In early November, we hosted our very first visit to MMAD Vineyard with a small group of sommeliers and wine writers from across Australia.
The trip began in Adelaide, with dinner on the balcony of the iconic pub The Exeter, with Africola’s Duncan Welgemoed on the pans. The last time Africola popped up in the Exeter kitchen was when the Foo Fighters were in town – and while there may be some loose parallels between the Michael, Martin, Adam and David and an ageing rock band, this dinner felt pretty special.
On the wine front, the focus was on Chenin Blanc and Grenache – producers and vineyards that helped shape the team’s thinking in the lead-up to the first MMAD vintage.
Day two was an opportunity to step back and consider our still-young body of work, tasting every MMAD wine from the 2021–2024 vintages with people whose opinions and palates we respect.
When we purchased MMAD Vineyard in 2021, we took possession mere weeks before vintage. While we are incredibly proud of the wines from that first year, each season since has taught us more about this remarkable old site – how to best to farm it, and how to respect it.
The vineyard itself was buzzing – a walk through the vineyard, the vertical tasting in full swing, and resident MasterChef Martin Shaw manning the barbecue. One of the highlights was inspecting the recently planted Mourvèdre (Mataro), propagated from cuttings sourced from Wendouree in Clare. These vines have been planted in an ancient style, grown on individual stakes.
MMAD Vineyard is a special pocket of Blewitt Springs. Seeing the transformation over four vintages – both in the vineyard and in the glass – was a powerful reminder of the potential of this site, and the exciting road ahead.
