b o u U s
Producing excellent wine creates a wonderful, warm and inviting feeling for wine producers.
Wine is the product of so many factors that interact to create a uniqueness, a once off creation that will live for many years to be enjoyed by the viticulturalist, the winemaker, the original purchaser, and their friends.
Every vintage year is different, each contains all of the factors which operate from budburst to harvest and on through the winemaking process into the bottle to still continue development for years to come.
About
o n t o r o i n s
Wine is a beautiful commodity shaped by the vineyard, the climate and the guidance of the viticulturist and the winemaker.
The initial goal is to produce the best grapes possible with as many unique characters as possible. To grow good grapes is the first step in making a great wine. Good grapes make good wine, bad grapes make bad wine, and with all the skill of the winemaker, one cannot make good wine from bad grapes.
From before budburst the pruning process sets the scene for the vintage. A good viticulturist carefully shapes the vine for the coming growing season; too heavy pruning leads to reduced yields, and too light a pruning will lead to excess vegetative growth and fruit of a lower quality with a lack of characters necessary to make a great wine.
Soil type, depth, moisture content, aspect all play a part in producing great grapes. Then there is climate, temperatures (both daytime and night time), humidity, solar radiation and precipitation, all act together to produce a unique vintage. The viticulturalist guides the crop and has control of aspects necessary throughout the growing season, such as weed control, vine management including a spray programme and decisions regarding watering, if necessary.
The term “terroir” is the sum of all factors operating to produce a vintage. No two terroirs are the same, hence no two wines are the same. There are even differences in the grapes produced by one part of the vineyard to another.
It is the role of the wine producer to take the raw material and fashion it into wine of a particular style. This is the joy of wine making. Montoro Wines produces . . . . sensational Shiraz grapes and is able with the guidance of the winemaker produce a range of styles.
Our vineyard is positioned at 905 metres above sea level and is possibly one of the highest shiraz vineyards in Australia. Our terroir is such that we produce spices and pepper characters in our wines, hence in our Montoro Pepper Shiraz and Montoro Elegance Shiraz in each and every year. The presence of pepper characters defines Shiraz, we as Australians love pepper, and Shiraz wine represents some 42% of the red wine market.
Montoro wines continue to develop these savoury pepper characters over time and benefit from time in the cellar. Buy now to stock your cellar.
We do push the boundaries at times, exampled through our Montoro Artisan wine produced by carbonic masceration or anaerobic fermentation. This is the wine making technique of the Beaujolais region of the upper reaches of the Rhōne near Lyon. The technique brings out a plethora of flavours and characters that characterize it as a “summer wine” served either at room temperature or slightly chilled. The usual variety for a Beaujolais is Gamay, however our shiraz with its spiceness also makes a wonderful summer wine. Our wine is unique, and every vintage is different like an artisans work. The refreshing acidity and the low tannins that characterize the wine as one to drink now to appreciate its fruity almost “grapey” flavours. It is a wine to drink and enjoy!
Montoro Wines have also produced a white shiraz – possibly the only one in Australia. Patrons who have obviously experienced a “bad” red wine in the past make comments in the cellar door to the tune “I don’t like shiraz” or ”red wine doesn’t agree with me”. So, we made a red wine and then took the colour out by a natural process over about 13 months.
As my mother-in-law ,“Madge”, was also one who had hated red wine since her first taste when she was a 18 y.o. It made her ill and she vowed “never again”. We named our first white shiraz “Just for Madge” and sales took off. It is not only the first white shiraz made, but it is definitely the only wine in the world named after a mother-in-law. The wine was bottled in 375mL bottles, however there is demand for a 750mL white wine to be called “Madge and Friends”.
With the production of quality grapes come unlimited possibilities. Like children in a Candy Store we have made both red and white bubbles. Our red sparkling shiraz is well known and the 2015 Montoro Opal Eyes is our present release.
Pushing Boundaries
i n e i s o r t h a n j u s t “ t e d S u n s h i n e ”
We, at Montoro “push the boundaries” and have made a Sparkling White Shiraz wine to be called “Alegria” (Spanish for happiness) still in its second ferment and needing a few additional years to develop the characteristics we require. Stay tuned!
To me, wine is more than just “Bottled Sunshine”, it’s the love of Shiraz and all its possibilities, it is a passion to produce the best wine possible and to share that passion with others.
Retirement may have arrived but the passion to produce great wine lives on and on!
Enjoy life, Enjoy great Shiraz, enjoy Montoro Wines.
We, at Montoro “push the boundaries” and have made a Sparkling White Shiraz wine to be called “Alegria” (Spanish for happiness) still in its second ferment and needing a few additional years to develop the characteristics we require. Stay tuned!
To me, wine is more than just “Bottled Sunshine”, it’s the love of Shiraz and all its possibilities, it is a passion to produce the best wine possible and to share that passion with others.
Retirement may have arrived but the passion to produce great wine lives on and on!
Enjoy life, Enjoy great Shiraz, enjoy Montoro Wines.
