Pinot Grigio “Foundstone” 2022 – Berton Vineyard

The grapes used to produce the Pinot Grigio Foundstone Berton Vineyard were harvested in the cool of the night to avoid the summer heat and retain the quality of the grapes. The fruit was destemmed and chilled to the bag press before the juice underwent oxidative treatment to remove any bitter tannins and red colour imparted by the Pinot Grigio grapes’ red skins. Clarification took place immediately selected yeast strains initiated fermentation within 48 hours of the harvest. A slow, cool fermentation was carried out at 14 to 16°C. The wine was rested on its lees for a short period before it was stabilised, blended and filtered, showcasing its fresh and varietal fruit flavours.

The grapes for this wine are sourced from a single vineyard. The vineyard has produced consistent quality fruit and this Pinot Grigio is a testament to this. The soils are sandy loam with clay subsoil, which helps to retain moisture during the warmer summer months and minimise vine water-stress. The vine age is varied, but all vines have been spur pruned and are generally trained on a single wire cordon trellising system. The vines are planted at approximately 1.8 metres apart with 3.6 metres between the rows, to allow machinery access.

Established by Bob and Cherie Berton in May 1996, Berton Vineyard is one of the most important wine producers in Australia. The estate covers 30 hectares of land located on gently rolling hills at 450 metres above sea level, in a subregion of Eden Valley in South Australia. The superb Reserve Shiraz and Reserve Chardonnay wines are still sourced from this plot. In 2007, Bob purchased the Yenda winery in the heart of the Riverina. This state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to process 20,000 tonnes and enables Berton Vineyard to produce value for money wines which sit alongside their premium single-vineyard offerings.