Canowindra’s organic winegrower, Pig in the House, has recently released their 2019 Pig in the House Rosé and Pig in the House Chardonnay.
Jason O’Dea’s Pig in the House wines have quietly raked up a bevy of awards over the past few years, with their 2016 Shiraz awarded the Organic Wine of the Year at the 2017 Melbourne Royal Wine Show.
“Each year we’re building on the quality of the wines,” said owner and vigneron Jason O’Dea. “There is nothing like experience, both in the vineyard and the winery, to help improve quality.
“The vineyards are now over 20 years old. This isn’t necessary old in terms of vineyards, but in terms of vine maturity they are starting to hit their straps.
“It’s all about balance, from the volume of fruit that the vines can ripen, the water used, canopy management, organic matter in the soil, to name a few. After 20 odd years, we’re getting pretty good at this.”
The vineyard was established by Jason and his family in 1996, with winemaker Anthony D’Onise working with the team for nearly ten years.
“We have seen some success with our wine, both on the show circuit and in store,” continued Jason. “The growth of organic and vegan wines has certainly helped, but I think the increase in quality of wines in these categories has allowed them to compete with mainstream brands. Organic wines are no longer relegated to a separate shelf in the store. Consumers don’t have to be ‘forgiving’ of organic wines.
“Our goal is to produce wines in this range that offer excellent quality for the price point and the bonus is we are organic.”
The Pig in the House Rosé is made predominantly from Sangiovese with a touch of Shiraz to complement the flavour profile. We fermented a small proportion of the wine in older, seasoned oak to build further complexity and texture in the final blend.”
The Pig in the House Chardonnay was made with minimal oak maturation. “We wanted the fruit to shine and so decided to go with less than ten percent of the wine in oak. With the warm finish to the 2019 season the fruit was harvested earlier than usual so we took the decision to reduce the oak impact and drew complexity into the wine through maturation on gross lees for four months with stirring prior to bottling.”
Pricing & Distribution: The Pig in the House range of wines is widely distributed and is available online at www.piginthehouse.com.au
2019 Pig in the House Rosé (Organic, Canowindra NSW) $25.00
2019 Pig in the House Chardonnay (Organic, Canowindra NSW) $25.00
Further information on Pig in the House and their wines can be found at piginthehouse.com.au
For further information, images or samples please contact:
David Cumming at Define Wine Marketing & Communications on 0414 736 342 or [email protected]
Jason O’Dea at Pig in the House wines on 02 6344 3264 or [email protected]
PIG IN THE HOUSE is a boutique vineyard owned by Jason O’Dea and his wife Rebecca. The Pig in the House began conversion to organic practices in 2001 after the couple moved into an old house that sits amongst the vines and once housed a number of free-range pigs. Jason has a wealth of viticultural experience, being part of the O’Dea family that owns Windowrie Estate, one of Cowra’s oldest winemaking families. The organic move by the O’Dea family was inspired by the proximity of their home to the vineyard. “With our kids running around in the vineyard, the preference for organics was a logical step. It was a lifestyle choice firstly, and having seen the health of the soil and vines, is now a quality decision,” explained Jason.
With the 2019 vintage well underway at Windowrie, two new vintage Family Reserve wines have been released. These comprise the 2017 Windowrie Family Reserve Chardonnay($35) and 2017 Windowrie Family Reserve Pinot Noir ($35).
“Vintage is progressing well with the white varieties looking good considering that January was warmer than average,” said owner and vigneron Jason O’Dea. “The yields are lower as a result. We harvested the grapes marginally earlier ensuring the quality continues to be high. The red varieties are now coming into the winery; Shiraz is looking like a standout from the dry finish to the season.”
The new single vineyard 2017 Windowrie Family Reserve Chardonnay is made from grapes grown on Windowrie’s home block. “This vineyard, surrounding the homestead, was planted in 1987 at the time when Chardonnay was starting to make its mark in the Australia wine scene.
“We have been making Cowra Chardonnay for nearly 30 years and have seen the evolution of the style since the early days when Rothbury Chardonnay was one of the highest selling white wines.”
“We are looking to produce a modern example of Cowra’s most famous variety,” explained winemaker Anthony D’Onise. “It is all about fruit purity, elegance and restraint, with classic varietal elements highlighted and complemented by the spice of the oak.”
The new Windowrie Family Reserve Pinot Noir is the third release of this wine. The grapes are sourced from one of Orange’s higher elevated vineyards. At 950 metres, the vineyard is on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Canobolas and was planted in 1999 with Pinot Noir clones 114, 115 and MV6.
“The vineyard is reaching a maturity that is showing in the quality of the grapes,” said D’Onise. “The fruit was cold soaked for three days in draw out more of the aromatics and enhance the structural component of the wine. A small parcel of the wine was fermented in open fermenters with natural yeast to further add to the complexity of the finished wine.”
