Winemaker Notes
Bob Berton is a recognizable name throughout Australia. With over 30 vintages under his belt, both top grape growers and winemakers know him alike. While he started in senior management roles for some of Australia’s top estates, he didn’t found Berton Vineyards until 1996 when he purchased a block of land in High Eden, the premium sub region of Barossa Valley. Completely hands on, Bob established his vineyard from scratch and after successfully establishing this one block he realized he needed more. In 2005 when the former Southcorp winery in Yenda became available, he jumped on the opportunity. Keeping the company family owned, Berton Vineyards has successfully grown to one of the 20 largest wineries in Australia as well as being awarded a 4 Star James Halliday Winery.
Berton owns a modern production facility located in the regional township of Yenda which has a population of around 1,600 people and is 360 miles southwest of Sydney. Growing and sourcing from the same first-rate estates each year within the Limestone Coast, Barossa Valley, High Eden and throughout South Eastern Australia, in order to build a consistent product. With this partnership, Berton Vineyards crushes and ferments each vineyard in batches and then grade and blend accordingly, with an emphasis on all that is casual, friendly and approachable in wine. Berton features three tiers of wine, their popular premium Metal Label range, their super premium Berton Reserve series and their flagship Berton High Eden wines.
Boasting a strong food and wine culture dominated by a large Italian-Australian population, Riverina is actually a diverse agricultural region centered at Griffith, 275 miles southwest of Sydney. While its Mediterranean climate allows plenty of experimentation with Italian grape varieties, Chardonnay has typically been the most popular variety here. Riverina is also noteworthy for the production of botrytized Semillon made in the style of Sauternes.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.