Lowe Family Wines - a Mudgee green jewel

These guys have got green drops droppin' from the compost heap to their heady Zifandel! I visited this gorgeous vineyard last September and their recent newsletter has prompted me to get them up on the blog.

When I dropped in last year I was lucky enough to be the only visitor at the time and unusually (I think) had the undivided attention of Jane Wilson co-owner and wine maker. A real treat as she really knows her stuff and is both a delight and inspiration to talk with. With her business partner David Lowe they have progressed this Mudgee vineyard in so many ways.

They are running the vineyard organically with a real focus on composting and soil/health balance. Their recent soil tests show they've increased the organic matter by 1.7% over the past 3 years. This might not sound much but in the world soil science this is v.good indeed! Not only does this mean their soil retains an extra 270,000 litres of water when it rains, it also means that the vines get to drink up an organic soil cocktail packed with bio-nutrients. This in turn bears fruit in a myriad of ways - flavour, terroir and quality of the wines to name a few! Yum ....

The Lowe Family Wine portfolio is not extensive but it is a case of quality over quantity and its all red. They also have a label under the name of Tinja - some whites in this range too. Here are their main players:

• Reds under the Lowe brand -Zifandel, Merlot, Shiraz and Climate Change Red
• Wines under the Tinja brand - Pinot Noir, Pinor Gris, Riesling, Sav Blanc and a Botrytis
  

Their website has excellent tasting notes - worth a look. And my favourite lines from the notes are about the Botrytis, which I'm sure Jane wrote .... as follows:

'Hedonism in a glass. Good with blue cheeses , tart tatin or just while lying horizontal on the sofa perhaps.'

Love it .... and so to the sofa. Bon nuit!