Dandelion Vineyards Enchanted Garden of Eden Valley

About Dandelion Vineyards Enchanted Garden of Eden Valley

Dandelion Vineyards Enchanted Garden of Eden Valley is a Riesling sourced from a single vineyard that was planted in 1910 and thrives to this day. The seven-acre Eden Valley Vine Garden is lovingly tended by Sue and Stuart Woodman. Elena always knew this would be one of the most special vineyards in the Dandelion family and it was a relationship that Zar had with the Woodman’s to make this happen.

Whole bunches were hand-picked the first week of March then de-stemmed without crushing the fruit to fill the press exactly. Juice from the free run and pressings were separated then fermented in small tanks at a cool temperature, between 35º-55ºF for a long fermentation. The wine has a high level of natural acidity, 7.3 grams per liter, a pH of 2.97 and although bone dry, only 11% alcohol. The wine was bottled directly from tank without fining and with a very coarse filtration to capture the essence of the vineyard, a looking glass if you will, and is ready to drink immediately or cellar for decades.

About Dandelion Vineyards

At Dandelion Vineyards, it really starts and ends in the vineyard. Why the lonely dandelion as the mascot of the winery? The belief is that this pesky little weed is the heart and soul of the vineyard. It sprouts with the first sight of life in the soil and air and it eventually refolds back into the earth to become food for the vines. The brand was started by Bulgarian-born winemaker Elena Brooks and her husband Zar. They grow their own grapes as well as source fabulous old vine fruit from some of the finest family vineyards in Barossa, McLaren Vale, and Eden Valley.

Serious stuff, certainly. Proper fun, absolutely. The lifelong search to appreciate and understand the essence of wine, its terroir, leads Zar and Elena on a vinous treasure hunt, following the Dandelion’s Wishing Clock if you will, that always inspires. The belief is that in order to maximize variety, vintage and vineyard highlights require an enlightened approach by separating single sites, and even single soil types, vine by vine if need be. Dandelion Vineyards is a unique fusion of vineyards and vignerons. Their wines represent decades of experience, blending the fruit of heirloom vineyards with the finest traditions of artisan winemaking. It is the combination of old vineyards and a young winemaker and a couple of her mates to help out in between that makes for the ideal winery.