Win new release wine from Brash Higgins
Including a brand new Nero d'Avola from McLaren Vale
Brad Hickey, of Brash Higgins Wines, McLaren Vale, South Australia
With just 112 cases produced, you could be amongst the first of a limited number of wine lovers to taste the esoteric Brash Higgins 2011 Nero d'Avola - Amphora Project (NDV).
We have two mixed half cases to give away, each valued at A$222, which include the NDV along with fine, single vineyard McLaren Vale Shiraz (SHZ) and Cabernet Sauvignon (CBSV).
Behind the Brash Higgins label is vigneron Brad Hickey. After a decade as head sommelier for New York City's top Michelin starred restaurants and a further 10 years of baking, brewing and travelling to the top wine regions in the world, Brad came to Mclaren Vale for the 2007 vintage.
He quickly realised his life was about to change. Not only did he fall in love with the region and its wine, he met his future partner, Nicole Thorpe. Together they have built Omensetter Vineyard in coastal McLaren Vale and Brad is now producing wines that follow their philosophy of 'change is good'.
Brash Higgins is the nickname that was given Brad, in true Australian style, by his fellow vineyard pruners, possibly due to his own New York style. It's now the name of a wine label you can expect some new and different wine styles and stories from, like his brand new Nero d'Avola.
After grafting in 2009, the first vintage of this Sicilian variety was in 2011 and the natural transparency of the grape was preserved by gentle, ancient techniques, carefully researched by Brad. Not only was he striving for a new wine style and variety, he wanted it to be different and truly reflect the locale. Enter the Amphora Project.
The fruit was fermented and aged on its skins, using wild yeast, for seven months in clay amphora hand-created by Adelaide master potter, John Bennett, and lined with McLaren Vale bees wax. That's certainly different!
The Brash Higgins wines in this mixed half case are:
2009 SHZ: a shiraz chosen as part of McLaren Vale Scarce Earth project celebrating single block shiraz, wines which reflect a sense of place and express their true fruit character. Only 305 cases were produced from 100% shiraz grown at Omensetter Vineyard.
2009 CBSV: a cabernet sauvignon again only from Omensetter and limited to just 116 cases.
2011 GRM: grenache and mataro, hand-picked from two specific McLaren Vale sites on the same day and co-fermented producing 117 cases.
2011 NDV - Amphora Project: the first vintage of the Sicilian variety Nero d'Avola from Omensetter producing just 112 cases of this innovative wine.
Read the full tasting notes here »
Enter now for your chance to win these extraordinary wines.
NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Prizes are two mixed half cases of wines as described above, each valued at $222 plus freight. We regret these prizes can only be posted around Australia.
The competition is open to all VisitVineyards.com subscribers and Members over the age of 18. Entries open 1st February 2012 and close midnight 31st March 2012. Winners drawn 2nd April 2012 and their names posted on our winners page. Winners will be notified once by email if prizes remain unclaimed after three weeks. See our competition terms and conditions here »
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