FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 40 OF 80
Seppeltsfield Gin Distillery, Marananga,
South Australia
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
Seven generations of Barossa wine-making, a German still and a distillery built from shipping containers — this is one family tradition that took a rather interesting detour!
Seppeltsfield Road is known locally as the Avenue of Hopes & Dreams. It's a picturesque road in the Barossa Valley near Adelaide, lined with massive palms on either side and leading up to the historic Seppeltsfield Estate, which was established in 1851. Along the road are restaurants, wineries and, of course, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers, built out of shipping containers and where you'll find distiller Nicole Durdin and her husband Jon.
Nicole's family has been producing wine in the Barossa for seven generations, so the wine industry is very much in her blood, but she was keen to continue the family legacy in a slightly different direction by creating spirits. With their imported German still, Christine, named after Nicole's grandmother, they have created a range of award-winning gins, all with a strong connection to the Barossa. The distillery itself was built around Christine and is a rather ingenious combination of shipping containers, glass and timber, making it as much a destination as a working distillery.
Their signature range includes Barossa Dry, Savoury Allsorts and House Gin, with local botanicals featuring throughout, but each has its own twist. They also produce their Barossa Shiraz Gin, because if you're going to make gin in the Barossa, you really can't ignore the grapes! The Shiraz is steeped in their gin, producing a rich, deep-coloured spirit which sits somewhere between gin and the wine traditions of the region.
The Barossa has some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world, with vines dating back to the 1840s, and the region still has a very strong German influence as a result of settlers arriving in the area during the 1840s. Lutheran churches, bakeries, butchers and traditional German food are still part of the landscape, alongside the vineyards, cellar doors and restaurants.
If you hadn't picked it up already, this is a gin distilled by a female distiller and Nicole also commissioned female artist and designer Janelle Amos to create the label and branding. The pattern is a botanical mandala, featuring the botanicals and grapevine leaves which not only represent the Barossa Valley, but also the grape spirit used in the gin.
The House Gin is what Nicole describes as a modern gin, with less focus on juniper and much more emphasis on floral botanicals. Cornflower, borage, chamomile, elderflower and lavender all feature, giving it a very different character from the more traditional Barossa Dry.
It's a lovely example of how Nicole has taken the ingredients and traditions of her home region and given them a completely different expression.
The distillery is very much a family affair and is open for tours, tastings and food, so you can make a proper afternoon of it.
I rather like the idea of following the Avenue of Hopes & Dreams, past all those vineyards, and ending up at a gin distillery made from shipping containers!
"The Avenue of Hopes & Dreams"
Seppeltsfield Martini
50ml House Gin
25ml Orange Liqueur
50ml Orange Juice
5-10ml Simple Syrup
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."