Granite Belt, we were able to avoid much of the poor coastal weather influence and experienced an ideal growing season”
“With many of our vines coming of age, they are now continuing to yield premium quality fruit, which allows us to experiment and develop special barrel trials, ultimately enabling us to produce more premium quality wines”
This vintage, Adam and his team were able to produce 4 different clones of Pinot Noir (777, 115, MV6 and Mariafield), with plans to produce several barrel trials for an exclusive special release down the track. “These 4 Pinot Noirs are looking fantastic at this stage, bright ruby colours and an array of aromas of cherries, plums and wild tomato leaf.”
With more than 30 years viticulture and wine making experience, Adam is dedicated to perfecting his craft, recently completing WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 4 diploma in Wines and Spirits.
Sirromet Wines is the first Australian winery to offer an international recognised qualification. Adam is now teaching these courses at Sirromet, currently offering Level 1, 2 and 3 WSET courses in wine education. “We hope to also offer Level 1 in Sake and Level 1 in Spirits soon, with the aim to help other parts of the liquor trade with qualifications.”
“Not only does this qualification allow me to be better at my craft, I am able to share my knowledge and passion with anyone looking to learn more about wine,” Adam said.
“The WSET’s robust accredited qualifications, combined with Sirromet’s state of the art wine facility, offer students the ultimate hands-on education experience.”
Varieties being harvested from Sirromet's three vineyards located in Ballandean, within the Granite Belt wine region are:
SEVEN SCENES, BALLANDEAN (52-ha): Chardonnay, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
ST JUDE'S, BALLANDEAN (25-ha): Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay, Verdelho, Nebbiolo, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
NIGHT SKY, BALLANDEAN (23-ha): Chardonnay, Verdelho, Pinot Gris, Viognier
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Additional Sirromet Information:
Sirromet has 97 wine tanks on-site at Mount Cotton with a total capacity of 2.16-million litres. The largest tanks hold 120,000-litres each
Sirromet’s extensive range of wines, are available for tasting at their Mount Cotton Cellar Door, recently awarded Star Cellar Door in Gourmet Traveller WINE Australia's Best Cellar Door awards 2018.
Sirromet has won a total of 909 international and national wine awards since opening in 2000. The winery is owned and was founded by Gold Coast businessman Terry Morris. In addition to vineyards, Sirromet's winery headquarters at Mount Cotton includes production, bottling, and packaging facilities, barrel rooms, cellar door, Restaurant Lurleen's, administration centre, worm farm and waste recycling plant.
Some of Sirromet’s most recent wine awards include:
#1 Most Voted White & Best Buy Award
- Tasting Book's Best Wine in the World competition, 2017 (for 2013 Le Sauvage Chardonnay)
Gold Medals
- International Austrian Wine Challenge, 2017 (for 2014 Le Sauvage Syrah Viognier & 2014 Signature Collection Cabernet Sauvignon)
- Mundus Vini (Germany), 2017 (for 2013 Le Sauvage Chardonnay)
- UK International Wine Challenge (for 2013 Le Sauvage Chardonnay)
#96 points
- James Halliday Wine Companion, 2018 (for 2014 Private Collection Assemblage)
All current release medal-winning wines can be purchased online at www.sirromet.com
SIRROMET WINES: 850 Mount Cotton Road, Mount Cotton, Queensland 4165. Tel: (07) 3206-2999. Fax: (07) 3206-0900. E-mail:
wines@sirromet.com Web:
http://www.sirromet.com
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Theresa Matthews - Tel: (07) 3822 0648. E-mail:
theresa@sirromet.com
IMAGES: High res image attached of Sirromet’s Chief Winemaker Adam Chapman. Additional photos available upon request.
