The History of Dos Rios.

 

Dos Rios is a boutique vineyard dedicated to the production of premium wines that express the individuality of the vineyard and the subtle effect that the seasons have on each vintage.

The small areas of vines are hand pruned by the owners, the grapes are hand harvested and the wines hand made employing traditional methods.

We are extremely conscious of the effect that we can have on our environment and as a consequence we manage the vineyard utilising sustainable methods.  Fertilisation is done using organic fertilisers, prunings are mulched, incorporated into the soil and then hilled under the vines to return the maximum of organic matter back into the soil. 

All of the recent plantings have been done on the Vertical Shoot Positioning  (VSP) trellis using one cordon with three pairs of ’lift’ wires that keep the canes in a vertical position thus exposing the bunches of grapes to maximum sun and air, this reduces substantially the possibility of fungal attack.  It is therefore possible to eliminate regular spraying, only applying a spray if extreme weather conditions dictate, as a result usually as few as three sprays, either of Copper or Sulphur, are applied annually.

Shoot and bunch thinning is undertaken to maintain a healthy balance between the vine root system, foliage and crop load which, together with the bunch exposure offered by VSP ensures maximum ripeness and maximum flavour in the grapes (together with maximum colour in the red varieties)

While not certified organic the vineyard is managed on principals that closely follow this practice.

When purchased in late 2004 the vineyard had only Shiraz vines that had been planted in the early 1980’s.  These old vines have been retained on the old traditional double cordon trellis and are hand pruned to ensure that crop loads are small to maximise grape quality.

In 2005 the white varieties Verdeljo and Viognier were planed together with the red variety Tempranillo. All of these vines have been trained to the VSP trellis system.

2007 saw the planting of Moscato Giallo, a variety from Italy that is used to produce a light, low alcohol sweet wine.

Fruit has been purchased from regional growers to make initial vintages of wines to assess their acceptance by local restaurants and by visitors to the cellar door.

Wines currently being made are Sparkling Pinot Gris to meet a request from local restaurateurs and Lagrein, an intensely dark inky purple wine with luscious berry fruits on the nose and a surprisingly mild savoury and herbatious palate, long finish and very smooth tannins.

Should these wines gain the anticipated acceptance then the varieties will be introduced to the vineyard.

In addition to direct sales from the Cellar Door, Mail-order and the Internet the wines are available retail at Scott's Liquor Swan Hill and the Swan Hill Tourist Information Centre and widely available in Restaurants and Clubs in Wentworth, Mildura, Euston,  Robinvale, Balranald, Tooleybuc, Swan Hill, Murray Downs, Deniliquin, Echuca and Moama.

Click here for a listing of restaurants and clubs where Dos Rios wines may be enjoyed.

 

The obtaining of an 'Excise manufacturers License' in mid 2006 will see citrus based liqueurs also available soon.

 

The commitment at Dos Rios is to produce wines hand made in the traditional fashion.  The fruit selected is produced on hand pruned vines and is hand harvested to ensure that it arrives at the winery in the best condition for the production of premium wines.

 

I hope you enjoy Dos Rios wines and liqueurs sufficiently to recommend them to your friends and give them as gifts on any occasion.

 

Bruce Hall -  Dos Rios.