Vines and wines with Dell'uva

When last we spent time with Wayne of Dell'uva Wines he was in the recovery stages of three knee surgeries (no he only has two legs, one was done twice) and had yet to put any wine into a bottle. The tasting of his wines in barrel was a huge tease of the wonderful wine to come. When going back to the Barossa this year it was high on the list of things to do. We just had to go back and check out how things have been progressing.

One of the interesting things about the wine  industry is the many theories and methods used to create good wine. Some methods are just done because that is the way its been done for generations, and some are based on study and research and there are any number of ideas in between. Vineyards and vineyard management is no different. From the idea to plant the vines on hills and stress them all the time logic to the variety of different soils that are claimed to be best and any number of other unique beliefs.

According to Wayne, of Dell'uva Wines, premium quality starts with the careful selection of rootstocks, and with his focus on those specifically suited to his northern Barossa soils and growing conditions. With a diverse range of clonal varieties sourced from Mediterranean climates that are carefully matched and grafted to the carefully selected rootstocks to maximize flavors through biodiversity. Wayne has his biggest spaced vineyard planted at a density of 6500 vines per hectare to further maximize fruit flavor which is quite a departure from the norm. The Sangiovese vines lead the pack at 11,000 vines per hectare. Do we hear a collective 'crickey'?
At Dell’uva, the selection work with premium clones is never-ending and they have ongoing planted trials to continue their never ending research into quality improvement.

After spending many years travelling the world, visiting vineyards and trying wines in their native environments, Wayne spent over a decade of his career visiting all of the top wine producing regions of the world in a quest to establish what it actually is that makes great wine. Wayne and his family became committed to bringing these wine styles to Australia and the Barossa Valley. Wayne has one of the largest collections of European varieties in Australia, with 44 currently planted for wine and a further 55 planted for future evaluation in just 50 acres.

Wayne is passionate about his vineyards and wine, and he only use's approved organic chemicals such as a small pinch of sulphur to help preserve the wine after bottling. Its all about what the vine gives you and so no artificial tannins, no flavor enhancers, does not filter or fine his wines. He uses no egg whites and no milk products and all his growing methods are organic. Wayne takes vineyard care just as passionately and sprays rarely and only with organic registered copper and sulphur to control the occasional outbreak of mildew. He does not use any systemic fungicides or any insecticides but relies on mother nature to help. On the property Wayne has a rich population of native wood swallows and Murray magpies, willy wagtails and bearded dragons that clean up the grubs in the vineyards. Ladybugs keep the aphid population in check, and the free-range chooks graze noisily on insects in the permanent mid-row grasses.

While some may consider Wayne a little touched, there is no doubting the quality and drinkability of his wonderful wines. Our humble opinion is these are destined for many 90+ scores and Gold medals. The additional attention to detail and the application of the things he has learned from traveling and studying the worlds best vineyards are being put into play in his vineyards. We will be keeping an eye on Dell'uva Wines to see that our predictions are correct.

If you can get a chance to taste some Dell'uva wine take it, we highly 'recommend' you do. You will be glad you did.

 

Happy Tasting Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout