Every single year Chris Walls Shiraz has gone into the House of Bricks Shiraz. In fact, the original House of Bricks Shiraz was based on Chris’s fruit. As the blend has grown over the years and new vineyards have been trialled, Chris’s little vineyard has had a smaller and smaller (but still vital) impact on the blend.

In 2008 we got a record crop off Chris, probably both in terms of quality and quantity which is a rare double act.

So, we had 2 tanks of his Shiraz.

My assistant from the 2007 vintage, Lyndon Stenning (now the Sommelier at Manta on the Woolloomooloo Wharf) was up showing his staff the winery and told a beautiful young Kiwi girl that it was possible to walk across a tank while it is fermenting as the skins are pushed up so hard by the ferment.

In a bigger winery with bigger tanks this may be true…………

Louise decided to test Lyndons word, but was smart enough to realise if he was lying that her clothes would be ruined by the red wine.

So, she took them off.

The first step she took broke the cap and soundly dunked her in the tank, she came out maroon.

Then we had to wash her off……

After Mick and I had recovered from the shock (Gaz was on a ventilator for 2 hours) we had a chat and decided to turn that particular tank into a wine in her honour.

Instead of the usual big American oak, we used 2 year old French and increased the Viognier addition to really make the wine soft, supple, rounded and appealing (like Louise).

A lovely wine which will benefit from a few years in the bottle and an excellent food wine.