Established in 1850, Langhorne Creek winery Bleasdale has all the history in the world including its famous 3.5 tonne red gum lever press built in 1892.
But it’s not stuck in the past. In fact it’s wines are winning more accolades than ever before.
Bleasdale Generations Shiraz 2016 ($35) beat more than 1,400 other red wines to take home the Max Schubert AM Trophy for most outstanding red wine at the 2018 Royal Adelaide Wine Show. It also won the Wine Communicators of Australia Trophy for best Shiraz in show.
The 2015 vintage of the same wine was recently awarded the International Judge’s Annual Trophy at the 2018 KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show.
Senior winemaker Paul Hotker was last year named James Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year. He said the latest win has cemented the 168-year-old winery’s ongoing relevance in the marketplace.
“It’s unbelievable, incredible, hard to fathom,” Hotker said. “This is very exciting for the whole team and we will celebrate!”
Bleasdale has received seven trophies at major wine shows in recent weeks, with the Max Schubert win marking the third best red wine of show from the four capital city wine shows held since the start of August.
Bleasdale 2017 Frank Potts Cabernet Blend was named best red of show at the 2018 Perth Royal Wine Awards just two weeks after the 2016 Wellington Road Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon won it in Sydney. The 2016 Generations Shiraz also received top gold at the 2018 Royal Hobart Wine Show in August.
“It’s pretty rare to get such a spread of awards for such a diverse group of wines – they’re all red but that’s about the only thing they’ve got in common,” Paul said.
Paul reflects on the ongoing success of Bleasdale and its bulging trophy cabinet.
“It may seem as though suddenly, the stars have aligned for Bleasdale, however overnight success is due to years of hard work,” he said.
“We have been working towards a long term vision and are committed to continuous improvement. We reflect at least annually on each wine and every aspect of the grape growing and winemaking process, from vineyard to bottle.
“This pursuit of improvement and curiosity is now instilled in Bleasdale’s culture and we take nothing for granted. Each year we attempt to improve on the year before and we continue to learn from experience.”
Paul thinks Langhorne Creek’s future success lies with the proven varietals Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.
“We will also continue to experiment with other red grapes, as indicated by the success of the iconic Frank Potts, a Cabernet blend with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc,” he said.
Photo: Langhorne Creek Wine Show.
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