Berkeley, California

Kirsten and I visited the United Sates last year, the first time for me. We stayed first in New York and then with friends in San Francisco. In two weeks we ate and drank incredibly well and I made a mandate to drink only US wine where possible.

I found that there was a parallel in many ways between the cutting edge of what is happening there and what is happening here in Australia including the resurrection of old vineyards and varietals that were largely forgotten over the past twenty years.

One of the two producers that I liked best of all was Broc Cellars; they were wines that struck me hard and I resolved immediately to try and import them into Australia. No easy task..Chris Brockway is a star who make precious little wine. Each is expressive, sensitive and most of delicious. These are wines with the sensuality of Foillard or Pfifferling !

Chris explains his story below.

"Broc Cellars was nothing more than an idea not that long ago, about making wines that were “site specific”. Where the wines true character came from using only sustainably, organically, or biodynamically grown grapes from areas that most would consider marginal climates. Believing that vineyards develop ‘true’ character and complexity when they have to struggle to survive.This can come from many different aspects: poor nutrient and water holding capacity, steep slopes, cool temperatures, or from old vines that are dry farmed. In the cellar we try to continue this practice using minimal intervention, in an effort to let the grapes speak for themselves.

We are a ‘low wattage’ winery in the sense that we have very little modern equipment. Grapes are pitchforked whole-cluster into the fermenters, fermentation is allowed to happen spontaneously, all wines are basket pressed, with little/no sulphur used in our wines until bottling. True asphalt winemaking, in an urban winery".
 
These are very special wines that I am delighted to offer in Australia.