Dutschke - Barossa Valley

2010 Cab Mac Shiraz

Cab Mac, an abbreviation for Carbonic Maceration, a natural fermentation within the grape, resulting in a wine of fresh, lifted aromatic characters reminiscent of cherries and strawberries.

Back in the early 1980's I was winemaker for Woorinen winery near Swan Hill, VIC. While there I worked with the late Stephen Hickinbotham and helped him produce a wine he called Cab Mac. Stephen developed a special technique for the processing of this unique wine. We hand harvested whole bunches of grapes and placed them into special air tight bins. This allowed the natural fermentation of the grape to take place within the grape itself. After 10-14 days the grapes were then crushed and continued their ferment. Aromas of strawberries and cherries filled the air and the wine itself.

In the late 1980's I found myself working alongside Don Lewis of Mitchelton Winery in Nagambie Victoria. To my surprise, Mitchelton had taken over the Cab Mac brand and technique from the Hickinbotham family and were doing great things with this wine. It gave me a great opportunity to work with the second generation of Cab Mac and help introduce many people to red wine who had only enjoyed white wine previously.

Now after being absent from the bottle shops since the mid 1990's, and with the current demand for lighter, easy drinking styles of red wine I have decided to bring the Cab Mac back. This third generation of Cab Mac is made with Barossa Valley Shiraz from our family vineyard, using the same techniques I learned from both Stephen Hickinbotham and Don Lewis twenty-plus years ago. It is to Stephen and Don that I dedicate the 2010 Cab Mac Shiraz, for it is through their teaching and guidance that your glass is being filled with Cab Mac today. We trust you'll enjoy it!!

Cheers!

Wayne Dutschke
Winemaker
Barossa's Winemaker of the Year 2010