d'Arenberg

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For other uses, see D'Arenberg (disambiguation).

d'Arenberg is an Australian wine company founded in 1912. All of their vineyards are located in South Australia's McLaren Vale, although some of the wines they make are produced from grapes sourced from the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsular. It is now owned by the fourth generation of the Osborn family, headed by Chester Osborn. d'Arenberg are famous for the quirky names of their wines, and their specialism in the vines of the Rhone valley. They also produce many of their wines in a traditional manner, using basket pressing for both reds and whites (the only winery in Australia to do so) and leaving the vast majority of the red wines unfiltered and unfined which can cause the wine to throw a sediment in bottle but leaves the flavour intact. The majority of their red wines are suitable for ageing as well as for drinking fairly young and even the cheaper wines show very well after a few years in bottle. Perhaps their best known wine is 'The Dead Arm Shiraz', made from fungus-infected shiraz grape vines.

[edit] The Dead Arm Shiraz

The name Dead Arm comes from the disease Eutypa lata which is common in many older vineyards. Eutypa Lata causes grape canker which slowly kills one of the branches of a vine. This reduces the yield of the vine and intensifies the flavor. The grapes for The Dead Arm Shiraz come from these vines in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia. The wine is very rich and full bodied, with a typical alcohol content of 15 percent or over. In recent years, it has become somewhat popular due to good reviews in The Wine Spectator and other publications, as well as an increased worldwide interest in Australian wine.