(....continued)

In 2006 we decided to make our wines at Michelton where Terry could make Terra Felix utilising a much more sophisticated infrastructure than he had at his disposal previously He also was keen to lock in supply of very high quality fruit. This required finding vineyards that were prepared to partner Terra Felix in their plans to grow the brand in Australia and at the export market.

Peter and Terry have a vision of producing and marketing new varieties of wine that are  suited to the changing environment and taste preferences of consumers. Their plan has seen the introduction of a Mourvedre Rose and a varietal Viognier in 2007. Both have been multi-award-winning wines.

In 2009 we will introduce at least two new varieties and maybe three. The first is arguably the grape that produces some of the best white wines in Spain…Albarino.

We hope to crush 5 to 10 tonnes and make 500 cases, which will be ready for release in August.

We will also introduce a Pinot Gris. This grape lends itself to the fruity drier style Terry is achieving for our white wines.

The third wine will need to remain a secret for now because we have not yet secured a grape supplier. Hopefully we will in the next few weeks, so we can produce a red wine

From a little known Umbrian grape.

The new owners have wide experience in wine marketing. Peter Simon and Stan Olszewski had previously run Stanley Wine Company during its period of rapid growth.  An important part of the marketing process is to have an enthusiastic and active sales force. To achieve this Terra Felix has appointed Rutherglen Wine and Spirits to do its distribution throughout mainland Australia. It has also appointed DWS to manage Tasmania.

Terra Felix is now available in over 300 outlets in Australia. This has been achieved in a highly competitive environment where new listings are very hard to achieve.

Terra Felix is gradually lifting its crush although the availability of the right grapes will see a cut back in 2009. Including our this year’s crush the average crop for the last three years has been 180 tonnes of premium grapes.