Australian Vintage Limited is on the move, venturing into premium spirits and RTDs. The company launched four new treasures at Sydney’s Harry Deane’s on Tuesday.
Craig Garvin, AVL Wines CEO, said:
“These new brands have been developed in response to global drinks trends and each offers a distinctive point of difference – from a world-first gin to a playful sustainable spirit and high-quality cocktail convenience.”
AVL has found itself with a load of grape spirit on its hands and with that comes a great opportunity. Starting with Tempus Two’s gins which were absolutely the crowd favourite on the night, Andrew Duff, Tempus Two’s Chief Winemaker, says:
“The idea for our Tempus Two Gin range came from a desire to creatively harness the unique wine spirit that was extracted during the process used to make our low alcohol Lighten Up wines. We saw an opportunity to develop the varietal properties of the alcohol that was spun off and repurpose it into a range of high- quality gins.
“Using a combination of traditional and non-traditional extraction and distillation methods, we’ve created a product that both reduces our environmental impact and harnesses delicious wine qualities in a premium gin.”
Each of the three wine based gins are special in their own way: the Prosecco Gin is delicate and floral, the Wild Botanical Gin is packed with juniper and Australian botanicals but it was the Shiraz Gin, made using shiraz grapes and Wild Botanical Gin that seemed to be the drink of choice on the night, particularly for many of the gentlemen in the room who were drinking it neat or with the slightest smidge of soda with a healthy slice of blood orange as well.
The Rescued Spirit Co is a whole new feel-good brand and it ranges a vodka and a gin. Young, zingy and fresh, the gin and vodkas are made from the rescued grape spirit made at home in Mildura and with citrus fruit from the Murray-Darling Basin that might not be pretty enough for market but tastes great when infused with AVL’s grape spirit. And its production is powered by renewable energy. There are two gins and two vodkas, each infused with orange or with lemon and lime.
Mr Stubbs cocktails – Margarita, Cosmopolitan and Espresso Cocktails – went down way too easily – in a good way. They are as easy to make – ie: shake and pour – as they are to drink, and the same can be said for the dessert sweet Salted Caramel and Tiramisu liqueurs. The perfect gift for your host when asked to bring dessert to a dinner party.
The Tempus Two Gin Range is available at the Tempus Two Cellar Door and for purchase on tempustwo.com.au. The range is also available in selected First Choice Liquor stores with a RRP of $85.00.
