6th Nov 2017 by brandsa2018

Local indie folk outfit set to charm at Handpicked Festival

For six-piece indie folk group The Winter Gypsy, hitting the same stage as some of Australia’s hottest musos at this weekend’s Handpicked Festival will be quite the coup.

The homegrown outfit will perform before thousands of people at Langhorne Creek’s Lake Breeze Wines on November 11 after taking out the event’s local acts competition.

The Winter Gypsy beat hundreds of applicants to snag a spot in the lineup.

“We’ve managed to support a large quantity of interstate acts in the last two years thanks to local bookers,” the band says in a statement.

“We were all on tour when we won, so we couldn’t believe the news.

“We’re all so chuffed.”

Forming from four separate bands in August, 2015, The Winter Gypsy’s tracks range from soft folk melodies and haunting vocal harmonies to soaring, upbeat instrumentals.

Often compared to The Middle East, Bon Iver and Bombay Bicycle Club, the band’s sound is complemented by a complex range of instruments.

Handpicked Festival organiser Kate Cooper says the local acts competition receives about 200 applicants every year.

“I listen to a lot of music all night long and select three key artists and then we put it to a poll on social media,” she says.

Last year's Handpicked Festival attracted thousands to Lake Breeze Wines, an idyllic backdrop for enjoying good music, food and wine.

The 2016 Handpicked Festival attracted thousands to Lake Breeze Wines, an idyllic backdrop for enjoying good music, food and wine.

“We’re so proud to see a number of our past local acts get their big break with Paige Renee Court now doing amazing things, Timberwolf doing exceptionally well and Ash Gale kicking goals.”

Kate says the competition came down to the wire and therefore talented SA muso Alana Jagt will also hit the stage to mesmerise crowds with her pop/folk tunes.

Other performers include premier party band Jimmy and the Mirrors, vintage pop sensations Leo, alternative pop group San Cisco and indie outfit The Jezabels.

Flower crowns are a must-have Handpicked accessory.

Headlining the Handpicked bill are ARIA award-winning singer-songwriter Matt Corby and Aussie rockers Jet, who are performing their first gig in SA in six years.

Handpicked Festival will not only be a feast for the ears, but a feast for food and wine lovers too.

The event will feature some of SA’s finest food trucks, offering Mexican, Greek, Italian and French cuisines, as well as eats to satisfy vegos, vegans and gluten free-goers.

Caterers include SA favourites Let Them Eat, Gourmet Grillerz, La Cantina Co, Squid Inc., Orexi, Melt and Bean Machine, PōPSICOOL, and La Creperie.

The Barrel Bar is for quenching thirsts.

Drinks will be served at The Barrel Bar, created out of a five-metre high wall of vintage wine barrels.

In a Handpicked first is the Cocktail Forest, a boutique bar offering a menu using Lake Breeze’s moscato, rosé and vermentino.

The Lane will be a space for local artisans to showcase their wares, while flower crown, face painting, body art and henna stalls will ensure festival goers look the part.

Handpicked Festival is on Saturday, November 11.

For tickets, accommodation advice and bus transfers visit the website.

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20th Sep 2017 by brandsa2018

Small bakery has big ambitions for local grain industry

By Melissa Keogh

Langhorne Creek bread lovers Emily Salkeld and Chris Duffy have turned a simple passion for baking artisan loaves into an experiment set to fire up the local grain economy.

The duo behind the Fleurieu Peninsula’s Small World Bakery have launched themselves into the world of grain growing by sowing a variety of heritage wheats and grains on their property.

But it won’t be until 2019 until the couple grows enough grain to produce flour for their own bread production.

In 2016, the family including sons Tom and Ollie took a year off to travel to Europe and the US to source ancient grains, such as einkorn, emmer, spelt and khorasan, to plant at home.

Emily Salkeld and Chris Duffy are hoping to awaken the local grain economy by sowing heritage wheats and grains at Langhorne Creek. PHOTO: Ben McMahon.

Emily says historic grains have more flavour than modern grains, which have been bred for disease and drought tolerance.

“We want to take grains back to a time when bread had different flavours, so flavour is a big factor to us,” she says.

“(Heritage grains) have a certain spiciness to them.”

Langhorne Creek’s economy is largely reliant on viticulture as the town is one of the Australia’s top red grape growing regions, but Emily says locals are already interested in building the grain growing industry.

“We have got great community spirit in Langhorne Creek and the local farmers are interested in being a part of this alternative economy,” she says.

“The grains we’ve planted are quite experimental, at least five of them are growing very happily.”

