THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – Federation to the Modern Era | 1900–1982
In 1979, Neil Ashmead, an advertising executive, and his wife, Lorraine, acquired a derelict 19th-century vineyard and established Elderton. ‘If you buy the house, I will give you 72 acres of old vines for nothing’, the seller had told them. The vineyard, planted in 1894, comprised cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, plantings that had been made to take advantage of the export market of claret to England during that time. But it would take years for the business to gather momentum and the vineyard to reach its full potential. These start-ups, like Katnook, Wirra Wirra, and Brokenwood, needed technical winemaking support. Brian Croser and Tony Jordan’s Oenotec became one of the most successful consultancies and supported the early winemaking careers of Iain Riggs of Brokenwood and Wayne Stehbens of Katnook. The strict hygiene practices promoted by Oenotec revolutionised Australian wine, giving a clarity of fruit rarely seen in previous eras. In July 1975, Rosalie and Nat White took possession of the 12-acre Main Ridge Estate property with financial assistance from their families. The job of removing the lemon trees, which would have taken a day with modern equipment and sufficient funds, took months of weekend labour using Nat White’s second-hand Fergie (a 1950s Ferguson tractor) and a wrecking chain. But some trees were nurtured back into production to facilitate a land tax exemption granted to rural producers. This was followed by an experimental planting of vines on the first half-acre block. The small vineyard was established with a fruit salad of grape varieties recommended by Geoff Godden from the Victorian Department of Agriculture. On his recommendation, the vines were sourced from Sunnycliff Nurseries near Merbein, and the majority of plantings were cabernet sauvignon and the relatively new clone MV6 pinot noir developed by the CSIRO. Other plantings included gewürztraminer and chardonnay. The development of Main Ridge Estate was slow and methodical, with very limited capital for improvements. Typically, friends would volunteer to help in the vineyard or assist the Whites with building work. As the vines flourished, a volunteer slave force became essential. Even the children, Dominic and Annalise, were co-opted as vineyard workers. This pattern of farming enterprise, living among nature, and never-ending weekend chores brought extended family, friends, and children together. United by hard work, wine, food, and music, Main Ridge Estate gradually took shape as a small boutique wine producer. The Half Acre Pinot Noir has become one of the region’s rarest and most prized wines. . . . Coonawarra’s growing success during the 1970s and ’80s followed in the wake of the destructive vineyard pulls around Adelaide. The claret-style wines emerging from the cigar-shaped terra rossa soils began to generate noise amidst
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