Money Spider Roussanne, d'Arenberg
A wine defined by nature.
d'Arenberg's first Roussanne vines were planted in the mid-1990s, but their first harvest was a little later than expected.
Upon reaching the vines in 2000, the d'Arenberg team found that an unexpected hoard of money spiders had taken up residence there. Superstition holds that good fortune and wealth comes to all those who treat money spiders with kindness and so Chester, d'Arenberg's chief winemaker, refrained from sending the creatures to an untimely end. His superstition paid off; by the next vintage, the spiders had learned their lesson and relocated to the surrounding bushland.
The resulting wine was the Money Spider Roussanne, arguably the most exotic wine in the d'Arenberg stable. Vibrant Asian salads, papaya and marmalade combine on the nose, leading through to a palate brimming with a luscious mix of pulpy fruit, nectarine, jasmine leaf and a savoury edge of pistachio and pine nut. Add in a long, tangy finish, and you have a wine to remember - for good reason.
Wine Facts
Grapes : 100% Roussanne ABV : 13.2%
Region : McLaren Vale Body : Medium
Sweetness : Dry Winemaking: Fermented in stainless steel
d'Arenberg: The art of being different
The Osborn family have been tending their vineyards in South Australia's McLaren Vale for over 100 years, and have grown to be one of the area's most significant - not to mention distinctive - wineries.
Diversity has been embraced in the years since d'Arenberg's inception, with over thirty varietals now on offer in their portfolio. Iconic staples of Australian winemaking stand alongside varietals not often found in this area of the world, and quality is key throughout. Every wine undergoes rigorous, labour-intensive methods such as basket-pressing to ensure the purest juice possible.
'Deadly serious fun' is the order of the day here, a commitment to knowledge and craft being perfectly balanced with winemaker Chester's love of the quirky and unique - a trait that has led to his being described as the 'Willy Wonka of the wine world'. The latest product of his imagination, the now world-famed d'Arenberg Cube, epitomises the winery's commitment to the 'fun' of wine. Standing five stories high, this Rubik's-cube-shaped building includes rooms filled with stimulatory and sensory experiences, as well as an entire museum dedicated to Alternate Realities.