Australia: D’Arenberg – The Dry Dam 2021

Since 1912 the Osborn family have tended vineyards in McLaren Vale, South Australia. In 1913, Frank Osborn harvested his first vintage at the Bundarra property in McLaren Vale, a total of 100 tons, and the grapes reaching the ‘unheard of’ price of £20 per ton. Frank’s brother-in-law, and wine industry mentor, Sam Tolley, later encouraged him to build a winery and produce his own wine. Convinced, Frank spent some time at Ryecroft learning about winemaking. Sam is largely responsible for the design of the winery, which is compact, with a row of nine five-ton open fermenting tanks, a block of 19 concrete storage tanks totaling some 40,000 gallons and hand-operated basket presses. Today, fourth generation family member, Chester, makes distinctive wines using traditional methods both in the vineyard and the winery.