SA’s Angove Family Winemakers makes sanitisers for Renmark medical centre, hospital
SA-based Angove Family Winemakers has dug deep to boost the spirits of its local community in Renmark, making and delivering sanitisers for the medical staff at the local centre and hospital and in Adelaide for free.
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Angove Family Winemakers has produced and donated 1000 litres of sanitiser using its low supply of spirit to support medical staff at the Renmark hospital and medical centre to do its bit for the community.
Managing director Richard Angove said some of the free hand sanitisers had also made its way to a small number of health professionals in Adelaide.
“Because we are only at the start of our distillation season we only have a small amount of high alcohol in stock, the other issue is sourcing the other ingredients necessary to make the sanitiser, which are in low supply.
“If we do get more supply and there is a need, we’ll definitely make some more.
“For us, it was about wanting to help out as much as we can.
“We see it as a community service rather than a business opportunity,” he said.
The community boost comes as the business – now Australia’s biggest certified organic vineyard owner and winemaker – finishes its annual crushing.
“We are lucky the wine retail channel is still open although our cellar doors at McLaren Vale and Renmark are now closed.”
The COVID-19 restrictions related to a partial national shutdown have hit hard with some redundancies across its 150-strong workforce.
“It is tough times and we have to implement a number of changes as we move forward,” he said.
The Angove family has a long history of winemaking in SA, being established in 1886.
Its annual production is about 15,000 tonnes, made into about a million cases a year — 70 per cent sold domestically and the remainder for exports.
About 60 per cent of annual tonnage is sourced from third-party vineyards – eight in the Riverland, 20 in McLaren Vale.
The group owns 15 hectares of vineyard in McLaren Vale and a 280-hectare Paringa property in the Riverland. The wine is made at their Renmark winery, built in 1911.