THE ALTA STORY
IN THE BEGINNING...
Developing a new wine venture requires incredible forethought, planning and a lot of money.
Alta emerged from 'the hills' in 2003 with a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. It was a hit, enjoying immediate success. Amazing reviews and awards followed, not just for the wine but also for the packaging, receiving the 'best wine label' award at the Boutique Wine Awards. to 'top it off' the 2003 release sold out in just four months!
However, one year on, after the positive start Alta took a hit. The quality of the 2004 grapes failed to impress. After a brief appearance this vintage was removed from the shelves to avoid harming the brand. then another hit, our distributor was bought-out by a larger company. Alta was on the search for a new distribution source. It was a disappointing year, but in retrospect it was a pivotal point in the success of the brand today.
In 2005 I entered the scene as the Alta Winemaker. Prior to Alta I had spent 8 years working with Orlando Wyndham crafting red and white wines from multiple regions across Australia. Alta offered a dedicated focus on one region. Born and bred in the Adelaide Hills I jumped at the opportunity to commit to Alta, as I consider the hills to be one of Australia's most distinctive and best wine-regions. Furthermore the Alta philosophy worked well in conjunction with my own.
For Alta to succeed I knew it was imperative that we sourced quality grapes and provided consistency from one vintage to the next. We needed growers who were prepared to work with us to achieve this. I had been fortunate in my previous work, to establish strong relationships with passionate growers from across the Adelaide Hills. These relationships enabled me to source sensational fruit that represented a great pool of varietal and regional flavours.
We released our first single varietal wine to reflect the strength of the Adelaide Hills. It was the 2005 Alta Sauvignon Banc. Despite the issues of the previous year we successfully launched the 2005 vintage onto the market with the support of our new distributor, Mezzanine. The Sauvignon Blanc had regained lost ground and was gathering a respectable following. The journey to grow Alta's brand recognition had begun.
Two exciting challenges lay ahead for 2006, which were driven by my desire to expand the portfolio, with additional single varietals. I wanted to continue to highlight the Adelaide Hills as a serious wine region and complement the flagship Sauvignon Blanc. Once I had made the decision to create a dry style Pinot Rosé my second challenge was to bottle it before the birth of my daughter, who arrived in June 2006. We succeeded and in honour of my gorgeous girl, I named the wine Alta 'For Elsie' Pinot Rosé.
2007 saw the range expansion continue with the release of Alta Pinot Noir, followed by the Alta Pinot Grigio. Each of these wines held true to our philosophy, to depict strong varietal character and distinctive regional expression. This distinctive 'varietal influence' also flowed through onto the label designs. Each label was created with the specific varietal in mind, so as to make the entire 'package' true to the varietal. A hand-crafted artistic style added to their uniqueness. Artist Andrew Sinclair, who has been a part of the Alta Story since the creation of our first Sauvignon Blanc, was once again called upon. Andrew's artistic talents on the Pinot Noir label successfully captured the richness and depth of this varietal whilst continuing to reflect the altitude of the region.
A NEW CHAPTER
The Alta Sauvignon Blanc refresh represents a new start for Alta's new chapter.
After eight challenge-filled but rewarding years, 9 chapters in the Alta Story, I am proud to introduce you to our 2011 Alta Sauvignon Blanc.
Sarah Fletcher, Winemaker