Fermenting the Future

For Stuart Bloomfield, a great wine is the perfect intersection of craftsmanship and scientific understanding.

He describes his winemaking style as the meeting point between tradition and curiosity, something that’s earning big accolades for his small batch winery, Craft vs Science.

At the carefully restored cellar door and winery on Bethany Road, Stuart loves nothing more than pushing the boundaries of experimentation.

“I was going to study archaeology but I fell in love with wine and never looked back,” he says.

It’s been a natural evolution for Stuart, who has discovered a passion for alternative varieties like Albarino from Spain and Touriga from Portugal to help combat climate change and ensure the sustainability of the family’s vineyards.

“We were growing semillon, putting on almost double the water and getting lower quality fruit,” says Stuart.

“We started looking into a few different white varieties that are better suited to the climate like Albarino, mainly found in the northwest of Spain.

“Because it’s acclimatised to the warm coastal climate, it tolerates our warm summers well.”

Touriga Nacional from Portugal is also very heat and drought tolerant, late ripening and can even be served chilled.

“As a family we fell in love with the aroma and flavour. It’s big in flavour but still produces this mellow-style red, and now outsells our Old Vine Shiraz two-to-one,” says Stuart.

Stuart’s interest in archaeology is the inspiration behind the emerging varietals in his adventurous Amphora Red Blend, named after the clay vessel used by the ancient Greeks to store everything from dry goods to olive oil.

According to Stuart, it’s also perfect for wine fermentation.

“It’s porous like a barrel so that little bit of air softens the tannins. The longer you leave the wine, the softer, smoother and silker the wine becomes, with little or no physical resistance to drink it,” laughs Stuart.

“It’s extremely food-friendly with a good amount of flavour – it’s an all-rounder red.”

For all his experimentation, Stuart says tradition still has its place, describing their Old Vine Shiraz block as low yielding but “something special”.

This tiny block only produces about one barrel each year.

“Previously (the family) would have never made a single vineyard wine because they never had a tank small enough – it was always harvested alongside another block,” says Stuart.

“But we’re passionate about small, really good parcels. To me, it had that classic Barossa floor power, intensity and flavour, but also the grace and elegance you would typically see coming from Eden Valley.

“It’s just a magic little block. It’s been really special to be part of the joy of making a wine from an old vine block that was considered a logistical inconvenience.”

Thanks to a labour of love, Craft vs Science now has a new home in the farmstead’s original stone barn at the top end of Bethany Road.

Dating from 1842, the property is one of Bethany’s original settler sites. It features original stables, cellar, blacksmiths and smokehouse, and Stuart has built custom Redgum, Rosewood and Sassafras hardwood tasting tables.

“We’re all about respecting tradition while staying curious,” Stuart says. “Each of our wines has a story and is made for character, not scale.”

Craft vs Science is open Friday to Monday 10am-4pm and other times by appointment.