Archie Rose Distilling Co. has announced it will experiment with distillation of smoke-tainted grapes supplied by Hunter Valley winemakers Tulloch and First Creek.
The Hunter Valley is facing an estimated 80 to 90 per cent reduction in tonnage for the 2020 vintage due to smoke impacts.
“When we heard about Hunter Valley growers only two hours up the road taking a hit… we immediately began looking at how we could help them,” said Archie Rose master distiller Dave Withers.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing how the smoke taint plays into a 2020 brandy and potentially other spirits.”
Archie Rose will trial distillation of 50+ tonnes of shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, which has been crushed and will be made into wine before being delivered to its Sydney distillery.
“We are really proud to be a part of helping bring this project together and we can’t wait to see what the team at Archie Rose can do with some smoke tainted fruit and their pioneering spirit,” commented Christina Tulloch, CEO of Tulloch Wines and president of the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association.