919 Wines
Riverland , South Australia
Brands
919, Ella Semmler's Orchard
Winery Overview
919 Wines was established in 2002 when Eric and Jenny Semmler planted a vineyard in the Riverland in Glossop, South Australia. A winery was built at the vineyard in 2004. The site lies on Erawirung Country of the first people. The wine brand is named after the Crown Title associated with the unique site.
In 2011 a second vineyard was purchased on the other side of the Murray River in Loxton which lies on Ngawait Country), bringing the total vineyard area to 15 ha. Both vineyards are certified organic, as is the winery processing facility, and have the Riverland Geographic Indication (GI).
Both vineyards have revegetation projects which re-introduce indigenous local grasses trees and shrubs into the landscape and provide habitat for a diverse range of mammals, reptiles and insects.
Both vineyards produce high quality certified organic fruit, with a focus on varieties that perform well in a warm climate. The Glossop vineyard produces rich and intense wines for the 919 label, and the Loxton vineyard produces full, fresh and fruit-flavoured wine for the Ella Semmler’s Orchard brand. The fruit is vinified in the winery at Glossop using small batch heritage techniques and minimal intervention. The winery has the capacity to produce 390hL/year, about 4000 dozen.
Wines are bottled on the estate. They are filtered for safety and sealed with a screwcap. The winery has recently started bottling wine in carbon-reduced bottles. This is a good compromise between the requirement for extended shelf life and moving towards carbon-reduced production.
Wine varieties include Shiraz, Chardonnay, Durif, Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo and Gros Manseng which are made into a range of single variety and blended wines. The fortified wine range is renowned, and has won numerous awards.
The company has an ongoing commitment to low-input, sustainable and ethical production of grapes and wine. It holds organic certification for the two vineyards and the winery with Southern Cross Certified Organic. It is a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, and adheres to the principals of amfori BSCI.
Winemaker Bio
Eric Semmler established 919 Wines together with his wife in 2002, and is a Director of the Company and Chief Winemaker. Originally qualified as a horticulturalist and then as a winemaker, he oversees the vineyard and winemaking operations for the two vineyards and the winery.
Eric started his wine career with Brown Brothers of Milawa, and then All Saints of Rutherglen and Auldstone of Glenrowen, before accepting a position at BRL Hardy as Senior Fortified Winemaker. He remained at BRL Hardy/Constellation/Accolade winning them numerous awards for their fortified wines.
He took his extensive knowledge and skills to 919 Wines, winning a number of trophies and awards for the wines and the wine business. He was awarded Riverland Winemaker of the Year in 2008, and Winestate Australian Winemaker of the Year in 2013. His most recent awards include Riverland Wine Show Best Fortified Wine, Winestate Organic Wine of the Year and Winestate Fortified Wine of the Year.
Eric has been actively involved in the local community, chairing the Riverland Wine Show, Riverland Sports Aviation and the Riverland Small Winemakers Showcase. In his spare time he is building a vintage ultra-light aircraft and enjoying being a new grand-dad.