After considerable experience in the wine industry, David and Pam Cross established the Winter Creek vineyard at Williamstown in the Barossa Valley.
The original Winter Creek vineyard was planted exclusively with Shiraz vines and some years ago David and Pam were fortunate in purchasing an old Grenache vineyard adjoining their property.
Their philosophy is always to produce the highest quality wine possible and have the unique terroir of the Williamstown region reflected in their wines. Williamstown is located in the most southerly point of the Barossa Valley. In the wettest and coolest part of the valley with the climate being affected by the near proximity of the Barossa Ranges, the cooler Williamstown climate naturally produces wine displaying traditional Barossa richness along with elegance and finesse. The emphasis very much on intense fruit flavours, complexity and balance.
Two wines are produced, the Winter Creek “The Old Barossa Blend” Grenache Shiraz and the flagship Winter Creek Shiraz.
“The Old Barossa Blend” Grenache Shiraz is a very traditional Barossa wine. In the early days of settlement in the Valley these two varieties were extensively grown and early red wines were often a blend of the two. Grenache provides soft sweet fruit with a mouthfilling richness with the Shiraz component contributing intensity and structure. Only old French oak hogsheads are used with the wine being aged for about 12 months in them so as to ensure the intense fruit flavours are not masked by new oak.
The Winter Creek Shiraz vineyard trellising is based on a variation of the Scott Henry and Ballerina canopy management systems. This labour intensive system ensures maximum fruit and leaf exposure to the sun resulting in high quality fruit flavour with complexity, structure and intense colour. The resulting wine year after year exhibits these characteristics. Great care is taken in the winemaking process to enhance flavour, complexity and structure and the wine is matured for about 17 months in old French oak hogsheads with about 15% seeing new oak. Dominating oak flavours are not part of the Winter Creek style.
Winter Creek wines are great examples of the best that the Barossa Valley can produce.
Follow us on Twitter