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Hugo Wines is situated in the McLaren Vale, continuing the traditions as a source of quality wines from some of Australia's finest boutique estates
Much recognition has been awarded to Hugo Wines whose origins date back to 1970 when John Hugo followed in his father's footsteps on the family vineyard at McLaren Flat. John produced his first Shiraz in 1979 and the Cellar Door was opened in October 1982. John's father Colin Hugo planted the original vines dating back to 1950. The vineyard of approximately 30 hectares includes varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Grenache.
Consistency in regard to quality is what Hugo Wines' strive for, and the fact that all of the fruit is estate grown makes the job that much easier. The climate soils and proximity to the coast are also contributing factors in maintaining the quality of the wines produced by the Hugo family. Over the past 25 years Hugo Wines has received many Gold, Silver and Bronze awards. The Reserve Shiraz is made from the oldest dry grown Shiraz vines on the property. When the old vine Shiraz grapes are processed the wine is kept seperate and barrel fermented in new American and French oak hogsheads that have been seasoned for two years. The decision to bottle that wine under the Reserve Label is not made until the finished product is assessed.
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John and Liz Hugo take pride and joy in the vineyard and winery at McLaren Flat, South Australia, where they live and work. Hugo Wines produced their first Reserve Shiraz in 1998, for which the most prestigious award received was gold at the 2001 Boutique Wines of Australia, Category 10, Shiraz.
"Happy New Year to everyone from all at Hugo Wines. Vintage is all but finished and remarkably less eventful than this time last year. Crops are a good average, after the last two years being down a considerable amount. The season has been pleasant, with a relatively cool ripening period, so the quality will be good. Harvest for us commenced on 15th February when we picked the Chardonnay, and on 16th the Sauvignon Blanc. John was very happy with both these varieties. The Shiraz including the old vine came off next followed closely by the Cabernet Sauvignon and the dry grown Grenache.
"We were hardly able to draw breath, with the rate the fruit was maturing. In mid-January we were comparing weather patterns, as we had just experienced a 45mm downpour in 1˝ hours and on 19th and 20th January, 2007 we recorded 55mm. Not a bad time for us to get a bit more rain, and the 25mm we had just before Christmas was an added bonus. We have experienced the odd day over 35 degrees but moreover the weather has been quite kind.
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"This month brings the eagerly anticipated release of our Trophy Winning 2005 Estate Shiraz. In addition to the two gold medals and a trophy awarded last year for this wine, we also received from the 2007 National Wine Show Canberra, a Gold Medal, Class 26, 2005 Dry Red Shiraz, which completes the hat trick. Many of our customers have placed orders in advance for this ripper red and we are not expecting stocks to be available for many months, if the interest shown to date is any indication. As previously advised stocks of this vintage are limited so please take this into consideration!"
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