Arila Gardens Saperavi | Barossa Valley, Australia

The Saperavi grape is indigenous to Georgia; powerful fruity and with robust tannins it has great affinity with the Moppa region in the Barossa region. Traditionally dry grown, the vines here are naturally low-yielding and consistently provide parcels of fruit unparalleled in quality. The flavour profile can be described as darker, complex and brooding, and the structure of wines produced from this fruit ensures they cellar remarkably well.

Moppa is arguably the most historic and premium region within the Barossa. It is home to some of the oldest vines in the world with plantings of Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro and Cabernet Sauvignon dating back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Neighbouring vineyards to Arila Gardens have produced highly sought after fruit that have featured in the Barossa’s most top-hand wines, including Penfolds (Grange, Special Bin 111A and Block 42), Peter Lehmann’s (Masterton) and Torbreck (Runrig).

At 300m Moppa is one of the higher points in the Barossa Valley, providing cooler conditions which allow for long, steady ripening. The soil profile is unique – with a patchwork of sand, ironstone & quartz over deep clay.

Saperavi grapes from the Nietschke vineyard are fermented in small open top vats for 8 days with gentle pump overs and hand plunging. It has 10 months in seasoned French oak hogsheads and filtered prior to bottling.

Arila is an Aboriginal word for ‘sand, land and earth’ - thus honouring the original owners of the land. Just like the older vignerons who so carefully tended vine by hand, the current custodians refer to their vineyards as  ‘gardens’.  As a boutique winery, wine production is limited each year. 2019 was the first vintage.