Wines
History
Located in Willunga, to the south of the McLaren Vale Township, Edgehill Vineyard was
established in the early 1970’s by Peter and Anthea Bosworth on the site of an old almond
orchard. Willunga itself was settled in approximately 1837 and Bosworths have been growing
grapes in the district from the late 1840’s. Son Joch Bosworth took over the management and
day to day running of the vineyards in 1995 and together with partner Louise Hemsley-Smith
started making wines under the Battle of Bosworth label in 2001.
The Name
Our wine takes its name from the original Battle of Bosworth, fought on Bosworth Field,
Leicestershire, England in 1485. Here the last of the Plantagenet Kings, Richard the III, was
slain by Henry Tudor, becoming the last king of England to die in battle, ending the War of the
Roses. The roots of the family’s battle were planted in the early 1840’s with the first Bosworth
vineyard in McLaren Vale. Our modern day Battle of Bosworth saw us convert our ‘Edgehill’
vineyard to organic viticulture in 1995.
Organic Viticulture
Organic farming is based on minimising the use of external inputs, and as such our certified
organic grapes are grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers,
or GMOs. Our ‘Battle of Bosworth’ is symbolised on our label by the yellow Sour Sob ( oxalis
pes caprae ) which is considered a weed worldwide, but encouraged in our vineyards to outcompete
other weeds in winter and spring and form an under-vine weed mat in summer. We
have 190 acres of vines which are fully certified organic by Australian Certified Organic P/L,
including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot and small amounts of Graciano
and Touriga Nacional.
McLaren Vale Wine Region
Situated in the foothills of the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges and bound to the west by the
pristine waters of the sea, our vineyards are in the heart of the McLaren Vale wine region. The
McLaren Vale wine region is approximately 37k south of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
McLaren Vale is almost unique in being situated so close to the sea (and some of the finest
beaches in Australia) and a significant sized population centre. McLaren Vale was one of the
earliest regions to be planted to vines in South Australia, with first recorded plantings in 1838
in only two years after the settlement of South Australia.
McLaren Vale Climate
With a Mediterranean-type climate characterized by warm summers and moderate winters
tempered by the proximity to the ocean, winter dominant rainfall, low relative humidity and
high relative evaporation, McLaren Vale’s benign climate is ideal for organic viticulture. Rain
during vintage and frost in winter or spring are both rare. Annual average rainfall for Edgehill
Vineyard is approximately 660mm, of which only about 180mm falls within the growing season.
Harvest dates for Battle of Bosworth wines are usually from mid February to late April.
Battle of Bosworth Wines and Winemaking Rationale
The aim is to produce balanced and flavoursome single vineyard wines that best express the
qualities and characteristics of the site, in a wine style that we, and hopefully others, enjoy
drinking. Battle of Bosworth makes a Chardonnay Viognier blend, a Sauvignon Blanc, a dry
Cabernet Rosé, a Shiraz, Shiraz Viognier blend and a Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a very
limited volume of our Amarone inspired White Boar Shiraz.
As organic producers we can’t use blending components from other vineyards, or indeed other
regions, even if we wanted to. We have to create our own blending components in the vineyard
and winery in various ways to add complexity to our wines.
Joch constantly experiments in the vineyard using different regimes –pruning, trellising, water
regulation, crop thinning and other techniques, which, if they prove effective, are adopted.
The use of cordon-cut Amarone style grapes in the red wines has come about as the result of
one such trial. We experiment in the winery by manipulating fermentation time, fermentation
temperature, the type of oak used, the time spent in oak, time on lees and a host of other
processes, to best achieve the desired Battle of Bosworth style.
This constant spirit of experimentation in the vineyard and winery, along with traditional
vinification and natural minimal processing, combined with organic and sustainable viticulture
allows us to capture the purity, integrity, texture and flavour of the vineyard in our wines.
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