Winery Overview
Regarded as one of the best-kept secrets in Australian viticulture and located less than an hour drive from Adelaide on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, Langhorne Creek is one of Australia's oldest wine regions. For over 100 years Langhorne Creek has been the “workhorse” of the industry renowned for consistently supplying quality fruit to many leading labels, however, in recent years, "The Creek" has earned respect as an incredibly strong premium wine producing region from its own wineries, including Brothers in Arms.
Owners and founders Guy and Liz Adams have put their hearts into their full-bodied wines since 1998. Their kids, Myles and Emily, are the sixth generation to live on the family property and are already interested in the family business at a very young age.
The Brothers in Arms first vintage saw only 5 tonnes of Shiraz produced, a volume which has now grown to over 700 tonne per year. Their 212 hectares are planted to vines with the balance of the 1,000 Ha (2,500 acres) property given over to Merino sheep and cropping. Although their original focus was on Shiraz, the wines in their portfolio have evolved over the past decade and they now produce all estate grown Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and blends which showcase Langhorne Creek's ability to offer elegant wines with balance, structure and texture.
The Metala Vineyard has been proactive in adopting and trialing new and more environmentally sensitive farming practices for many years. The winery operates entirely on rainwater which is captured after use and treated on site pumped to a 10-hectare woodlot established to regenerate an area of remnant vegetation on their property. One strength of being an estate producer is the smaller distances and hence lower carbon emissions involved in production. Their businesses purchase and use 100% green offset electricity and have an active recycling and recovery program for goods such as cardboard, glass and plastic.
Vineyard
In 1891 Arthur Formby planted the first vines on Metala, having been encouraged to do so by his brother-in-law Ronald Martin of Stonyfell fame. The plantings consisted of 21 rows of Shiraz, 3.9 acres of which are still producing and 14 rows of Cabernet, 2.0 acres of which are still producing. A further 5.4 acres of Shiraz was planted in 1894 and all are still producing premium fruit. The most notable thing about Langhorne Creek is the ability to grow premium quality grapes with a minimal amount of fuss. The climate is warm enough that we don’t have to endure some of the cool climate headaches such as devastating frosts, labour intensive canopy management or inclement weather associated with late harvest dates. Instead we avoid the risk of frost damage in the spring and are able to grow our vines as a hassle free sprawl, and enjoy a relatively early harvest time while still producing the same quality fruit found in cool climates.
The secret to the success of growing cool climate grapes in a warm region is the presence of a large body of water only 5 km from the vineyard known as Lake Alexandrina which is about 3 times the size of Sydney Harbour.
During the summer months, the convection currents created from the hot air movement over the cooler water body result in a cooling breeze known affectionately as “the Lake Doctor”. The Lake Doctor moves through the vineyard in the afternoons, aerating the canopy and lowering the temperature of the fruit. This ensures slower ripening of the berries which gives them enough time to develop the more desirable complex flavour compounds. The Lake Doctor also reduces the relative humidity in the canopy lowering the incidence of disease, and reduces the need for excessive use of fungicide sprays.
The soils are also excellent for grape production; with much of the Metala vineyard growing on free draining, deep sandy loam. This is an ideal soil type for grapes as it allows us to manipulate the vines through our nutrient and water inputs. We regularly monitor soil moisture during the growing season which allows us to control vine growth and berry development by applying water in a regulated manner.
Vinification
18 months in seasoned French oak barriques. This wine shows menthol and spice with gentle complexities of cedar and fennel seed. The palate is generous and velvety with the malbec tannins providing a really interesting, lingering finish. A great wine with food!
