About d'Arenberg:
d'Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale. In 1912 Joseph Osborn, a teetotaler and director of Thomas Hardy and Sons, purchased the well established Milton Vineyards in the hills just north of the townships of Gloucester and Bellevue, now just known as McLaren Vale.Joseph's son Francis Ernest ('Frank') Osborn left medical school, choosing to forsake the scalpel for pruning shears. Fruit from the 78 hectares of vineyards was sold to local wineries until the construction of his own cellars were completed in 1928. Dry red table and fortified wines were produced in ever increasing quantities to supply the expanding markets of the Empire. In 1943 Frank's son Francis d'Arenberg, universally known as 'd'Arry' returned from school, age 16, to help his ill father run the business, eventually assuming full management of d'Arenberg in 1957. d'Arry bottled the first of the famous diagonal red stripe labeled wines the following year. d'Arenberg's wines of the 1960's gained immediate cult status amongst Imbibers and Judges. One Cabernet Sauvignon won a Jimmy Watson Trophy at the Melbourne Wine Show and another Grenache based wine was awarded 7 trophies and 29 gold medals from Australian capital city wine shows. It is understandable that by the 1970's d'Arenberg Wines had become very fashionable having gained significant national and international profiles in less than 20 years. Enter the fourth generation, d'Arry's son Chester d'Arenberg Osborn. After graduating from Roseworthy College and touring other Australia and European wine regions Chester took over the reigns as Chief Winemaker in 1984 and immediately set about rejuvenating the 70 year old Cellars and l9th Century Vineyards. Investing in new oak refrigeration and lots of small stainless steel tanks resulted in immediate white dividends with his Dry Dam Riesling, Dryland Sauvignon Blanc, Olive Grove Chardonnay and Botrytis affected Noble Riesling all winning gold medals and trophies at wine shows. In 1990 Chester was crowned McLaren Vale Bushing King for producing the best table wine in the district judged at the McLaren Vale Wine Show. In 1994 d'Arry was invested as a Patron of the Wine Industry of Australia, a year after completing his 50th consecutive vintage at d'Arenberg. In 1999 Chester was named the inaugural Winestate Australian Winemaker of the year, the same year d'Arenberg was named as in US Wine and Spirits Top 70 Wineries in the World. It is not surprising that with a "Red Stripe" in their blood, that d'Arry and Chester's viticultural and oenological talents have ensured that d'Arenberg has continued to win numerous national and international medals, trophies and critical acclaim, none more so in recent years. d'Arenberg is continuing to produce wines that are a credit to both the winery and the region. They have just completed renovating the property's 19th Century Homestead incorporating cellar door tastings and a restaurant, appropriately named 'd'Arry's Verandah' overlooking McLaren Vale and the Willunga escarpment falling into the Gulf of St Vincent. d'Arenberg is a McLaren Vale tradition to be proud of. |