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Nestled on the NSW Shoalhaven Coast, Kladis
Estate Wines at Wandandian is only 10 minutes from Jervis Bay and
Sussex Inlet with the St Georges Basin just across the highway from
the vineyard.
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Whilst known for its pristine beaches, national parks and hinterland
the Shoalhaven Coast is now emerging as Australia's newest wine
region.
The Kladis family's involvement with the Shoalhaven dates back over
25 years with Jim and Niki Kladis' dream being retirement in the
Shoalhaven.
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| JIM
AND NIKI KLADIS: When you combine a dream of retiring
in the beautiful Shoalhaven region with a long family heritage
of winemaking, it is not surprising that Jim and Niki Kladis
bought a 50 acre property near Jervis Bay on the NSW South
Coast and established Kladis Wines Estate. |
The
property at Wandandian (Aboriginal for "Home of Lost Lovers")
had been used for cattle grazing in the past. It is very
picturesque, set amongst beautiful
gardens with Wandean Ridge
as the backdrop.
With Jim's mediterranean heritage and
several generations of winemaking behind him he immediately
saw the potential of
this property. Wandandian's warm days, cool evenings and afternoon
sea breezes from the basin made it perfect grape growing country. Now Jim and Niki's dream of continuing the family's winemaking
heritage in retirement was becoming a reality. They immediately
planted 13 acres of vines followed by a further planting of 15
acres the following year making Kladis Estate on of the largest
wineries in the Shoalhaven region. |
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Whilst the vines produced fruit two years after
planting, Jim knew that quality fruit is not produced until the 5th
or 6th year. Therefore, for the first five years the fruit was not
allowed to mature thus allowing the vines to concentrate their energies
on growth and the development of a deep root system. Kladis Estate
Wines are made from grapes grown in the estate's vineyards. The varieties
currently being grown are Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Muscadelle,
Shiraz, Chardonnay and Verdelho. Jim and Niki believe that superior
viticulture practices such as site location, drip irrigation, inter-row
planting of fine grasses, canopy management and crop thinning when
coupled with a high profile wine maker is the ingredient to producing
wines of intense varietal flavour.
In 2004, Steve Dodd was engaged as winemaker for Kladis Estate
Wines.
Whilst it is great being a regional winery, Jim and Niki realised
that there are varieties which grow far better in other regions.
In view of this in 2004 Jim and Niki under consultation with Steve
decided to expand Kladis Estate even further to include vineyards
in the Hunter Valley and Adelaide Hills. In doing so it enabled
them to provide their clients with wines from regions best known
for producing exceptional quality grapes of each individual variety.
With Steve at the at the helm, Kladis Estate is rapidly establishing
a reputation for the production of premium quality wines. Recently
(September 2007), the winery was not only rated as a five star
winery by James Halliday, but also won International Gold and Silver
Medals in the AWC –Vienna (the second largest wine competition
in the world).
The atmosphere at Kladis Estate Wines is very
warm and personal, with Jim and Niki providing a friendly welcome
to all visitors.
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