Turkey Flat's brand new 1847 vines flagship declares its greatness and longevity not by intensity but by calm, seamless balance. It's refreshing to see a top end Barossa Shiraz that focuses on freshness, expression of fruit and fragrance rather than magnitude, a guise that allows the expression of its ancient site to shine. 97 points Tyson Stelzer. WBM November/December 2015

In the concluding paragraphs of his biography, our winemaker, Mark Bulman writes he ‘has developed a love for Grenache that borders on obsessive’. Let me clarify this for you, there is nothing ‘bordering’ about it. On the scale of fondness to full-blown-rapturous-I-want-to-take-you-home obsession, Mark sits well and truly in the latter range. But what’s so special about Grenache? This is the Barossa Valley, isn’t it? You know, ‘Shiraz Country’. While Shiraz, and certainly the diversity of Barossa terroir and its effects on Shiraz are always key points of winemaking here, it’s Grenache that fuels a different fire for Mark. Before we get into the lovey-dovey stuff, let’s have a quick look at Grenache and how it ended up in our little Valley. The origin of Grenache is a hotly contested topic, with Spain and Italy (specifically Sardinia) battling it out for top honours. Personally, I support the Spanish claim to the throne, but that’s a blog unto itself, if you’re interested have a look at the Russian agronomist Vavilov’s ‘Studies on the Origins of Cultivated Plants” and the diversity of Grenache variants in both regions. Whatever the origin, the spread of Grenache can be attributed to trade within the Crown of Aragon. This 14th & 15th century Empire covered much of present-day Eastern Spain, South-Western France, Sardinia & across the Mediterranean as far as Greece. Here the warm and often dry climate suited the hardy Grenache vine well and plantings flourished, continuing to today where is its France’s 2nd most planted variety after Merlot. Grenache was known as Tinto Aragonés (Red of Aragon) during this time, the chosen beverage of the upper classes, something aspirational, royal, lust-worthy.

Each year when I sit down to write this newsletter it never ceases to amaze me as I reflect back at the events, accolades and achievements. Our year has been packed full, firstly with the release of the Ancestor 2012 Shiraz. We held small dinners in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Turkey Flat to celebrate the release of this historic wine. Months of work went into the design of the label, bottle and box to befit this magnificent wine, made solely from our 1847 Shiraz vineyard. The celebration also extended to a series of bespoke decanters handmade by world famous glassmaker Nick Mount. We have received accolades from leading wine writers in reviews of all our wines, a trophy for 2014 Grenache and a bag full of gold and silver medals from the Barossa and Adelaide wine shows. In addition we were honoured with the Turkey Flat Shiraz receiving the Barossa Trust Mark. The Barossa Trust Mark is a mark of aspirational standard set by the Barossa region. It provides you with a guarantee and assurance of quality. It is founded on five value pillars: Origin - our sense of place Integrity - our sense of purpose Quality - our sense of ambition Environment - our sense of responsibility Community - our sense of belonging As we put this newsletter to print, we have just held our 3rd Turkey Flat cellar door event in Adelaide. The Freemasons Hall on North Terrace set the perfect backdrop for the evening to show case the new vintage releases and the much awaited exciting new addition, Quinquina, a white aperitif. The stage was set with our trademark pallet bars, decorated by Jo and Emily and the cocktail theatrics of Mark, Alex, Phillip and Peaches.

It's the time of year when we're all out shopping for all the special people in our lives and celebrating another incredible year. To say thank you to you, our amazing TF fans, we've gone shopping in the cellar to bring you this very nice giveaway. The 1st, 25th, 50th, 75th & 100th orders placed online at www.turkeyflat.com.au from 10am Tuesday 10 November 2015 (SA time) will win one of the following great prizes: The magnum double-act: 1 x 2013 Shiraz Magnum & 1 x 2013 Grenache Magnum

A Rhone-style white blend has long been part of the Turkey Flat line-up. Inevitably over the years focus changes, experimentation brings new processes to the fore and the overall direction of a wine ends up being nothing like what it started out to be. This is a good thing. Such is the case with our Barossa Valley White - a new branding that much more accurately reflects the style of our white blend today. We are incredibly proud of the heritage of our home in the Barossa - the original Lot 1 of the Hundred of Moorooroo. This parcel of land was the testing ground or trial garden which informed the propogation of vines within the Barossa Valley. Our label design by Barossa artist, Andy Ellis, is influenced by the 72 different varieties of grape vine and orchard planted as part of this program here in the 1840s.