Beeswing is elegant and savoury. Expect grapefruit, kaffir lime, gunpowder and a hint of jalapeño, with citrus fruit carried by a creamy, nutty texture from the lees.
Beeswing is elegant and savoury. Expect grapefruit, kaffir lime, gunpowder and a hint of jalapeño, with citrus fruit carried by a creamy, nutty texture.
The grapes are whole-bunch pressed straight into Austrian oak and ceramic eggs, where they ferment naturally with wild yeast. The Austrian oak contributes subtle fennel and spice rather than spicy oak flavours. The wine goes through spontaneous partial malolactic fermentation and spends twelve months on lees before bottling.
Sancerre and Styria Inspiration
The inspiration came from some of our favourite European Sauvignon Blanc expressions; traditional Sancerre and the beautifully textured Sauvignon Blancs from Styria. Wines that aren’t loud, but draw you in with their detail and balance.
You might remember our old blend, Hill of Dreams. When we first released the wine back in 2019, it spent about a week on skins before pressing. The fruit has always had great natural balance and complexity, but we realised that by backing away from skin contact we could let the site speak more clearly. Rather than building texture through extraction, we built it through fermentation and time.
It’s still the same block, the same three varieties and the same philosophy of minimal intervention. But Beeswing is more restrained, this new approach lets the site do more of the talking.
You might remember our old blend, Hill of Dreams. When we first released the wine back in 2019, it spent about a week on skins before pressing. The fruit has always had great natural balance and complexity, but we realised that by backing away from skin contact we could let the site speak more clearly. Rather than building texture through extraction, we built it through fermentation and time.
It’s still the same block, the same three varieties and the same philosophy of minimal intervention. But Beeswing is more restrained, this new approach lets the site do more of the talking.
Why Beeswing?
Notorious Bushranger, Captain Thunderbolt, used to steal racehorses to be used as getaway vehicles in the 1800s. Beeswing was one such racemare. We have always been intrigued by the history of the New England area, especially Thunderbolt and his escapades. Thunderbolt and his band would ride into towns like Armidale, Inverell, and Uralla on magnificent animals, with Beeswing frequently cited as his leading horse during his holdups.
What’s in a name?
The name change, however, wasn’t by choice. Henschke Wines, makers of the Hill of Grace, believe they hold rights to ‘Hill of’ wine names in Australia and threatened us with a passing-off claim, despite us holding an IP Australia trademark for Hill of Dreams since around 2018 and our wine bearing no resemblance in packaging, style, colour or anything. Continuing to use the name simply wasn’t worth the distraction.
So, rather neatly, a forced name change arrived just as we were ready to launch an established wine with a new style. Beeswing seemed the perfect fit.
