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Home » Wineries » Stella Bella

Stella Bella

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Stella Bella Wines

Some of the great names in Australian wine have come from Margaret River.

Wineries like Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Cullen and Voyager have created wines which are now revered in the same way as Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace.

A whirl of excitement presently surrounds Stella Bella Wines, which is being tipped by wine critics as the next big thing out of the west.

Stella Bella has been making wine for just 10 years, under three labels – the easy drinking fun of Skuttlebutt, the middle tier range Stella Bella and the premium (and curiously named) Suckfizzle.   

The beginnings of Stella Bella can be traced back to the release of 200 cases of the single vineyard Suckfizzle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon in 1999 by winemakers Janice McDonald and Stuart Pym. This White Bordeaux styled wine has gone on to become one of the pinnacle wines of the Suckfizzle range.

In 2001 the first Stella Bella wines, a Moscato style Pink Muscat and a Sangiovese Cabernet were released. An interest in Italian wine influenced both the choice of name and wine styles.

The Skuttlebutt range, which includes a extremely dangerous sparkling Savvy, was released in 2003.

Stella Bella sources its fruit from the central and southern parts of Margaret River, with more than 80 hectares of vineyards under its control.

“Our future success is inextricably linked  to the Margaret River region and the crafting of the best wines possible from this precious and scarce vineyard resource,’’ the winemaking team, now led by Pym, says.

“The brand names are undeniably and purposely curious and expressive of our sense of irreverence, fun, adventure and creativity.’’

The values that underpin Stella Bella are a belief in being “embracing and adventurous’’, a dedication to Margaret River and a desire to be always produce wines of creativity and excellence.

Stella Bella has experienced rapid growth and broad critical acclaim, with its reputation further enhanced in mid-2010 with the release of two influential wine books.

The Big Red Wine book, written by Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh, named the Stella Bella Cabernet Merlot 2007 as Australia’s “best red blend” and bestowed the honour of “winemaker of the year” on Stella Bella’s Janice McDonald.

James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2011 handed out the highest red five star rating to Stella Bella and scored three wines at 96 points – the Suckfizzle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007, the Stella Bella Chardonnay 2008 and the Stella Bella Cabernet Merlot 2007.

“It’s hard to imagine the wines getting better,’’ Halliday wrote. – John Lehmann



 

Wines from Stella Bella