Sweetwater produces distinctive wines of the highest quality with a fragrant floral fruit character and rich textural tannins. Our love-affair with red wines, namely cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, is something we feel very strongly about. Often quoted from those in industry around being terroir driven aka vineyard driven.
The factors behind selecting those grape varieties is much like a wine lover’s fairy tale: A warm, sun trapping vineyard in a marginal climate, red loamy soil over limestone…allows us to write chapters of effortlessly dreamy poetry when it comes to cabernet and shiraz.
With the discovery of the unique soils akin to those in Coonawarra (South Australia), it made the early decisions on grape variety easy for the team back in 1998. Being vineyard-driven, identified those grapes best suited to such soil and our unique terroir. Not only keeping the vines roots happy throughout the year, we are also learning about how best to further increase varietal expression and overall fruit quality of the resulting wine year on year.
Delivering elegant, complex, and rich shiraz and cabernet fruit, once in the winery, we look to be as hands-off as possible to allow the true expression of the region in every glass. All our red wines are 100% estate grown, producing Hunter Valley distinctive wines of the highest quality, clarity, and complexity.
Year on year, we to produce three exclusive red wines, complemented by our single vineyard semillon, released in only the best vintages.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Always 100% cabernet sauvignon, typically exhibiting blackberry and raspberry notes, with a fragrant violet perfume. Hints of savoury cedar and tobacco arrive from the aged barrels, adding structure and a gentile earthiness to the wine.
Shiraz
100% estate-grown shiraz enjoys the long, warm summer growing conditions of our vineyards. We look to capture ripe, rich, and perfumed dark berries, generous blackcurrant, black cherry, boysenberry and clove, and the Hunter Valley quintessential ‘savouriness’. With 60% American and 40% French oak typically used in the maturation program.
Shiraz Cabernet
Typically, a blend of 60% shiraz, 40% cabernet sauvignon. Using the combination of the above two wines, it marries the pristine fruit to showcase a deep red berry mouthfeel, complemented spice, and savouriness from the cabernet. A greater complexity, elegance, and structure to this wine than the single variety expressions. This wine is best suited for aging as the varietal expression builds with age.