EXPLORING SEPPELTSFIELD

Seppeltsfeld: The Next Chapter

Notes from the 2020 Release from Andrew Caillard, Master of Wine

Seppeltsfeld, under the ownership of entrepreneur and winemaker Warren Randall, has undergone a remarkable transformation. Although best known for its fortifed wines – especially the Centenary Para Liquor Tawny series – the brand has now returned to making table wines under the Seppeltsfeld brand name. The complicated agreements and restrictions imposed through acquisition are now unravelling allowing Seppeltsfeld to steer a more direct course into the future.

Anyone who visits Seppeltsfeld will know that it is a remarkable 19th Century vision in perfect working order. The 1888 gravity fed cellar is a jewel in the Australian wine industry’s crown. A portrait photograph of Benno Seppelt’s late 19th Century winemaking team alongside a more recent example, in exactly the same setting, shows that the essence of the Seppelt family’s dream is still in motion. >>

Warren Randall has updated the cellar by lining all of the open fermenters with stainless steel to promote hygiene and continuity. Add a remarkable team of winemakers headed up by ex-Penfolds winemaker Fiona Donald and some of the best vineyard resources in the Barossa Valley, it becomes quite clear that Seppeltsfeld promises so much more. Imagination, energy, bloody good craftsmanship and empathy for the Barossa environment all play their part in building a fascinating picture of modern Australian wine making.

The Seppeltsfeld brand reaches back into the history of the Barossa and the remarkable Seppelt family heritage to build a new vision. The connecting rods are the living museum of 19th and 20th Century Para Liqueur Tawnies, the 1888 gravity fow cellar and Fiona Donald’s winemaking “philosophy.” The latter element is related to the way winemakers employ their craft and diferentiate their wines.

Without going into detail there is a direct line of winemaking techniques that have taken place over the last 150 years

that bring about an Australian way of winemaking. These Seppeltsfeld wines in many ways show these bloodlines. It starts with the scribblings of “Maro” (Sir William Macarthur) and continue through the infuence of Alexander Charles Kelly, Professor Arthur Perkins, Thomas Hardy and others. The techniques employed by Ray Beckwith and Max Schubert consolidated many of the technical advances of the times. Although there are variations on many themes, further feld initiatives, technical breakthroughs and sparks of individual genius, many winemakers throughout Australia, through their education and experience handed down through the generations, are intuitively making wines that have the stability, freshness and balance to age for the long term. The winemaking and oak maturation techniques at Seppeltsfeld have distinct Australian favour. In addition to the tried and tested, the exploration of new grape varieties and the characteristics of individual vineyard site establish a diverse and interesting hymn sheet of wine styles and tastes. As a consequence, Seppeltsfeld is very much at the forefront of Australian winemaking premiumisation and authenticity.

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Words

Talking a little too much after that first glass of wine? Here are five wine words to fill your palate (and keep the table entertained with).

Corked: /kɔːkt/ a tasting term for a faulty wine that has cork taint. As in: ‘This wine I brought is corked, and it still tastes better than the dishwater you’ve been serving us.’

Cuvée: /ˈkjuːveɪ,French kyve/ a wine blended from several vats or batches, or from a selected vat. Also used in Champagne, referring to the juice from the frst pressing of grapes. As in: ‘This Cuvée is delightful, though I fear it has been pressed by foot - this may be a toenail.’

Dry: /drʌɪ/ wines with zero or very low residual levels of sugar. As in: ‘This wine is as dry as cricket commentary on a rainy day.’ Jeroboam:/ˌdʒɛrəˈbəʊəm/ a large bottle holding 3-5 litres, the equivalent of 4-6 regular bottles. As in: 'Bring out the Jeroboam to celebrate, the Zoom call didn’t drop out for once!'

Vinous:/ˈvʌɪnəs/ a term used to denote anything relating to wine. As in: ‘this evening will be vinous. Today was also vinous.'