Deviation Road

I'm sitting down listening to a jivey kind of groove on the radio while I am waiting for the start of a tour to take  a group of trade folk and myself to Deviation Road winery. This gets me thinking about the lifestyle in the Adelaide Hills.  It is definitely a cool morning with thick grey clouds overhead.  You know the kind of morning i'm talking about where you could really go a hot latte to warm every crevice of your body. It seems that this time of year the plants and grass are so lush from the amount of water that they have had over the winter period and for that matter, over last summer. For those that haven't visited Stirling before, which is where I am today, the town has a particular English feel about it with elms, oaks and maple lining the streets.

We all get in the small van and head off along the back roads to get to this lovely little cellar door where Kate and Hamish meet us before they take us up to the winery for our education in the process of making sparkling wines. Hamish is easy to warm to as he has a very open and comforting personality yet you look at him and think that he could play on the back lines for a rugby team. Hamish's wife, Kate, draws you in with a passionate tone of voice and I'm left thinking I could spend hours talking to her about the process making sparkling wine and her vision for Deviation Road. They have crafted a cosy cellar door that serves cheese platter and wines by the glass, if you don't want to go back for the normal tasting, with an out door setting that has spectacular views.  In summer I could see it being packed by locals just wanting to get away from the hustle of Adelaide life so they nibble of some hills cheeses with a glass of bubbles.

They take us through picking times, making the base wine, riddling, disgorging and dosage before we have to disgorge and top a bottle ourselves.  Everything is done by hand by these two where each bottle of bubbles gets touch 25 times by Hamish and Kate before being ready for release.  Now that is one felt up bottle!  They then take us down to taste the current release wines.  If you are in the Adelaide Hills I would recommend popping in and having a look at this small winery. The notes below were done over a short period and I didn't give the wines the time to show their full personality.

Devaition Rd Brut 2009

Strawberries and cream with a vibrant structure.  It only has 8 grams of dosage and would fit perfectly as an aperitif.

Alcohol: 12%?
Price: $34
Rated: 88
Drink: Now

Sauvignon Blanc 2011

This is very light with a huge acid structure so it should keep for a while.  On second thoughts who keeps savvy? I just buy a bottle and crack it that night. With this wine you get gooseberries, cut grass and passion-fruit flowers. Its not your overt savvy which makes it more attractive to buy.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $18
Rated: 86
Drink: Now - 2015

Chardonnay 2009

Masses of hazelnuts and butter overlay a spicy peach palate with a splash of lime cordial thrown in. The flavours are intense!

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $28
Rated: 87
Drink: Now - 2016