Boutique wine estate Elysian Springs, which began in the 1980’s on the foundations laid by the Seppelts, one of Australia’s great wine dynasties, and now flourishing under the stewardship of Brad Rey and Glen Wandless, is recognised as holding some of the most premium sites for red and white wine production in the country. With the planting of Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it was one of the first vineyards planted to the latter Burgundian varietals in South Australia. When the Seppelt business was sold in the 1990s the Elysian Springs site continued its evolution as a new boutique style winery and ‘cellar door’ where sustainable viticulture along with biodynamic and organic techniques are employed to produce wines with a true sense of place.
Their philosophy includes composting everything (including the estate’s sheep manure), the planting of cover crops, integrated pest management (including the planting of beehives) and vine balance practices that ensure sustainability of the vineyard ecosystem. The sense of place is specifically referenced and extolled in the products themselves with Spring Lamb Syrah named for the Dorper and Witipoll sheep that roam the extremities of the property, and Honey Block Chardonnay’s moniker coming from the nectar created by the bees and their hives situated beside Elysian Springs’ native tree lot and treasured Chardonnay block.