13 October, 2020

Hi all, 

Back in March we temporarily closed our doors, and in that final week we had people from the USA, France, Spain, Korea, Ireland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Byron Bay, Beechworth and Mount Gambier.

Like many businesses we were closed longer than we expected and it felt strange to open again, I was almost scared, not sure if I would remember how to do my job. The truth is my role is evolving every day.

This year we are in a constant state of change, it’s exhilarating, exhausting and scary. But there are the precious moments that otherwise would not have occurred, these are the silver linings.

This week, just 4 months since re-opening, we've had guests from Mount Gambier, Penola, the Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin - but overwhelming the majority were from Adelaide. Half my schooling and Uni studies were in the city of churches. There aren’t many degrees of separation in Adelaide, you will always know someone in common. I guess if you like wine you don’t need to travel too far from Adelaide to indulge, spoilt for choice really. But now that people have more time, they are making the effort to travel further. Being a four hour drive from Adelaide doesn't constitute a day trip, you'll probably need something to eat, drink and somewhere to stay! So to those of you who have recently visited or are planning to, we want to THANK YOU,  from the bottom of our hearts. It's awesome to share our part of the world with new people and seeing faces from the earlier in our renovations returning.

The value of getting to know your own state or country, exploring regional Australia is hard to quantify - but it's a powerful investment. The opportunity to learn and connect with your own country, Australia, an ancient continent, steeped in incredible geological and human history cannot be under-rated. From world heritage listed caves with a megafauna fossil history that re-writes the living order of species, to dormant volcanoes and an untouched rugged coastline, a visit to the Limestone Coast will leave you a better person.   Our wine regions are full of down to earth personalities and cellar doors, where you get the time to talk to people, learning more about how we make and grow our wine and why they taste the way they do.

This month we celebrate all things Cabernet in Coonawarra - so for those of you who can't physically get here, we want to bring a bit of our celebrations to you. We are offering a six pack or dozen from our museum, current release and the future.  If you want you can even book a private 'zoom' tasting session with me to taste through those wines. Or, if you are coming to Coonawarra in the future you can book a private tour and tasting with me at the winery.  See below for the 6 packs or dozens, or scroll further down to create your own!

Last weekend I had friends from over twenty years ago visit. We shared many laughs. It’s wonderful when people can reconnect so easily, bringing different life experiences to the campfire conversation. So it seemed like a good time to crack open some wines from the cellar, including a 98 Parker first growth. What a privilege to be able to enjoy a 22 year old wine with friends you knew before it was even on the vine. The complexity of life that makes us more interesting with age is a bit like wine, the essence of what made it great to start with, is always still at its core - much like old friendships.

Among this weird new way of living, the effort to support an old friend may bring more reward than you ever imagined. Be brave and grasp these simple moments. 

We are hoping, with all our fingers and toes crossed, for the borders to be open again soon for our Victorian friends and family, and spending meaningful times together again... not on a screen! Being halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide we are perfectly located to host reunions here under the gum trees.  

Incidentally the music for this newsletter relates to gigs that my friends and I used to love back in the late 80s, The Australian Doors, we were young and loving the music of a band from before our time. (Riders on a storm was released before I was even born). I’m not normally into cover bands but this was my exception - their gigs were the closest we would ever get. This song also kind of suits this year.  Our road trip playlist keeps growing - so tune in HERE and plan a 4-5 day getaway with us around the camp fire at Bellwether.  

Sue x

and save 15% on our museum vintages below, as well as our very, very limited stock of 2009, 2010, 2013 & 2014 (with free delivery) when you order 6+ bottles. 

Use the code BWCAB at the checkout.  Offer ends 31st October 2020

We have many more wines on our website, and some super special dozen deals.  

Click on the photo below to see our full range available now.