World’s first wine harvested from city’s botanic gardens

Produced with the support of Jacob’s Creek winemakers, the limited edition wines are believed to be the world’s first wine produced solely from grapes grown within a botanic garden. 

The 1,200 bottles of rose and dry white wines are the result of a partnership between the National Wine Centre, Botanic Gardens of South Australia and Jacob’s Creek. 

The city-centre vineyard is located in the southeastern corner of the Adelaide Botanic Garden on land owned by the University of Adelaide land and managed by the National Wine Centre. 

The vineyard, which features 16 grape varieties, including Shiraz, Merlot, Tempranillo and Riesling, has been used as a demonstration site for drought-tolerant vine varieties suitable for South Australia’s dry climate since 2011.

Botanic Gardens of South Australia acting director Janice Goodwins said the project was a unique and exciting partnership, and a reminder of the importance of plants to culture, the South Australian economy and people’s daily lives.

“Wine is intrinsically linked with South Australia. As a state we have some of the oldest grape vines in the world and we produce 75% of Australia’s premium wine, bringing in just under A$2bn [US$1.5bn] in gross wine revenue to accompany international acclaim​,” Goodwins said. 

“To be able to demonstrate this ancient process of cultivating a crop, fermenting its grapes and transforming it into a tantalising product for people to consume—all in the green lungs of our city—is a massive coup for all involved​.” 

National Wine Centre general manager Adrian Emeny said the partnership had been a collaboration from vine to bottle. 

“The vineyard has long been admired by visitors and it’s fantastic that through this partnership the fruit will be turned into wines that carry a unique story. They’ll have a real point of difference being produced from grapes grown in the heart of the city​,” Emeny said. 

Following an official launch on September 14, the wines are expected to be available at the National Wine Centre and Botanic Gardens restaurant. 

The team from Barossa Valley winery Jacob’s Creek provided critical viticulture and winemaking expertise, including harvest management and production at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide. 

Jacob’s Creek vineyard manager Tim McCarthy, who oversaw the grape harvest in February, said the project showcased the collaborative and innovative approach to producing wine in South Australia. 

“We created two ‘field blends’, which involves combining different varieties of grapes in the vineyard as we harvest them, and fermenting them together​,” he said. 

“It’s an unusual way of making wine, and it adds an extra element of challenge, but also excitement​.” 

The partnership aims to produce a similar exclusive vintage from the vineyard each year until 2018.