On Sunday May 6, the Langhorne Creek Wine Region will again open its doors for everyone to taste the largest collection of Langhorne Creek wines assembled in one place. Over 100 of the region’s best drops, as judged by an esteemed judging panel in late April, will be arranged in the rustic Langhorne Creek Memorial Hall to celebrate the culmination of Vintage 2012.

The wines on show are the best of the best from Langhorne Creek with wines that are produced from Langhorne Creek grapes (85% or greater).  The crew at IT company Geek are again the major sponsors of the event.

An independent panel of judges is given the task of tasting all entries in late April, selecting the top wine in each class and the “Geek” champion wine of the Showcase.  A regional selection six-pack is also chosen and available for sale at the Winemakers’ Showcase.

This year’s judging panel is led by Kym Milne MW, with Jane Faulkner, Phil Reedman MW and a yet to be named Associate Judge from within the Langhorne Creek wine industry.

The Winemakers’ Showcase is open to all from 11am on Sunday , May 6 at the Langhorne Creek Memorial Hall. Entry is $15 per person. Local winemakers and grape growers will be available to answer questions about the region and the wines.  This exceptional line up of over 100 wines will highlight the fantastic quality and diversity of the Langhorne Creek region.

Food is available at the hall throughout the day and selected wines will also be available to purchase and take home.

Angas Plains Estate offers a Taste Tempting Menu featuring many of Judy’s hand-crafted PJ’s sauces and jams.

‘We have quite a few visitors that drive in for scones with jam and cream for morning or afternoon tea. I think people generally appreciate having something different, some good country cooking. They like the authenticity of our products knowing they are produced here.’

Judy says that despite cooking with brix meters and ph meters, she still uses basic old-fashioned know-how to cook, and that the tests just ensure she is on track. She has a distributor and her products are sold in a lot of major food outlets in and around Adelaide.

‘It’s quite nice when I walk into some supermarkets and see my products on the shelf.’

Judy grew up in the Riverland where her parents grew many different fruits and vegetables. She started working at Crusta Fruit Juices when they first started making juice. And when, after a ten-year maternity leave, she wanted to re-join the workforce, she went back for another thirteen years, doing her Accountancy study, eventually becoming
their cost accountant.

‘They were really at the forefront of a lot of computing as it was introduced into agricultural businesses, working to develop computer software for prototypes.’ Ironically, she was adapting a wine computer program to the citrus industry.

She moved to Langhorne Creek to be with her husband Phillip Cross and applied her skills to iconic family-owned agricultural related businesses that value add;  Jurlique
in Mount Barker, Laucke Flour Mills in Strathalbyn and Bleasdale Vineyards in Langhorne Creek.  Despite at the time wondering what she knew about skin care, flour or wine compared to citrus, she quickly realised that every company has got an accounting department, warehousing, distribution, and sales. ‘Different commodity, same sort of thing,’ she said.

Phillip had the Angas Plains Estate property when they met and had just planted his first block of Cabernet Sauvignon. They have developed their vineyard together, putting in time after work, at night and on weekends, often at times using car lights. In 2002 they started producing their own wines with a contracted winemaker. Judy and Phillip both
share a love of the land and good wine, so it was their dream to develop their property to its full potential and make their own quality wines from their vineyard.

The cellar door and restaurant was fitted out in 1996 with Judy and Phillip adding old and new together. James Halliday, Australia’s most highly regarding wine critic, has voted Angas Plains Estate a 5-star winery in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Wine Companion Book.

‘A couple of years ago, I thought, well, I could keep working for someone else’s business or I could work on ours. Now I’m here doing what I love, and my computing and accounting is probably the worst of the lot!’

Judy also serves on the Langhorne Creek Winemakers Committee which strives to promote the region. ‘It is very important to work closely with both Strathalbyn and the Langhorne Creek communities.’

‘My free time is spent with our four kids and the nine grandkids. They like to come to Cellar Door, and play with boxes and help with stickers, etc. It is great fun to spend a bit of time with the little ones, because they are only little for a little while.’

‘If I had the opportunity to have this venture even busier, it would be great for the employment of our team. Building our team has been very important to me, and we have a lovely team of casual staff that shares our passion.  We’ve got quite an extensive menu now, which is great for visitors that come to Langhorne Creek,
purchase our wines and eat amongst the vines and see the district. We love meeting some of the truly amazing people that come from all walks of life and from all
around the world.’

