Longhop Wines — Core Range Refresh

Longhop’s range of wines are produced by Domenic Torzi and Tim Freeland. The former Gawler high school mates seized upon an idea in 2002 of salvaging some of the last remaining old vine vineyards in the Adelaide Plains and making icon wines from that region.

Their vineyards are unique remnant plantings that have mostly survived urban expansion in pursuit of other agricultural profits. These vineyards escaped the vine pull schemes that were popular during the 1980s. These government sponsored schemes saw old, low yielding vines uprooted with the help of subsidies and replaced by cash crops of vegetables and wheat. In some instances vast tracts of old vine shiraz was replaced by chardonnay! What a waste, so vineyards were secured with old vines a priority. Their small band of growers have since embraced the ideal of delivering premium grapes in order to showcase the power and rich fruit flavours the Adelaide Plains and adjoining Mount Lofty Ranges has to offer.

These remaining small vineyards are true masterpieces of wine grape flavour, weathered, gnarly and magnificent in their defiance of commercial expansion.