Pricing & Distribution: The Windowrie range of wines is widely distributed and is available online at www.windowrie.com.au
2017 Windowrie Family Reserve Chardonnay $35.00
2017 Windowrie Family Reserve Pinot Noir $35.00
Further information on Windowrie and their wines can be found at windowrie.com.au
For further information please contact:
Jason O’Dea at Windowrie Estate on 02 634443234 or [email protected]
Established by the O’Dea family in 1988, Windowrie Estate experienced considerable success, allowing them to build a winery in 1999, which was certified organic in 2008. The Windowrie range now comprises the ‘Family Reserve’ and ‘The Mill’ range. Jason O’Dea also makes the ‘Pig In The House’ organic wines and was recently awarded the NASSA Organic Wine of the Year Trophy.
Pig in the House Wines has recently partnered with Orange’s ‘The Agrestic Grocer’ to launch its new cellar door experience.
Jason and Rebecca O’Dea established Pig in the House Wines in Cowra 17 years ago, with Jason’s vast organic winegrowing experience ensuring that the wines offer some of the region’s best quality and value.
“We are thrilled to be working with the team at The Agrestic Grocer to offer an organic wine experience to visitors to the region. We have been making these wines for many years and have lacked a home for the brand where we can meet our customers and present our wines,” explained Jason.
“We have been working with The Agrestic Grocer for a number of years and this is a logical next step for both of us. There is no other business in the area that aligns so well with our philosophy of producing local products that are sustainable, organic and reflect the quality of the region.”
“The Agrestic Grocer is a proud locavore that presents these products within their straw bale brick building. Their restaurant and live music is the whole experience.”
The Pig in the House wines will be available for a structured tasting at The Agrestic Grocer seven days a week from 10:00am to 3:00pm.
For $10 guests will be presented with a hosted tasting of the five Pig in the House wines.
Danielle and Lucas Martin, along with partners Katie and Beau Baddock are the team behind The Agrestic Grocer.
“We are looking forward to adding these wines to our organic tasting experience,” said Danielle. “Our beer and cheese tasting plates are particularly popular with visitors and this will add another level to this experience.”
Pig In The House Cellar Door Experience @ The Agrestic Grocer
Open: Seven days a week
Venue: The Agrestic Grocer, 426 Mitchell Hwy, Orange NSW 2800
Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Cost: $10 per person
The Pig in the House wines comprise Chardonnay, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and retail for $25.00
Further information on Pig in the House wines can be found here, and The Agrestic Grocer here.
Windowie Wines, NSW’s only Picpoul Blanc grower, will be harvesting this rare variety on Friday and is inviting their customers and friends to join them.
First introduced to Australian consumers as the ‘oyster wine’ Picpoul has a lovely lemony acidity, richness and texture.
“We are planning to hand pick around five tonnes of Picpoul on Friday,” said Windowrie’s Jason O’Dea. “This will be the largest crop picked in Australia. We are inviting people who are interested in winegrowing and new varieties to join us.
“It has been great fun working with Steve Feletti from Moonlight Flat oysters on this project. Steve grows oysters in the Clyde River estuary at Batemans Bay in southern New South Wales and has a been a great partner and catalyst for us to make this wine.
“Steve borrowed some Picpoul cuttings from a Languedoc coast vineyard and we planted them a number of years ago. Last year was the first vintage. The response to the wine was phenomenal. Although we only made a very limited quantity, the wine sold out in a matter of weeks. We have pre-sold much of the 2017 vintage.
“This project, from its inception to getting the wine in the bottle, has taken over five years. We are especially excited to see it reach fruition.”
Windowrie is inviting its customers to help harvest the 2017 Picpoul on Friday 17 March at the vineyard.
“If you would like to be involved in wine history join us for harvest,” said Jason. “Bring your hat, sun cream and sense of humour.”
DETAILS:
Venue: Windowrie Wines, corner of Windowrie and Troopers Road, Canowindra NSW
Date: Friday 17 March 2017
Time: 6.00am to midday.
Contact: Please call 02 6344 3234 or [email protected] (for catering purposes) if you would like to join us.
For more information on Windowrie Wines please visit www.windowrie.com.au and for information on Picpoul, visit www.borrowedcuttings.com.au
For further information, interviews and images please contact:
David Cumming at Define Wine on 0414 736 342 or david@ definewine.com.au
Jason O’Dea at Windowrie Estate on 0427 443 598 or Jason@ windowrie.com.au
WINDOWRIE is one of the Cowra region’s founding winemakers. Established by the O’Dea family in 1988, the business experienced considerable success, allowing them to build a winery in 1999, which was certified organic in 2008. The Windowrie range now comprises the ‘Family Reserve’ and ‘The Mill’ range. Jason O’Dea also makes the ‘Pig In The House’ organic brand, which has been awarded the NASSA Organic Wine of the Year Trophy.