‘Doing live music on Sundays changes the week. We really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere during the week and it’s wonderful to support musical artists and offer our guests some entertainment that is totally different, vibrant and alive. We have had over a thousand music followers come out to Angas Plains Wines that previously didn’t know of our wine region, which is fantastic.’

The Angas Plains Cellar Door is open 7 days per week. They host many food, wine and music events, including their Annual Grape Stomping Fun Lunch coming up on Sunday the 11^th March. Whether it’s an afternoon tea in front of the fire, or an alfresco meal on Sunday under the shade of umbrellas enjoying the music, Angas Plains is a very nice way to spend your day.

Which explains the design of Rusticana’s combined
cellar door, office, horseradish factory, and kitchen. The views over the farm
and vineyard stretch across the horizon and are breathtaking; it is as if they have
blended the indoors with the outdoors. ‘I had great joy in the planning and
building of this.’

Her father-in-law, Joe Meakins, bought
Newman’s Horseradish in 1947, starting in Tea Tree Gully. The move to Langhorne
Creek was geographical, and her husband Brian moved there in 1985 to grow
horseradish. The factory was built in 1993, ‘we’re the only horseradish farm of
this scale that I am aware of’.

The original label hasn’t changed since
Fred started making it all those years ago. Brian’s father made the beetroot
and horseradish, which Brian remembered from his childhood, so they made it
commercially. Then they developed the horseradish dip. They now have four
horseradish products and three that don’t have horseradish but add to the
condiment range.

With rich alluvial soil right on the flood
plain, situated next to the Bremer where all the old traditional vineyards are,
they succumbed and planted the vineyard in 1996 with the view of selling all
the fruit. And when in 2002 they decided to make a small vintage for friends
and family, they ‘sort of got hooked’. In addition to Cabernet and Shiraz, they
planted Durif and Zinfandel, two varieties chosen because they personally like
them. They called the vineyard Rusticana which is part of the botanical name for
horseradish.

‘It’s a really unique combination. They’re
both food and wine, but there’s not much connection other than that.’

Anne, Brian and  son Nick run the vineyard with John Glaetzer as
their consultant winemaker. The wines are all made locally, and they have
several employees who run the horseradish business and work the cellar door.

They have also expanded their wine rage to
include a Pinot Grigio, their only white, and a blend. ‘We went to taste the
new wines and came home with a blend that wasn’t planned.’ The name comes from
a customer’s comment that Rusticana was a ‘hidden gem’ because you can’t see it
from the road. Anne thought it was a good name for the new blend.

‘Seeing the region of Langhorne Creek grow
and develop as a serious wine destination now with seven cellar doors and
producing many wonderful wines is our focus. This area has been growing grapes
since the 1850’s and has some of the oldest vines in the world. It has much to
offer with its location an hour from Adelaide and set in the beautiful Fleurieu
Peninsula.’

A visit to Rusticana truly is a visit to a
hidden gem. They sell local produce, their wines, their horseradish products,
and provide light meals seven days a week.

Words: Connie Berg

Deb grew up on a diary farm in the Adelaide Hills, and moved to Strathalbyn as a teenager where she met her husband Bill Potts. As a young mother of three, she left behind a nursing career and became initiated into the grape growing industry and Langhorne Creek. The early days involved weeks of handpicking, and helping her mother-in-law Vera with the baking and the serving of countless teas to the fun loving local grape pickers.

Now, with her kids grown and she is a Grandmother many times over, she works in the office and you will often find her behind the counter at the The Winehouse, a tasting room for five award-winning Langhorne Creek brands.

‘We have five different labels at the Winehouse which is great because it allows us to have a lot of variety in the one tasting room and there is a connection between all the labels that works well. The labels are Ben Potts Wines, Gipsie Jack, Johns’s Blend by John Glaetzer, Heartland by Ben Glaetzer and Kimbolton by the Case Family. The Gipsie Jack label is collaboration between Ben Potts and John Glaetzer, who was Wolf Blass’ first winemaker. Ben’s grown up knowing John most of his life because his dad Bill and John are great friends, and Ben’s great-grandfather “Fiddle” was one of the first growers to supply fruit to Wolf when he first started his label Wolf Blass Wines.

‘We’re very lucky to have John Glaetzer involved here at The Winehouse, as he’s so well recognized in the wine industry.’

The Winehouse is also a function centre. ‘October to February seems to be the “wedding season”, especially in a small country town where football and sport in general plays such a big part, no-one gets married during footy season.’ The commercial kitchen serves the functions and meetings, but Deb hopes that in the future they would serve food on a day-to-day basis.

