Skillogalee
was established in 1970 with the first
wines released in 1976. The 1978 dry
riesling won major trophies at the
Adelaide Wine Show and the National Wine
Show, putting Skillogalee firmly on the
Australian winemaking map! The wines are
produced exclusively from grapes grown on
our own vineyards and styles include crisp
dry whites (riesling, gewürztraminer
and chardonnay), a full flavoured
rosé, rich, full-bodied reds
(shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and blends)
and some luscious fortified
wines.
The
vineyards were planted in the early 1970s
on what was then, at almost 500 metres
above sea level, one of the highest
vineyards in South Australia. The rows are
planted on the contour in shallow stony
soils mainly on steep eastern facing
slopes. The vines are hand-pruned and the
fruit is mainly hand-picked. Yields are
extremely low but the vineyard produces
intense flavours and aromas and deep,
richly-coloured reds. Kangaroos are our
major pests - significant numbers can be
found around vintage time, when the hills
are dry and brown, camping in the
vineyards and feasting on the ripe
fruit!
Skillogalee
has a small modern, winery, crushing
only around 250 tonnes, giving us the
opportunity to hand-make individual wines
in small batches. Fruit handling and
vinification are undertaken using the best
of traditional and modern technologies -
modern winemaking techniques for whites,
to preserve the fruit aromas and flavours,
and more traditional techniques for reds -
the use of open fermenters and basket
pressing to maximise flavour and colour
without over-extraction. We focus heavily
on gentle fruit handling throughout and
our winery hygiene programs are
meticulous. In this way, we use the
minimum amount of sulphur to keep wines
safe from spoilage.
With the
same quality issues in mind, we have moved
to the use of "stelvin" screw caps on all
our table wines to maximise quality and
longevity for the consumer.
Address:
Box 87, Sevenhill via Clare South
Australia 5453
Tel: 08 8843 4311 Fax: 08 8843 4343
www.skillogalee.com.au
