d'Arenberg

For other uses, see D'Arenberg (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 35°11′53.1″S 138°32′51.1″E / 35.198083°S 138.547528°E / -35.198083; 138.547528

A d'Arenberg wine, a varietal Roussanne.

d'Arenberg is an Australian wine company founded in 1912. All of their vineyards are located in South Australia's McLaren Vale, although some of the wines they make are produced from grapes sourced from the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula. It is now owned by the fourth generation of the Osborn family, headed by Chester Osborn. d'Arenberg are known for the quirky names of their wines, and their specialism in the vines of the Rhone valley. They also produce many of their wines in a traditional manner, using basket pressing for both reds and whites (the only winery in Australia to do so)^{[citation needed]} and leaving the vast majority of the red wines unfiltered and unfined which can cause the wine to throw a sediment in bottle but leaves the flavour intact. The majority of their red wines are suitable for ageing as well as for drinking fairly young and even the cheaper wines show very well after a few years in bottle. Perhaps their best known wine is 'The Dead Arm Shiraz', made from fungus-infected shiraz grape vines.

In 2009 D'Arenberg joined Australian wine alliance First Families of Wine.^[1][2]

The Dead Arm Shiraz

The name Dead Arm comes from the disease Eutypa lata which is common in many older vineyards.^{[citation needed]} Eutypa Lata causes grape canker which slowly kills one of the branches of a vine. This reduces the yield of the vine and intensifies the flavor.^{[citation needed]} The grapes for The Dead Arm Shiraz come from these vines in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia. The wine is very rich and full bodied, with a typical alcohol content of 15 percent or over. In recent years, it has become somewhat popular due to good reviews in The Wine Spectator and other publications,^{[citation needed]} as well as an increased worldwide interest in Australian wine.

See also

• Australian wine
• Australia’s First Families of Wine

References

1. ^ Simon Evans, The Australian Financial Review, Tuesday 18 August 2009, Page 61
2. ^ Chris Snow, Decanter Magazine, 17 August 2009, Top Australian wineries team up to push super-premium wines

External links

• Australia's first families of Wine