The woman behind the famed Henschke wines

Prue Henschke is the chief viticulturist behind award-winning Henschke wine and her own piece of paradise is not far from her famed single-vineyard block, Hill of Grace.

At home with Prue Henschke. Picture: Nick Clayton.

Name Prue Henschke. Where I live with my husband Stephen and devoted miniature dachshund, Fritz Willie, in a lovely old stone cottage next to our winery’s cellar at Keyneton, in the beautiful rolling hills and red gum country of the Eden Valley wine region.

Favourite thing My favourite book is the tome ‘Wine Grapes’ by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz, which is a complete descriptive guide and list of 1368 grapevine varieties and their origins. It is fascinating to explore.

Home inspiration The comfort and liveability of an old stone cottage in summer is the best low energy housing. Home means A great kitchen, and lots of books and music, which provides a lot of fun when the kids turn up with the grandchildren for an impromptu meal.

Prue and Stephen Henschke at their home in the Eden Valley. Pictures: Nick Clayton.

Prue and Fritz Willie. Pictures: Nick Clayton.

Worth a whopping $900 for the current 2017 vintage of Henschke’s revered Hill of Grace, shiraz wine-lovers know they are in for something special. And while you can thank chief winemaker Stephen Henschke for the luscious drop, behind it all is his wife, chief viticulturist Prue Henschke, who meticulously tends the Eden Valley vineyard and is an innovator in sustainable and biodynamic processes.

“In the late 1970s I became viticulturist at Henschke, looking after 105ha of vineyards in Eden Valley and the Adelaide Hills. Over time I have been taking care of an additional 120ha of native bushland under conservation,” she says.

Prue regards developing the mulching process for our dry-grown vineyards, including Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone, and bringing biodynamic practices into our soil management, among her career highlights.

Henschke’s Hill of Grace vineyard. Picture supplied.

Their home, which is adjacent their famous single-vineyard block, was originally a Germanic four-roomed cottage with a separate kitchen known as a Schwarze Küche (translates to black kitchen), and has since been extended into a large family home with underfloor heating to make winter just as comfortable as summer.

Their home in Eden Valley. Pictures: Nick Clayton.

When she’s not in the vineyards, Prue loves pottering in her productive vegie garden with her constant companion, miniature dachshund, Fritz Willie.
“It’s very peaceful and rich in foliage, shapes and colour, especially in spring. There is a long list of endangered birds that fly around the garden and are unique to the Mt Lofty Ranges, so it is a good feeling to see them frequenting our patch.”

And the best time to drink a Henschke wine? “At the end of the day, just before dinner, when everyone’s gathering around the kitchen bench and cooking. Especially dinners with friends or for a birthday, or any occasion.”
henschke.com.au

Pruning snips.

PRUE’S FAVOURITE THINGS
MY PRUNING SNIPS

I use these Felco snips from winter to autumn in the vineyard, and anytime in the garden.

Blundestones.

BLUNDSTONE BOOTS
I wear them every day. They are so comfortable and hardy, made of leather and made in Tasmania.

Under the microscope.

BINOCULAR MICROSCOPE

It’s another world at 40x magnification. Equally useful for pest and disease monitoring to water bug identification, to taking out splinters!

Exquisite necklace.

GRAPE NECKLACE
This was designed by a jeweller friend and is such a beautiful piece, set with black pearls and diamonds that glitter brilliantly.

So cute Fritz Willie.

FRITZ WILLIE
Fritz is a five-year-old miniature dachshund who is my great companion, my little shadow, and is the sixth miniature dachshund we have owned! He is the first male and is very affectionate, especially with our grandchildren.
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A good read.

THE BOOK ‘IT’S BLUE WITH FIVE PETALS’ BY ANN PRESCOTT
It is a great reference book for checking which native plants are flowering in the bush around the vineyards or when bushwalking. A simple key of flower colour, number of petals and plant type makes honing in on a name much easier.

Prue’s secret recipe for compost.

TERRACOTTA COMPOST POTS WITH COW PIT PEAT
This is part of my biodynamics process. It always amazes me how such strong-smelling cow manure will transform into beautiful rich earthy compost, just by ageing in the ground in a half barrel, which I then store in terracotta pots. It is used as a soil preparation which we spray through all the vineyards at Moon opposite Saturn, a time when there is high humidity or it is raining, over the four months of September through December.

A classic bookshelf.

OLD BAROSSA STYLE BOOKSHELF FULL OF COOKBOOKS
It is very multilingual and diverse – some cookbooks are in German, others in French, and from many countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas. One is a copy of an 1860s cookbook brought out to Australia immigrants from East Germany, with all the old traditional names for the ingredients and recipes using nut flours – chestnut flour, for example.

Prue’s golf clubs.

MY FIRST SET OF GOLF CLUBS
The old hickory shafts were cut down for me when I started to play golf at the age of 12. The shots had to be hit very cleanly otherwise the stinging sensation of a mis-hit ball on your hands was not a pleasant one. Modern golf clubs are much more forgiving.

Originally published as The woman behind the famed Henschke wines