A Welcome Interruption

We're delighted that we're going to be working with Paul Henry and Bill Downie with their arresting thousand candles project.

I've known Paul for a long time. When Paul headed up Wine Australia in London it was very much at the height of our growth in the Australian sector and we had opportunities to work together on the Stella Bella Scholarship amongst other activities. We've remained in touch since then and its great to work with Paul on a project that changes perceptions of Australian wine in a way that was so difficult to succeed in when he was at Wine Australia. If there is a more convincing, eloquent communicator on oz wine then I'm yet to meet him.

I know less of Bill, though suffice to say, his reputation for making some of Australia's finest pinot, proceeds him. Carved from a different stock than that of the mainstream Oz winemaker, I'm very much looking forward to getting to know him, and all about thousand candles later on this month when I head out to Oz.

The name of the estate is inspired by a story from the farm's history.Referring to a 19th century account of an indigenous people's ceremony granting freedom of the bush, a European settler who, commenting on the tribesmen dramatically holding aloft their firesticks remarked that it was as if the  "twilight had been interrupted by a thousand candles"

For all it’s haunting, subtly nuanced style, this is a bold wine.It is bold not for fulfilling the hackneyed Australian stereotype of strident fruit, deep flavour and “over-delivery” but bold for its unique blend and for challenging perceptions of vintage and varietal appropriateness. It also happens to taste wonderful” 

And for that reason alone we eagerly await it autumnal arrival in the UK