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PHILOSOPHY -

"Tar & Roses is my opportunity to be the master of my own destiny and express these grape varieties in a way that most appeals to me. These wines are different and I have always been attracted to things that are out of the norm. My goal is for Tar & Roses to become the benchmark Australian versions of these beautiful Spanish and Italian varietals." (winemaker Narelle King)

"Tar & Roses has enabled me to learn in a very hands on way about a few more unusual varieties. As winemaker at Mitchelton we always had the challenge of getting the best out of different varieties. Mitchelton vineyard had 35 different varieties when first planted in the early 70's, and we had a go at making most into individual wines to find out what would do best in this soil in this part of Victoria. This intrigue about what to do to get the best possible varietal expression has stayed with me and the challenge of creating a brand which has such exciting potential is irresistible." (winemaker Don Lewis)

"Open up and say Tar" - TAR & ROSES

"They don't own any vineyards, they don't even have a winery and they certainly don't have a cellar door, but the duo behind the new Tar & Roses label are producing alternative varieties of note. Namely: nebbiolo, tempranillo, sangiovese, pinot grigio - which is perhaps not so alternative these days - a shiraz (ok, that's definitely mainstream) and a blend of mainly garnacha and carinena known as Miro, which was made in Spain. It's the ultimate in virtual winemaking. Many wine lovers will know the name Don Lewis; he spent 35 years as a winemaker at Mitchelton and it was there he met Narelle King, the former accountant who swapped number crunching for grape crushing. In 2001 she started as a trainee winemaker under Lewis' tutelage and now they're business partners. It seems 2004 was a turning point - by then they had left Mitchelton and Lewis had nabbed a job in the Priorat region of Spain. That's exactly where King wanted to be. Now, and three times a year, they head to the small town of Porrera - an inspirational place, they say - where they make wine for Merum Priorati. In 2004 there were enough grapes for Lewis and King to make their own wine, which morphed into Miro. They love the tannins, structure and distinctiveness of Spanish grapes, something that can't be replicated here. "I just got hooked on all the dierent varieties, " says King, "the carinena, grenache and the bush vines that are 100 years old". Lewis adds that it's the challenge of working with these grape varieties (at home) that's exciting". It was when they returned home after the '05 vintage in Porrera that Lewis and King had a vision of what the Tar & Roses range was going to compromise. The wines have since been made at Mitchelton and Balgownie Estate wineries. While somewhat reliant on an excellent vineyard in Heathcote where they source many of the red varieties, the pinot grigio comes from Strathbogie and they're always on the lookout for special parcels of fruit. And inspiration. Tar & Roses compliments another label they started while still working at Mitchelton, called Trust. It's a shiraz with fruit from Central Victoria, mainly the Nagambie region. There is nothing Spanish about it at all except there's a connection - the label depicts an ancient sundial that Lewis and King discovered while working at the (real) winery in Porrera."

Jane Faulkner, The Age Newspaper, January 19, 2008