Inkwell Wines and Hotel California... stolen a piece of my heart.

Inkwell Wines and Hotel California is in McLaren Vale. I went to photograph it for Fleurieu Living Magazine recently. Made from shipping containers, my camera (and I) love all the architectural design and vineyard views, snapping away in the cellar door and on the viewing deck above.

But, it’s when I go down to the micro hotel of ‘Hotel California’ that I’m audibly going ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’. The baths hook me. Deep, freestanding and open to the views of the vineyard. There are only 3 suites, so the likelihood of someone seeing you taking a dip is, well, lower. And hey, all part of the fun?

www.inkwellwines.com

Inkwell releases single vineyard wines which express the "fingerprint of place" from its iconic Mclaren Vale vineyard winery. By fermenting without additions, we produce age-worthy wines that retain natural freshness and intensity. We are the only winery in McLaren Vale to produce estate-only wines in this way. But, we keep things simple: one tractor, one de-stemmer, one press, small fermenters and one dog.  We've removed as much of the “man-made” from Inkwell’s sustainable wine-growing and wine-making as we sensibly can so you can share in the fruit of our special site and labor for years to come.

Touring with Barossa Unique Tours

I recently attended Australian Tourism Exchange which was held in Adelaide. 

On a wet Sunday, a bunch of us went out touring... and may I say, even in the rain, it was still fun.

Barossa Unique Tours did a wonderful job of entertaining, wining and dining us. They took us driving (and riding) through the rain, sipping wine at Artisans of Barossa, eating seriously good grub at Fermentasian and wine tasting at Whistler and Kalleske. 

Here is a little video I did along with some photos... I'll let them tell the story. 

Hollick Wines, Coonawarra

Coonawarra anyone? I can not believe it myself - I’ve never ventured down here. I wish I had more time to spend here, even a night so that I can explore. But I don’t. 

Deb and I drive down in the morning, photograph for the afternoon, sleep, photograph from sunrise til near lunch, then drive back to Adelaide. Mighty effort. We are here to do a shoot for Hollick Wines. Everything from bridal shots to the restaurant to vineyard workings. I love it because I get to see and learn so much. That’s the beauty of my work - always learning different things about many different industries. 

The Coonawarra is four to five hours drive from Adelaide. 

A great pitstop is Keith and the excellent cafe, Henry and Rose, for coffee. If you have kids, the playground here is worth the stop. Kids scream their way along the metal monorail ride - it often has lineups. 

On this trip, I also see the silo artwork at Coonalpyn. Wow. The tones and shadings leave me wondering how many times the artists had to clamber up and down the ladder to step back and see the progress. 

But, getting back to the Coonawarra. Like any wine region, there are vines lined for miles. There are plenty of cellar doors. And a supply of accommodation. Smart move. Hollick Wines have just opened up their accommodation, just a few steps (literally) from their cellar door and restaurant, Upstairs. Handy. It’s a big house, well suited for a group of friends or a few families, but tonight, it’s just Deb and I. Sitting at the table on our laptops, we certainly don’t make use of the two living rooms, big farm kitchen and fireplace. It’s comfortable, and the best part? Breakfast, wine, beer, juice and bits and pieces are sitting in the fridge waiting for us to try. Complimentary. It’s the small things. 

Just a few minutes away is the town of Penola. This town is Heritage listed with streets of old buildings. We take a drive down Petticoat Lane, dedicated to Mary MacKillop. It’s early morning, so nothing is open, but it’s great to see how well preserved it is, and how the town integrates around this history. 

So, anyone wants to come to the Coonawarra for fun next time? A night or two?

CLIENT SHOWCASE: Dudley Wines

I've been to Kangaroo Island many times. I love wine. So why have I never been to Dudley Wines? 

Interest peaked when I read about it on yTravels blog, talking about having one of the best views from a cellar door ever - which is quite a statement. So finally I am here. And I'm photographing them. 

It's a whirlwind, arriving straight after hiking the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, late in the day. But it's fun. 

I'm soon laughing away, bossing people around, trying to work as quick as I can. I do feel slightly sorry for everyone, copping my craziness after being alone for almost a week. I know what I'm like after working in front of the computer for a day, I can only imagine how whacko I act today.

Dudley Wines had organised friends to be our talent in photos, and they did such a good job. 

Of course, everyone enjoyed the wine with cheese platters.

Clearly, the boys loved having a hit with the golf clubs.

And the kids loved running around on the grass.

What did I love? Lots of things. But the Shiraz was pretty good! At the end of the shoot, I sat and chatted with family and staff, so welcoming and friendly.

If only all shoots were like this....

Petaluma's women winemakers for Latte magazine

I recently had a shoot for Business Chicks' Latte magazine. I was to photograph women winemakers in the Adelaide Hills.

Petaluma has three women winemakers on their team. The morning I arrived, they had been there since 5 am and joked about sleeping there. 'Who needs a mother?' They laughed. Luckily, the extra long work hours happen only a few times a year for a few weeks at a time.

After a quick look around the grounds, I decided to do the whole shoot in their new cellar door. The decor was interesting, quirky and had different areas for each profile pic of the girls. 

I particularly loved the wooden wine bottle holder walls and the glasses hanging from the ceiling. I recounted a story of a glass shelf, filled with pint glasses, breaking over my face in London. A quick trip to the hospital to check for glass in my eyes followed. I then remembered how clumsy I could be - and warned them 'I hope every single glass is bolted on securely.' If anyone were to knock them, it would be me. And yes, I knocked them with my softbox. And yes, they were secure. Phew.

Here are some of the pics from the shoot. I hope you can see how much fun and laughs we had.

Stevens Wines, McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale. It's home to some very decent wines. It's the secret sister to the Barossa. Especially on International Tourists radars. I'd say it's time for the world to know how good it is, but then, I kind of want to keep it to myself.

Only 20 minutes from our home, it's bordered by the rotund Willunga Hills, white sand and untamed beaches of Port Willunga, Maslins and Aldinga, and the countryside of Onkaparinga Hills.

The wineries that are here range from contemporary, to boutique, to home grown basics. Stevens Wines is nothing spectacular in terms of wine tasting ambience and scene setting. But what it does do well, is give you the authentic meet the winemaker experience. We are met by Graham himself, opening the door wide to the cellar door. I see a family man, a hard worker, and an honest man written on his face. Speaking to him, I also find out he has quite some humour. I guess you have to when working with winery tour participants. Graham has lived grapes and wine his whole life - having won the first vine pruning trophy at just nine years old. I guess you could say he knows a thing or two about making a good drop.

And his hard work and knowledge has payed off. For a small winery, with production of very few wines, it certainly pours a fine glass. At Australian Wine Shows, Stevens Wines has already won more than 50 awards, in just 2 seasons.

So, next time you are in McLaren Vale, don't just head to the big boys. Take a punt, and take the next turn off. You never know what treasures you may find.

www.grahamstevenswines.com.au