HENSCHKE

Henschke

OVER 150 YEARS OF FAMILY WINE MAKING
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Today, it is fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke and his viticulturist wife Prue at the helm, passionately upholding the family name and reputation.
 

STEPHEN HENSCHKE - WINEMAKER
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Fifth-generation Stephen Carl Henschke and youngest son of Cyril Henschke showed great interest in science and winemaking at an early age. With a wonderful family heritage of winemaking Stephen is proud that the Henschke name and reputation is inexorably linked with red wines in general and Hill of Grace in particular, but with winemaking in his blood he approaches all wine styles with the same depth of passion and commitment to quality.

If Stephen shows a traditional influence with red winemaking, then it is true to say he has been influenced by his German studies for the whites. In a way he is using the best of Old World tradition coupled with New World technology. He retains a purity of fruit through careful handling of the juice and wine, which brings out the intense, varietally pure perfumes of the natural grape flavours. Combine this with the today’s technology – and taste the resulting whites – and Stephen has created a new direction for Henschke that his forebears could never have imagined.

In keeping with world’s best practice, Stephen embarked upon a project to develop a Quality Management System. Henschke was one of the first wineries in 1998 to achieve ISO 9002 Certification.
 

PRUE HENSCHKE - VITICULTURIST
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In 1987 Prue took on her current role as viticulturist for Henschke. Prue’s research revolves around vineyard sward management, green waste, compost and mulches, trellis design, canopy management, soil moisture management and trials with native grasses and organic and biodynamic viticulture.

Prue began her career by studying botany and zoology at Adelaide University. Upon completing her degree, she and Stephen spent two years in Germany, where she become involved in viticulture and plant physiology.

In 1980 Prue became a viticultural consultant and began working with Stephen in order to further develop their own research ideas and theories on cool-climate viticulture, site selection and canopy management.

Travels to many different wine regions around the world has inspired Prue to trial new grape varieties and clones in the three different vineyard regions: grenache, mataro and counoise in the Barossa Valley; tempranillo, barbera, nebbiolo and various clones of shiraz and riesling in the Eden Valley; and grüner veltliner and clones of pinot noir, chardonnay and merlot in the Adelaide Hills.
 

BEING MINDFUL OF THEIR ROLE AS CUSTODIANS
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Stephen and Prue Henschke continue to craft their white wines with a focus on purity, while their red wines have a strong focus on terroir, using traditional winemaking techniques.