Foggo Wines

Foggo Wines husband and wife team, Herb and Sandie Van De Wiel, second generation growers are a complete hands on operation in McLaren Vale – from pruning and picking to hand plunging and lees stirring – even blending, bottling and labelling are done on the estate by this dynamic duo.

The Van De Wiels chose their first McLaren Vale vineyard ( some 16 yrs ago) because of its reliable Mediterranean climate and maritime influences – their Shiraz on the winery block on Foggo Road is the oldest, dating back to 1915.

The 87 year old Bush Grenache vines aren’t far behind in maturity and even the 50 year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines would cause jealousy among many new growers. Even the relatively obscure Cinsaut variety, which was planted in 1958, has a unique lineage. It is the only Cinsaut made as a Rose. Over 70% of the reds are dry grown giving full intense flavour with some varieites only yielding an average 2 tonne to the acre.

The reds are made for the long haul, with excellent structure and ageing ability. As well as power and opulence, Foggo Reds have a finesse and elegance that set them apart.

“We pick to taste so we’re looking for primary fruit characters in the vineyard – once we have those, the complexity of the fruit off the old vines and their incredible structure provides a balanced wine, even though alcohol levels can be high, we don’t get any hot or jammy characters”.