Presenting a series of Sunday's showcasing the stories from Wine, Beer & Spirits of the Fleurieu.

These are reproduced with permission from Soul Publishing and Rojina Duval.

These stories feature prominent farmers, fishermen, producers and chefs – from Port Noarlunga to Cape Jervis – along with their favourite recipes and tips. Enjoy!

BATTLE OF BOSWORTH & SPRING SEED WINES

“We make organically grown wines from our family vineyards in McLaren Vale,” says Battle of Bosworth owner Joch Bosworth.

The winery – which takes its name from the original Battle of Bosworth, fought on Bosworth Field, Leicestershire, England in 1485 – makes wines with flavour, texture, purity and balance, expressing the unique characteristics of their McLaren Vale foothills site.

Joch runs the vineyards and winery, while partner Louise Hemsley-Smith takes care of the sales and marketing.

The couple also makes the Spring Seed Wine Co range of wines, which – as with the Bosworth wines – are made using organically grown grapes from their vineyards.

“The vineyards were established in the early 1970s by my parents, Peter and Anthea,” says Joch.

“Willunga itself was settled in the late 1830s, and our family has been growing grapes in the district on and off since the late 1850s.”

Joch took over the management and dayto-day running of the vineyards in 1995, and set about converting the vineyards to certified organic viticulture from this time.

“We released wines from our first vintage (2001) in 2003. Our Battle of Bosworth Shiraz and Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon were the first wines from an organically certified vineyard in McLaren Vale,” says Louise.

“The humble soursob plays a very important role in our organic vineyard system,” says Joch.

“It grows rapidly under vine when the winter rains come,” says Joch.

“The soursob competes with and out-does other weeds in winter and forms a natural weed mat in spring and summer. The lifecycle of the soursob fits very well with the grape vine, as it uses water in winter when the vine is dormant and dies off in summer as the vines' water requirements increase,” explains Joch.

The soursob (Oxalis pes-caprae) is the pretty yellow flower that features on the Battle of Bosworth label.

CELLAR DOOR

“Our cellar door is located just outside historic Willunga, in a restored 1850s chaff shed, with elevated views north over our vineyards and west to the sea.”

PAIRING

“Our 2018 Battle of Bosworth Shiraz has lovely oak, ripe red and black fruits, spice and toasty char characters. The result is a wonderful, balanced MV shiraz with richness, flavour and texture. Enjoy with a steak!” 

ADDRESS 92 Gaffney Road, Willunga

WEBSITE:

battleofbosworth.com.au

springseedwineco.com.au

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