Kalleske honoured with Sustainability Award

2012 Regional Awards - Barossa

Last Tuesday night we were honoured in receiving the ‘InterContinental Sustainability Award’ at the 2012 Advantage SA Regional Awards night.

“This award aims to recognise the outstanding achievements of regional South Australians for their adoption of sustainable measures and minimising their environmental footprint”.

We are extremely proud to have received this award and to be acknowledged in such a significant field, which epitomises what Kalleske are about.

Tony Kalleske accepting the award with Brian Hurn (Barossa Mayor)

For 159 years our Kalleske family has been living and working on our Greenock farm.   Throughout this time each generation has been vigilant in looking after the property for the next generation.  Today, genuine sustainability and careful environmental practices continue to be at the core of our Kalleske farming, grape growing and winemaking.  

Certified organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyard and winery not only result in top quality grapes and wine but ensure the soil, air and waterways are not polluted with synthetic chemicals and fertilisers.  Organic viticulture also results in more carbon being retained in the soil, (making it healthier), rather than in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

A few years ago our winery installed a substantial solar electricity system on the winery roof that can generate enough electricity to run the entire winery.  Excess electricity is then used by other buildings on the farm or fed back into the grid, ensuing a little less coal is burnt.  The solar installation was a major project and we acknowledge the assistance of AusIndustry through the ‘Retooling for Climate Change’ project. 

Not only are we now generating our own electricity but we are also self sufficient in the winery with water.  With a 250,000 litre rainwater tank capturing valuable water from the winery and farm sheds.  Capturing our own water means more of this precious resource can stay where it’s needed In the River Murray.

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Vintage 2011 - A Few Words

In our Autumn/Winter Newsletter (via our website) we highlighted an article from Wine Enthusiast praising the value of vintage variation: “Let’s honour each wine’s terroir by allowing a new vintage to express itself as naturally as possible”.  As a natural organic/biodynamic producer that is entirely our philosophy.

In many parts of Australia, including the Barossa, Vintage 2011 was extremely wet and much cooler than normal.  Many vineyards were affected with mildew and botrytis rot and much fruit was left unharvested.  The different weather resulted in an atypical year with many producers and journalists writing 2011 off as an inferior vintage.

However, you cannot paint an entire region with the same brush and the diversity of the Barossa has meant that some brilliant wines have still come out of 2011.  Our vineyard location in the North-Western Barossa (most North-Westerly vineyard & winery in the Barossa) combined with our organic/biodynamic farming techniques meant we could harvest all of our fruit, at optimum maturity and make very good wines.  The wines certainly display the coolness of the vintage with more pepper, spice and florals than normal but they are still weighty, mouthfilling, flavoursome and well structured.

We are certainly pleased with our 2011 wines that have been released to date, including the reds we are currently releasing now as well as the old vine wines still maturing in barrel.

We have had some excellent third party endorsements of our 2011 wines from wine shows and critics.

Highlights include the 2011 Clarry’s GSM gaining three major trophies at the International Wine Challenge in London, as well as a Gold Medal in Canada and at the Barossa Wine Show.

James Halliday gave it 5 stars and had this to say: "It is a real surprise packet, its energy and fresh red fruit drive coming from the low alcohol; if ever there was proof that biodynamics can help vines weather the storm of incessant rain, this is it".

Tyson Stelzer also thought highly of it saying" “this blend has every right to a much higher price tag. The cool 2011 season makes for a particularly sophisticated Clarry’s, accented with fresh rhubarb, pepper and bay leaf. A fine, savoury tannin chassis promises unusual longevity”.

The 2011 Moppa Shiraz, just getting released was acknowledged highly with a Gold Medal at the recent New Zealand International Wine Show.

Nick Stock rated the 2011 Rosina as a ‘Best Value Wine’ in the Good Wine Guide 2012 and described it as “terrific”.  He also rated the 2011 Florentine at 91 points and thought it was “bright, really tidy and composed”.

Our 2011 Buckboard Durif was chosen as the ‘People’s Choice Award’ for the Marananga Wine Show.

Louise Radman loved the 2011 Florentine: “This example from Kalleske is an absolute cracker”.

2011 is a unique vintage that’s produced diverse wines across the Barossa and Australia, some excellent wines amongst them.  At Kalleske we strive for our wines to embrace the time (vintage) and place (vineyard) and that’s again what we've achieved in 2011 and we’re thrilled with the outcome, but we invite you to be the judge…

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