In Odyssey, Homer described ‘Nepenthe’ as an extremely powerful ancient Egyptian herbal drink which is used to ease one’s grief and completely banish sorrow from his mind.
Nepenthe Wines was established keeping the same philosophy in mind. The owners wanted to craft such elegant and fruit – driven wines that took grief and sorrow away and brought immense joy to the drinker.
In the year 1994, the Tweddell family bought a premium vineyard property in the sub – region of Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills wine area. 24 hectares of the estate was planted with established grape varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and also with new and exciting varieties such as Pinot Gris and Zinfandel. Two years later in 1996, Nepenthe Wines got the approval to construct a winery on their property. This was the second winery to be constructed in the Adelaide Hills region at that time (the first one being Petaluma started in 1978), making it quite special.
Nepenthe Wines is today known for producing marvellous and elegant wines in their own unique style that have been loved and appreciated throughout the world. Popular among consumers and critics alike, wines from Nepenthe have won numerous awards and medals in various wine shows, impressing wine enthusiasts with their wonderful varietal characters and blissful Adelaide Hill nuances.
In its first few vintages, Nepenthe wines were featured in many prestigious wine ranking lists like James Halliday’s Top 100, The Advertiser Top 100, The UK Times Top 100 and The International Wine Challenge.
Nepenthe’s immense success can be judged by the fact that it sells magnificent wines locally as well as globally. Among the places, Nepenthe exports its wines are USA, UK, Malaysia, Switzerland, Japan, Croatia, Hong Kong, Canada, Sweden, Holland and Denmark. In all these markets, the press, as well as the public, have gladly received these wines with great praise.
Owing to their increasing reputation and demand, the Tweddells acquired another property in Charleston, Adelaide Hills. It was planted with a further 43 hectares of grapevines. Later on, in 2002, they purchased another 25-hectare vineyard estate in Balhannah, which is also home to the Nepenthe Wines cellar door. In the year 2005, they bought their latest vineyard property in Hahndorf, where 38 hectares of land was planted with healthy grapevines.
Apart from its own vineyards, Nepenthe winery imports grapes from a number of premium vineyards across the hills. The major portion of the fruit sourced here is managed by Nepenthe Vineyard, which is a part of the parent company, Nepenthe Group. This company was established in order to ensure the import of only high – quality and flavoursome fruit for the successful creation of their mesmerizing and award-winning wines.
