Alkina, Barossa: where history, wine and luxury meet

Cultures collide in fascinating ways at this winery — revamped by an Argentinian billionaire — in the Barossa.

Oasis: Alkina

In the sleepy Barossa Valley village of Greenock, the 19th century feels close to hand – in the historic high street shaded by gnarled peppercorn trees, in the dusty old flour mill and little settlers’ cottages. Yet the 21st century is making inroads: a micro-brewery has slotted into the old wheat store; a spiffy restaurant with a distinct South American flavour looks shipped direct from California. And on the outskirts of town, a small winery is literally breaking new ground.

In the grounds at Alkina

At first glance the 60ha Alkina estate is pure Barossa, a beguiling collection of 1850s settlers’ buildings set among vines above the lazy Greenock Creek. We’re booked to stay in Alkina’s farmhouse, and the welcome is warm: log fire lit, a loaf of crusty bread on the kitchen bench, flowers decorating the long dining table. The feel is rather French, as is the mood in the nearby and very elegant tasting room, which in turns opens onto a courtyard with large hearth, custom-built to host asados (charcoal barbecues).

That’s the first real clue to Alkina’s provenance. The winery is owned by Argentine billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni, who also has vineyards in Bordeaux, Napa and Tuscany (HQ is an impressive complex in Uruguay where celebrity chef Francis Mallmann is culinary director). The second clue lies inside the snug winery building, where in lieu of stainless-steel tanks and oak barrels, Italian concrete “tulips” and French “eggs” sit alongside clay amphorae and Georgian qvevris (earthenware vessels). Under renowned winemaker Alberto Antonini, Alkina is doing things the old-fashioned way, hand-picking grapes, farming organically (and biodynamically), placing terroir at the heart of everything.

It’s never too early

Alkina’s managing director Amelia Nolan, who has worked with Bulgheroni for a decade, was tasked with finding an Australian “project” when she returned home from London. On a 2013 visit Bulgheroni had fallen in love with the Barossa; a year later Nolan stumbled across a collection of rundown buildings and 12ha of old vines. It seemed the perfect place to start.

Since then, they’ve planted another 30ha of vines and restored the property to an exceptional standard. Accommodation is available in the spacious farmhouse (with two ensuite bedrooms) and original settler’s cottage; the old stone woolshed and barn have been converted to house the cellar door and winery. The overall effect is of a small European estate, linked by gardens and neatly raked gravel where handsome urns house citrus, and wild olive trees, relocated from the western Barossa, flank the drive. Guests are welcome to help themselves from the pretty terraced vegetable garden.

While restorers were at work, Nolan was busy buying up French and Barossa antiques and has put them together with great elan. On the farmhouse veranda, weatherbeaten settlers’ benches sit beside copper drums of firewood; indoors, the TV is hidden in a rustic cupboard painted a fetching French grey, original art and auction house finds adorn the walls, and vintage rugs are strewn across timber floors. Slick bathrooms and a dream chef’s kitchen, stocked with generous breakfast provisions, complete the picture.

With the cellar door just steps away (and grazing platters to hand) there’s little need to venture out. People arrive with all sorts of dinner plans, Nolan says, but after a day of sightseeing most just want to relax on the lawn with a glass of grenache.

A room at Alkina

The accommodation may be immaculate, but Bulgheroni’s real investment is in the soil. Alkina has commissioned tree planting programs and insect studies and called on Chilean terroir specialist Pedro Parra to dig more than 100 soil pits among the old vines to identify micro-terroirs (the most in-depth study of its kind in Australia). Based on Parra’s work, Alkina’s old grenache, shiraz and mataro vines have been divided into irregular little plots called polygons.

During a tutored tasting with head of sales Dan Coward, we try blends and single polygon wines in a fascinating voyage across the old soils of the Barossa. Parra had never encountered such ancient dirt and was particularly excited to discover “a vomit of limestone in a sea of schist”. (“His words, not mine,” quips Coward.) Having dug 40,000 such pits around the world, it was the first time Parra had seen this phenomenon.

The resulting Polygon 3 Grenache is the ultimate expression of terroir – and with the weekend asados, a South American eatery in town and those old peppercorn trees native to Peru, it’s safe to say Greenock is emerging as the Barossa’s new Latin quarter.

• Perfect for: Wine lovers.

• Must do: The four-hour Rock Hammer experience ($250pp) includes French bubbles, a structured tasting of Alkina’s rare Polygon Project wines, lunch, 4WD vineyard tour and sampling straight from the “egg”.

• Dining: The high street of Greenock is a 15-minute stroll from Alkina; have lunch in the quaint corner pub (try the brisket and stout pie), and breakfast or lunch at the very cool El Estanco, for South American fare and great pastries.

• Getting there: Alkina is at 41 Victor Rd, Greenock, one hour’s drive from Adelaide.

• Bottom line: Cottage (sleeps two) from $450 per night; homestead (sleeps four) from $650 per couple.

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