Woodstock Coast and Creek Botrytis

The Woodstock winery is located in McLaren Vale, just south of Adelaide. Whilst it is very much an Australian producer, its name actually derives from England. In the town of Woodstock in Oxfordshire stands a set of wooden leg stocks. In Medieval times, these stocks were used to punish the local townsfolk who had over imbibed. As a cheeky nod to the town’s history, Woodstock has named its flagship wine, the ‘Stocks’ Shiraz.

This luscious dessert wine is revered for its fine balance between sweetness and acidity. The wine is made from a blend of natural Botrytis (or “noble rot”) affected grapes. This is a mould encouraged by humidity which naturally concentrates the sugars in the grapes, captured when most luscious on the vines and given minimal intervention to make glorious sweet wines. The Coast & Creek is am unusual blend of 64% Vermentino, 18% Savagnin, 13% Riesling and 5% Viognier, packed with sweet apricot, marmalade, lime and honeyed fruits.