Bethany Semillon
From one of the small family-owned iconic brands of the Barossa, who have evolved the traditionally rich, oaked style of Semillon into a brighter, fresher interpretation.
In the glass: Pale lemon.
On the nose: Youthful lift of ripe citrus with touches of straw and talc.
On the palate: A nicely balanced expression of Barossa Valley Semillon that’s clean, lemony and quite intense. It features a vibrant, juicy core of appealing fruit flavours and crisp, citrussy acidity.
With some of the oldest vines in the Barossa, Bethany Wines has special place in the region’s winemaking story.
Johann Gottlob Schrapel and his family arrived from Silesia on the George Washington in 1844. This was just eight years after South Australia was settled. Like many Silesian migrants, they travelled by ox cart to Bethany (Bethanien), and established the Barossa’s first settlement.
Johann planted the first vineyard in 1852 from cuttings carried from Europe. He built a wine cellar and had reputation as a winemaker. Despite this our family were grape growers for the next four generations.
In 1981, fifth generation brothers Robert and Geoff established Bethany Wines. They built a winery in the quarry where the early pioneers had hewn stone for their homes. They crushed 2 tonnes of Shiraz and Riesling, launching the next chapter of the Schrapel wine story.
The early 1980s were tough for Barossa grape growers. A glut followed a red wine boom and grape prices fell below production cost. The State Government wanted growers to pull out old Shiraz and Grenache vines. They encouraged growers to plant new varieties or leave the industry.
Fortunately, the brothers chose to establish a tradition of winemaking from this undervalued yet irreplaceable resource of old vineyards.
To find out more about the winery go to http://www.bethany.com.au/our-wines
To see our full range of Bethany wines go to http://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/bethany-wines/
Bethany Semillon