WHAT WE STAND FOR!

WINEMAKER

TOM WHITE

Curator Wine Co was several decades in the making. Growing up, my family ran a cool climate vineyard in the Adelaide Hills in the late 1980’s, my journey in wine started out as a interest, and grew into a lifelong passion.

I loved that my choices in the vineyard would directly influence the flavours and quality of the resulting wine, thus scratching my creative itch. It was a dream of mine to make generous and full bodied Shiraz, Cabernet and Grenache from the glorious old vines of the Barossa Valley. For the quality and style I was seeking, I knew it needed the right blend of vine age, soil types, aspect, elevation and varieties. This search brought me to the sub region of Marananga, the place we now call home.

My wife Bridget and I run the vineyard from the original settler’s stone cottage, built in the 1890’s.

The wines are made in the vineyard, it’s my job to curate them from grapes, into the wine in bottle. All grapes are hand picked, natural fermentation, hand plunging, with the final blends meticulously selected. The wines are vegan friendly with no fining or filtration occurring.

The ethos of Curator Wine Co is to create wines that are:

  • Crisp, elegant, and complex. The wines are made from old vines grown in the Barossa Valley, a region known for its rich, full-bodied wines. However, Curator Wine Co uses a minimalist approach to winemaking, allowing the natural flavors of the grapes to shine through.

  • Sustainably produced. The grapes are grown using minimal cultivation and no herbicides or pesticides. This helps to preserve the natural environment of the Barossa Valley.

  • Vegan-friendly. The wines are made without the use of animal products, making them suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

  • Artisanal. The wines are made in small batches, using traditional winemaking techniques. This ensures that each bottle is a unique expression of the Barossa Valley.

The ethos of Curator Wine Co is reflected in their tagline, "Crafted by Nature. Curated by Passion." The wines are made with a deep respect for the land and the grapes, and they are crafted with care and attention to detail.

How Curator Wine Co embodies their ethos:

  • They use old vine grapes, which are known for their concentrated flavors and complexity.

  • They use a minimalist approach to winemaking, which allows the natural flavors of the grapes to shine through.

  • They grow their grapes using minimal cultivation and no herbicides or pesticides, which helps to preserve the natural environment of the Barossa Valley.

  • They make their wines vegan-friendly, by not using any animal products in the winemaking process.

  • They make their wines in small batches, which allows them to have more control over the quality of the wine.

  • All of the water used in the winery is harvested from our own sheds and house

  • All of our winery grape marc (pressed grape skins) is made into our own mulch that is then applied to underneath our vines to help maximise water retention and reduce our watering.

Overall, Curator Wine Co is a winemaker that is committed to creating wines that are both delicious and sustainable. Their wines are a reflection of their passion for winemaking and their respect for the land.

VINEYARDS

MARANANGA ESTATE VINEYARD

Located in the South of the Hamlet of Marananga on the western side of the Barossa Valley, our vineyard is set amongst beautiful rolling hills which directly affect the flavour characters associated with each vineyard block. The soil is rich in ironstone and quartzite, ideal for producing deeply flavoured fruit. Our home vineyard is predominantly made up of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and small plots of Petite Verdot, Malbec and Merlot for blending purposes.

We separate our vineyard into five distinctly different Shiraz vineyard plots (Hillside, Winery, Dam, Front R6 and Front 1654 blocks) and our Cabernet Sauvignon into two distinct plots (Hill and Flats).

  • Contour vineyard planted post WWII, south facing, heavy loam on clay base soil. Old school Barossa dirt made with a twist.

  • 80 year old eastern facing vineyard, handpicked Grenache and a tiny amount of bush vine Mataro. Brown loam on rich red clay soils, provide quite lifted aromas and amazing tannin structure.

  • The beautiful 100+ year old vineyard just South of the Hamlet of Tanunda. we hand pick both Shiraz and our Grenache from this vineyard that is situated on the North Para River.

  • 35 year old vineyard wedged between the Hamlets of Marananga and Tanunda. This wine produces perfectly structured wines that add density and muscle and a lovely ferrous quality from the rich iron stone soils underneath the vines.

  • Planted in the late 1950’s on the ancient “Nuri” soil dark loam on clay. makes very powerful, dark rich Shiraz with an amazing tannin profile. the 1960’s planted area is particularly of interest and is kept separate from the rest of the younger part of the vineyard (planted circa 1980’s) which makes up another major component of the Hamlets Shiraz.

  • Planted in the 1950’s on rich red clay soil stereotypical to the Hamlet of Greenock. The vineyard creates fragrant rich wines of great depth of colour and density.

  • Planted in the mid 1950’s on the lighter structured sandy soils found in the Hamlet of Vine Vale.

    Lovely red berry aromas and fruit structure, more mid weight than heavier bodied wines due to the lighter soil. This vineyard generally makes up about 40% of our Hamlets Shiraz blend.