New Rolling Chardonnay

Media Release

Cumulus Estate Wines’ New Year’s resolution is to be even more committed to sustainable practices, implementing their ultimate ‘Bud-to-Bottle’ sustainability initiative; responsible drinking – for a healthy body and a health planet.

As one of the first NSW wine producers to achieve full membership of Entwine*, Cumulus Estate Wines has always been acutely aware of and undertaken activities to preserve natural resources and minimize environmental impact in their 508 hectare vineyard and 10,000 tonne capacity winery. Now they have taken the final step and extended their environmental practices to include their packaging.

In 2012, all of Cumulus Estate Wines’ Rolling and Climbing wines will now come in an O-I Lean+Green® lightweight bottle, giving them the same premium look and feel but with the added advantage of:

·         20% less weight per bottle (410g vs 500g)
·         20% less energy in production cycle
·         12% less water in production cycle
·         12% less transport conversion emissions

The wines also have new lightweight flexographic print cartons. Made from recycled materials these use 20% less energy in production cycle and 8% less transport conversion emissions.

“The new generation ‘Lean and Green’ bottles enable us to extend our commitment to sustainable practises beyond the vineyard and winery to our packaging, without compromising the presentation of our wines,” says senior winemaker Debbie Lauritz. “Through the Entwine program, we track our environmental awareness and carbon emissions and set targets to improve standards each year, always continuing our commitment to reaching higher elevations of quality and sustainability.”

One of the first wines down the Cumulus bottling line is the new 2011 Rolling Chardonnay, Central Ranges NSW (RRP $17.95)

And the quality inside the bottle is as sharp as the new packaging.  Debbie comments, “Due to the cooler 2011 growing season in the Central Ranges and Orange, we had slower ripening than normal so that when we harvested the fruit it contained lower levels of sugar. This has led to our finished wines having a lower alcohol level and more elegant, finer fruit flavours. The vines also benefited from larger, more balanced canopies and good fruit shading to limit bunch exposure.

These conditions were of particular advantage to Chardonnay this year, giving us possibly the best fruit we’ve ever produced. The flavours range from citrus and white stonefruits in earlier picked blocks, through to riper tropical fruit spectrum that we deliberately harvested a little riper in early March.

The result is a 2011 Rolling Chardonnay that shows greater finesse and an exciting blend of tropical fruit and citrus flavours, with a textured mouth feel and balanced acidity.”

Another great wine championing the quality of modern Australian Chardonnay this summer.

Stockists: All Climbing and Rolling wines are distributed by Cumulus Estate Wines. Available nationally though independent liquor stores.

Existing Cumulus Sustainability Practices:

In the Vineyard:

·         The first Entwine* certified Vineyard in the Orange region
·         Winner 2010 Best Environmental Sustainability / Water Conservation Award at the CGU Orange Outstanding Business Awards, achieved through:
— Solar powered automated sub-surface irrigation system that reduces evaporation & carbon emissions
— Computer monitored multi-depth soil moisture probe technology that optimises water usage by individual grape variety and vineyard block
— Inter-row organic matter composting, grass-cover and clover plantings that reduces insects, moisture loss, erosion and soil compaction
— Multi-row multi-function farming equipment that covers 3 rows in a single tractor pass to reduce fossil fuel consumption
— Usage monitoring of all vineyard inputs and recycling of key components such as water, power, fuel, vegetation matter, sprays and grape marc.

In the Winery:

·         The first Entwine* certified Winery in the Orange region
·         Winner 2010 Best Agribusiness Award at the CGU Orange Outstanding Business Awards, achieved through:

— Energy conservation audits to measure and mitigate usage thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions
— Energy reduction initiatives including wine tank insulation, inverter technology for heating/cooling of offices and laboratory
— Water conservation measures at all stages of production
— Recovery of residual materials and recycling of glass, plastic and cardboard materials.

*Entwine is an initiative of the Winemakers Federation of Australia to foster environmental responsibility – for further details visit www.wfa.gov.au