‘I’m usually at The Winehouse five days a week, as well as two weekends a month, and if I’m not here I’m often babysitting my grandkids or helping care for Bill’s father Lenny. Lenny’s quite a unique character; he’s got the most amazing memory. He’s a salt of the earth type person. He’s kept diaries every day since he was fifteen. He has an amazing amount of knowledge about the district and what’s happened over time. His whole life is basically been around watching birds, going fishing, or in the vineyard and even today that’s the three things that take up his time. Last winter he pruned Ben’s vines, even at 83! He’s minimal trouble but it’s still a matter of checking on him.’

‘Ben’s the winemaker. Bill is the grape grower. Bill’s pretty much like his dad. He hates the office, hates paperwork. He’d rather be out on a tractor or holding a spade.’

Ben is also very involved in the marketing. ‘I just don’t think Langhorne Creek will ever be big and touristy. And that’s probably a good thing. Through the cellar door I know that’s what people love about the place because it’s more personable and quieter.’

The collective cellar door is friendly and unique. Once there, you’ll appreciate that there are a lot of wines on offer, and some wonderful espresso too. It truly gives you a snapshot of the Langhorne Creek region, its wines and its history.

Words:  Connie Berg

Image: Karen Jericho

The festival, which will be held annually over the “Valentine’s” weekend, this year will be celebrated on the 11^th and 12^th of February in the inviting cellar doors throughout the Langhorne Creek Wine Region.

With a focus on alternative varieties of wine, the Love Langhorne Creek celebration will ensure that those who love the stunning Cabernet and Shiraz of Langhorne Creek also get the chance to try, buy and fall in love with some of the wines not traditionally available in mainstream bottle shops.

Enjoy a relaxing day amongst River Red Gums, good food and great people while enjoying an extraordinary chance to taste an alternative side to the delicious wine region.

All just a short 50 minute drive from Adelaide & 5 minutes from Strathalbyn.

(Make a weekend of it and enjoy some of the new accommodation available in Langhorne Creek!)

Experience Our Past. Taste The Future.

The Details

Name: Love Langhorne Creek

Date: Saturday 11^th and Sunday 12^th of February 2012

Time: 10am until 5pm

Location: Cellar Doors throughout Langhorne Creek

Cost: Free for cellar door tastings.

Lucy Willson from Bremerton Wines and Ben Potts of Ben Potts Wines have created the perfect blend in time for Christmas – a beautiful girl named Peggy Mignonne – who was born at Burnside Hospital late on Wednesday evening.

Arriving two and a half weeks before her due date and weighing a healthy 2.85kg, Peggy represents the seventh generation of the famous wine-making Potts family and the third generation from Bremerton.

“Everyone in Langhorne Creek is already placing bets on her becoming a winemaker,” Lucy Willson says.

“Whatever she decides to be, Langhorne Creek is a great place for kids and we can’t wait to take her home and celebrate our first Christmas as a family of three.”

Ben’s great-great-great grandfather, Frank Potts, planted his first vines in 1858 establishing the now famous Bleasdale Winery while Lucy’s parents, Craig and Mignonne Willson, purchased the historic Bremerton Winery in 1985, whose history dates back to 1866.

Today Ben is Chief Winemaker at Ben Potts Wines while Lucy is Marketing Manager at Bremerton.

The Langhorne Creek wine region recently launched a new regional branding initiative – “Experience our Past. Taste the Future” which celebrates its unique past and future.

Surrounded by ancient red gums and with cooling lake and ocean breezes, Langhorne Creek is less than an hour south east from Adelaide in South Australia. With seven cellar doors and boutique B&Bs, it’s the perfect destination for day trips or longer stays.

The Women in Wine project, which commenced in May 2011, had
the aim of developing a new promotional tool for the region showing a point of
difference to the region and uncovered the stories behind the wines from a
uniquely female perspective.

Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine funded the photo-shoot and
story development, the first series focusing on the women in the cellar doors
of Langhorne Creek – as each of the Langhorne Creek cellar doors have at least
one woman acting as the driving force behind the outlet.

The photo-shoot was held with the key women from many of the
cellar doors in Langhorne Creek and was photographed by Karen Jericho. Writer
Connie Berg then interviewed the women in wine for a series of biographies – to
be published in the Argus on a monthly basis, commencing with an interview with
Anne Meakins of Rusticana and Newmans Horseradish.