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***** Latest News *****
25/07/09 “A Night in the Cellar”
– a great night of food and wine in the cosy surroundings
of our cellar. Bookings essential and filling fast
25/06/09 Pinot Noir is back! Our 2008 Section 400
is now back in stock at Cellar Door
16/06/09 The wine women want! – 2004 Amadeus
Cabernet Sauvignon – as voted at the Brisbane Fine
Wine Festival June 2009
10/04/09 2002 The Cachet Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot Top Gold
in its class 2009 Sydney Royal Wine Show
01/01/09 Balcony Restaurant relaunches. Sunday Lunches.
New chef – new menu. Bookings essential
Cellar door specials
2007 Black Thursday Sauvignon Blanc $12 bottle $120 carton
2006 Novello Rosso Rosé $8 bottle $42 6 pack
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The
business was established in 1985 when a small pilot block
was planted at Gumeracha to test the suitability of different
grape varieties in the then newly emerging cool climate
Adelaide Hills wine region. The vines planted included Chardonnay
and Sauvignon Blanc both of which have become signature
wines of the Adelaide Hills, and a number of traditional
Italian varieties including Pinot Grigio, Barbera, Sangiovese
and Nebbiolo all of which were demonstrated to be ideally
suited to the Adelaide Hills.
The winery takes its name from the township of Chain of
Ponds which was established in 1864, on the banks of the
River Torrens in the hills above Adelaide. The little town
thrived until the 1970’s when it was razed to expand
the adjacent Millbrook reservoir which now provides much
of Adelaide’s water supply.
Winemaker Greg Clack
(back to top)
Greg Clack, winemaker for Chain of Ponds has had a long
lasting passion for food and wine which led to the beginning
of his short yet fruitful career.
Greg started his career at Koppamurra Wines, a small boutique
winery nestled in the Adelaide Hills, he worked closely
with the winemaker, John Greenshields in all aspects of
the winemaking process mainly producing full bodied limestone
coast Reds, along with an Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc
and Eden Valley Riesling.
In 2003 Greg started work at Haselgrove Wines under Winemaker
Adrian Lockhart (Young Winemaker of the Year – 2001).
Whilst at Haselgrove Greg honed his skills on the vast array
of varieties and styles that were produced at the winery,
learning many tips and techniques from Winemakers visiting
the Site.
In 2005 Greg started working closely with ex Chain of Ponds
Winemaker Neville Falkenberg. With such an experienced mentor
Greg quickly became enlightened to the secrets of producing
elegant and world class wines.
In 2007 Neville moved on to other pastures leaving the
gate open for Greg to step up and continue Neville’s
hard work in producing world class wines.
In 2008 Greg became a finalist in the Young Winemaker of
the Year Awards.
In his short career Greg has earned the respect of his
peers for his hard work and attention to quality. He is
looking forward to continuing the quality and styles that
Chain of Ponds are renowned for while putting a youthful
spin on things!
Philosophy (back
to top)
We source the best fruit from the best vineyards in the
Adelaide Hills and take care and pride in making the quality
wines with a difference. We continue to make traditional
varietal wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz
and Cabernet Sauvignon but we also use Nevilles winemaking
expertise to produce some fabulous and not so well know
varieties such as a Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Pinot Grigio.
Region/Climate/Soil (back
to top)
The Region
The Adelaide Hills is arguably Australia's most vibrant
premier cool climate wine region and is well known around
the world for its distinctive premium wines, viticulture
and stunning scenery.
It is located in the Mount Lofty Ranges just east of Adelaide,
stretching in a narrow band some 70km long. The boundaries
of the Adelaide Hills are registered with the Geographic
Indications Committee with the highest vineyards sited at
close to 600 metres altitude in areas such as Summertown,
Piccadilly and Carey Gully.
Just a 20-minute drive from Adelaide can transport you
to the Adelaide Hills Wine Region, offering the rare combination
of proximity to a capital city with the feel of being a
world away.
The Climate
Regardless of the diversity of the region the climate can
be generally described as a high rainfall region in comparison
to other Australian wine regions, however this rainfall
is mainly during the winter months. The summer months are
generally warm and dry compared to winter, however the average
temperatures are considerably cooler than regions outside
of the Adelaide Hills.
The Soil
The geography and climate of the AHWR has contributed to
soils that are highly variable in structure and chemistry.
However in general terms they can be described as a mixture
of sandy loams, loams and clay loams over clay subsoils
that vary in structure, although it is not unusual to find
these soils combined with shale and ironstone. They are
generally acidic and in some cases neutral in pH, but rarely
alkaline.
Opening Hours (back
to top)
Chain of Ponds Wines is open seven days a week for wine
tasting including most Public Holidays. Opening hours are
from 10.30am to 4.30pm. |