Vineyard
Our Lake Breeze winery lies on the banks of the Bremer River and is surrounded by majestic river red gums and overlooks the 90 hectare (225 acre) Follett family vineyard. The vineyards are managed by Tim Follett, whom Greg relies on to provide him with consistently outstanding fruit.
The varieties grown on the vineyard include cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and chardonnay, with smaller amounts of grenache, merlot, petit verdot, malbec, nero d'avola, vermentino and pecorino.
Lake Breeze selects only the best 40% of fruit from the older vines for its wines. The majority of the fruit used is carefully selected from old vines, between 55 and 60 years old, with the oldest vines being our Grenache, planted in 1932.
UNIQUE FLOODING SYSTEM
Our old vines are dry grown and rely on the traditional winter flooding of the Bremer River, which emanates from rainfall in the Mount Lofty Ranges. The flooding is essential to carry the vines through the dry summer months as Langhorne Creek only receives on average 350mm (14") of rain.
Flooding is carried out by utilising the winter flow of the Bremer River, through a system of floodgates and banks, which divert water onto the vineyards. From here it remains for one or two days, until the soil is saturated and is then released onto the neighbouring vineyard.
The well drained soils receive a deposition of silt during the annual floods, which ensures that the fertility remains at a high level. The alluvial silty loam soils allow for excellent water holding capacity, therefore making full use of the winter floods, allowing the vine to carry through the summer months without supplementary water.
LANGHORNE CREEK
Langhorne Creek is one of Australia's oldest wine grape districts. Vineyards were first planted in the 1860's at Langhorne Creek on the banks of the Bremer River. The region rests between the Adelaide Hills and Lake Alexandrina, only a one hour drive from Adelaide.
Langhorne Creek is renowned for its full bodied red wines, the grapes have an intense quality due to the location and unique natural influences. Cool afternoon breezes from Lake Alexandrina help to create a surprisingly cool climate, which allows for a longer, more even ripening period. This is coupled with deep, rich alluvial soil, which is deposited by the unique annual flooding of the Bremer River.
Langhorne Creek has always been a grape growing district with a group of old families who have been producing grapes for generations on the Bremer's edge. It wasn't until the 1990's that the district experienced rapid expansion.
There were fewer than 1,100 acres of established vines in 1991, which today has grown to around 12,000 acres (5,000 ha). Expansion from these humble beginnings has been possible due to the utilisation of the nearby Lake Alexandrina and its fresh water.
ECO VINEYARDS
We are proud to be part of the national EcoVineyards program and have planted indigenous shrubs and grasses on specific sites on the property.
The EcoVineyard concept makes use of native insectary plants to create a biodiverse ecosystem in and around the vineyards. The plan is for these plantings to become home to insect predators, which will in turn contribute towards biocontrol of vineyard pests and lead to the reduced use of chemicals.
Tim Follett, Vineyard Manager
Vegan friendly
All wines produced by Lake Breeze including the Bull Ant label are vegan and vegetarian friendly.
At Lake Breeze a minimal intervention approach is taken with all of our wines, with most receiving no filtration or fining at all.
With the small amount of fining undertaken we have a commitment to avoid using any animal based fining agents.