The trial plot flourishing at Langhorne Creek.

While waiting for its own fields to prosper, Small World Bakery uses heritage flour from interstate as well as an Australian heritage wheat variety dating back to Federation.

Small World Bakery is expecting to mill its own flour by the end of 2017, when a stone mill arrives from the US, the first of its kind commissioned outside of North America.

Small World Bakery products are baked in Langhorne Creek, but enjoyed throughout South Australia.

Two days per week Chris whizzes down city streets and laneways on a Danish-made bicycle, delivering the bread to businesses and homes in Adelaide.

“We’re bringing something from our community to the city and we’re able to feed people high-quality food from the country,” Emily says.

“As the bread is ordered and paid for online we don’t have to worry about taking payment, so we can have a conversation about bread and what it’s like in the wheat field.”

Breads are delivered to Adelaide CBD homes and businesses on two wheels!

Bread is delivered to Adelaide CBD homes and businesses on a Danish-made bike designed to withstanding undulating conditions such as potholed laneways or bumpy side streets.

All Small World Bakery breads are sourdough, made using naturally occurring yeast and bacteria.

No commerical yeast is used.

“Commercial yeast is perpetuated in a lab and very controlled,” Emily says.

“When you have a sourdough you are working with the bacteria and yeast and you control the different temperatures, water and time.”

Emily was introduced to the world of fermentation – a natural process involved in the making of many foods – after working as a cheesemaker at Woodside Cheese Wrights in the Adelaide Hills.

After six years at the artisan cheese factory, Emily and Chris moved to Langhorne Creek to work in the wine industry.

Carrying on her passion for food and fermentation, Emily took up baking after Chris installed a wood-fired oven under the verandah in the backyard.

Soon enough friends and local cafés started placing orders.

Now Small World Bakery products are available to purchase directly at 112 Coombe Road, Langhorne Creek, or from Argus House, Strathalbyn.

Bread is ordered online via the website and delivered to homes and workplaces in Adelaide’s CBD or North Adelaide.

Header photo by Josie Withers.

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9th Aug 2017 by brandsa2018

Bleasdale winemaker is best in the country

By Melissa Keogh

The “underrated” wine region of Langhorne Creek has received a boost after one of its winemakers received the ultimate nod from Australia’s top wine critic.

Paul Hotker of fifth-generation vineyard Bleasdale has been named James Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year for 2018, a win bound to push Langhorne Creek to centre stage.

In a first for the region, the accolade is a “once in a lifetime achievement” for Paul, who says the benefits to the region will be “enormous”.

“It’s very overwhelming and hard to stay focused,” he says.

Halliday, who famously named Langhorne Creek as the “most underrated region in Australia”, has supported Paul for several years, recognising his “extraordinary skill”.

James Halliday, left, Bleasdale senior winemaker Paul Hotker and Wine Australia chairman Brian Walsh.

“James receives 6000 samples each year and obviously he was quite taken by some of ours,” Paul says.

“He’s been a supporter of ours and keeping an eye on what we’re doing.”

Often overlooked by other SA wine capitals, such as the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek has been home to growers and wineries for six generations.

Bleasdale’s founder, Frank Potts, was a pioneer of the region after settling on the flood plain in 1850 and planting the district’s first grapes in the 1860s.

Langhorne Creek growers supply fruit to many SA leading wineries which have gone on to win Jimmy Watson trophies – another prestigious Australian wine award.

Paul says Langhorne Creek’s climate – including the influence of Lake Alexandrina – and the proximity to Adelaide were two of its biggest advantages.

“It’s regularly 10C cooler here than in Adelaide,” he says.

“The proximity to Adelaide is terrific … it’s a genuine country town.”

Paul Hotker says Langhorne Creek’s cool climate and proximity to Adelaide make it the ideal wine region to visit.

Paul joined Bleasdale in 2007 and was the driving force behind the release of The Powder Monkey Shiraz, The Iron Duke Cabernet Sauvignon and Double Take Malbec

However, his timeless favourite is the Frank Potts Cabernet Blend.

“When you take the best of everything how could you fail,” Paul says.

“It’s a blend – adding so much more complexity and points of interest.

“There’s always something always new coming out of it.”

Bleasdale also retains its Halliday red five star status – a measure of excellence – for the fifth year in a row.

This weekend (August 12 and 13) Bleasdale will dig deep into its cellars and offer tastings of its 1982 Vintage Port, among with other drops, for the region’s Cellar Treasures Weekend.

Cellar doors across Langhorne Creek will unearth their finest wines and offer specialty tastings, food and experiences.