Sign of the times; Gapsted Estate hits the market

It is a sad sign of the times when wine producers in high quality regions go into receivership. 

Gapsted Estate, a respected winery, cellar door, restaurant and events venue in the Alpine Valley wine region in North-East Victoria, is now for sale after receivers took over before Christmas. 

The property is a 24.05 hectare landholding with 8.41 hectares of vines, a winery, cellar door and on-site restaurant. 

The winery is fully operational and processes fruit for several local growers. The agents say it is capable of processing up to 11,500 tonnes of grapes per annum and has wine storage capacity of 8.2 million litres.

Other facilities include a large warehouse and distribution facility, administration building, production and laboratory building, tastings room, barrel shed and staff amenities.

The vineyard combines popular varieties like chardonnay with emerging grape varieties including saperavi, tempranillo and petit manseng. 

I've tried the wines sporadically and they have been of high quality. 

Gapsted is close to tourism drawcards including Myrtleford, Beechworth and Bright. 

Gapsted Estate is being offered for sale by Expressions of Interest closing Wednesday, March 18. 

Gapsted, also known as Victorian Alps Wine Company Pty Ltd, was established in 1997 by a group of independent grape growers from the Alpine and King valleys as a contract wine grape processing facility. 

Alpine Valley Vignerons president Stef Antonello told local newspapers that the local wine industry is “absolutely hoping” a buyer for Gapsted Estate can be found, given its pivotal role as a wine grape processor and wine maker within the region.

“Certainly if they closed there would be a lot more grapes that won’t have a home," he said. “We’re absolutely hoping someone buys them as an ongoing concern...it has great potential and just needs investment back into it.”

Monk goes all bubbly with [yellow tail]

TV celebrity Sophie Monk and prosecco would seem to be a match made in heaven.

Both have reputations for being bright, bubbly and just a little frivolous.

No surprise, then, that [yellow tail] has teamed up with Monk to launch a new prosecco range, featuring a Prosecco Classic and Prosecco Rosé.

Following the success of the [yellow tail] Easy to Love x Sophie Monk campaign in 2023, this marks the third year of the vinous partnership and showcases a wine style that Mon "genuinely loves".

Both wines are made using grapes sourced from the Alpine valleys in high country Victoria and aim to cash in on the fastest-growing wine category in Australia.

“We’re thrilled to team up with Sophie Monk to launch a Prosecco that’s as vibrant and fun as she is,” said brand manager Madeleine Legoe.

"We wanted to create a prosecco that reflects the energy of Australia: and Sophie was the perfect person to help us tell that story.”

The singer, actress and model is fully on board.

“I’ve always loved a glass of prosecco: it’s fun, fresh, and perfect for any occasion," she says. "For me, wine has always been about sharing laughs with friends or celebrating special moments with family.

"It doesn’t need to be stuffy or complicated- just really enjoyable. That’s why this collaboration with [yellow tail] felt like such a natural fit.”

Yellow Tail Prosecco and Yellow Tail Prosecco Rosé have been made to identical technical specifications, with an 11.5% abv and 15g/L of residual sugar.

Both are non vintage and are available nationwide now at an RRP of $19 per bottle.

I am clearly not the demographic, but have asked to see the wines. I will report back. 

Gapsted Estate showcases rare grape varieties

When was the last time you had a sneaky sip of gros manseng, or guzzled a glass of saperavi?

Emerging varieties specialist Gapsted Estate from the Alpine Valleys of Victoria is launching two luxury wine tiers next month that it says signify a heightened pursuit of quality.

Sourced entirely from its estate vineyards, four new wines will be released: the Gapsted Estate 2023 Chardonnay, 2023 Grand Manseng and 2022 Saperavi (all $65); and the 2022 Gapsted Estate Reserve Saperavi in 1500mL magnums ($200).

Made in small quantities, the wines are a culmination of the changes Gapsted Estate has undergone since CEO and winemaker Andrew Santarossa, formerly at Mitchelton, took the helm in 2021 and has focused on refining viticulture, elevating cellar practices and investing in premium varietals.

“I see such an uncut diamond of potential not only in Gapsted Estate, but across the Alpine Valleys and the emerging varieties most expressive of our region,” said Santarossa.

“We have the right climate, soil types and aspects to make world class wines. So we’ve made improvements to our soil health, the way we prune, our planting densities and aspect. 

"We’ve planted new vineyards and invested in small-batch winemaking equipment, oak that complements varieties and style, and more. Our new luxury wines represent the pinnacle of what we do at Gapsted Estate, and being estate grown, we have total control over them from the vineyard to the bottle.

“We were very selective in our choice of varieties. I’ve always loved making chardonnay, but before coming to Gapsted Estate I hadn’t worked with grand manseng or saperavi - which they’ve been producing here for 25 years - and I continue to be blown away by their potential and ability to flourish in alpine conditions.” 

Gros (or grand) manseng is a white variety originally from south-western France. “Sharing some similarities with barrel-fermented chardonnay, chenin nlanc or viognier, the Gapsted Estate expression balances a richness and precise alpine acidity with layers of mandarin, white nectarine, pawpaw and white guava," says Santarossa. 

"Tightly wound and high in tannins for a white, we recommend decanting and storing in the fridge before serving to open up a cascade of aromas and flavours.”

There is certainly a lot to like here with a sunny taste of summer in the Basque country. Think market day in St  Jean de Luz and pair with thon rouge with xipister sauce. 

The Gapsted Estate Chardonnay is described as "intensely complex with lifted aromas of stone fruits, citrus, spice and struck match and a rich, powerful palate of pink grapefruit, nectarine and white peach".

“We want to showcase how Alpine Valleys chardonnay can be an Australian benchmark expression of the variety,” says Santarossa.

Originally hailing from Georgia, the red variety saperavi has a deep inky colour. This one is dark, intense and ultra macho. The alcohol tastes higher than the declared 14.5%. 

“Our new Estate Range saperavi is a brooding monster with aromas of forest fruit berries and blackberry with a generous palate of intense blackberry, satsuma plum and black cherry,” says Santarossa ."The reserve expression is a blend of Gapsted Estate’s finest barrels; bottled in 1500mL magnums and made in limited quantities. It represents the ultimate experience of saperavi.”

The wines will be released on September 4 via the Gapsted Estate website, wine club and cellar-door, and select independent wine stores. Pre-orders are available from gapstedestate.com.au.