Salomon Wines

Distinctive wines bridging Australian abundance with Old World elegance

Once in a lifetime, a special place reveals itself to thouse with a taste for adventure. The thrill of discovery. An enthusiasm for new horizons and divers cultures.
For acclaimed Austrian winemaker Bert Salomon and his wife Gertrud, that place is the River Finniss at the southern reaches of the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia - home to many of Australia´s most prized wines.
The Finniss River may be “off the beaten track” as they say in Australia, but its unbridled beauty and vital growing conditions, perfect for nurturing grapes with the most desirable balance of grape ripeness and cool-climate edge, have enticed Bert and Gertrud to make it their Australian home and unearth a life-long passion for the finest of red wines.

The Finniss River winegrowing district stands alone in the wider Fleurieu, anchored to the southern slopes of the Adelaide Hills wine region, south-east of the famed wine-producing area of McLaren Vale.
Unique in its dramatic, rolling landscape and ideal continental micro-climate, Salomon Estate´s carefully nurtured vineyard soaks up the abundant Australian sun while tempered by the cooling comforts of the nearby Great Southern Ocean, providing the ideal provenance for a portfolio of small-batch and handcrafted wines from traditional varieties, including shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and grenache, as well as favoured blends and more adventurous modern classics.

The Salomon family

Two hemispheres. From north to south. The Salmon Estate family story is a winemaking journey unparalleled in the world. Bert Salomon is a eight-generation descendant of the great Austrian wine dynasty Salomon Undhof, renowned since 1792 for creating the finest Rieslings and Gruner Veltliners from the Kremstal region west of Vienna. Bert’s wife Gertrud forged a successful management career before choosing to throw her considerable professional passion into the world of her husband’s wines.
While their children Fanny Marie and Bert have already taken over the responsibility for the winery Salomon Undhof in Austria, Bert and Gertrud now concentrate more and more on their Australian endeavour, assisted by an “extended” family of winemaking mates like Mark Farmilo, long-time friend and former chief red winemaker at Penfolds, and current winemaker and vineyard manager Simon White, formerly head winemaker at Coriole and Hardy’s Tintara in nearby McLaren Vale.

Terroir

The wine growing area of Finniss River extends along the southeast shoulder of the Adelaide Hills, part of the Fleurieu Peninsula. The elevation of 120m above sea level and the soil composition in Finniss are most important viticultural assets. The topsoil, a pinkish mix of gravel and glacial sand, provides excellent drainage. The calcareous red and orange clay in the subsoil sufficiently retains water. In the Finniss River environs, sweltering midday heats are balanced by cool afternoon winds. The nearby Southern Ocean sends in cold sea air each night, a decisive factor in the aromatic development of the grapes.The climatic conditions of Finniss show an average temperatur in February fo 20,4° C, annual rainfall of 488mm, and heat units of 1560C. Meaning an LTI of 418, defining an accurat correlation between grapes grown and climate. A similar LTI is recorded in Chateauneuf du Pape

It is here the Salomons embrace the sustainable produce from their own estate: their own free-ranging lambs which graze in winter on the mid-row weeds, providing natural fertiliser in the process. Add to that the olive oil from their own trees and of course their home-grown wines. As well, they revel in Australia’s renowned casual lifestyle. Barbecues, bush walks, fishing pristine waters and a welcoming community of local farmers and friends.