General News
21 June, 2023
Strawberry wine hits the shelves
AFTER much anticipation, Shaylee Strawberries has officially released their Berry Lane Winery strawberry wine, made from 100 percent locally grown strawberries.
AFTER much anticipation, Shaylee Strawberries has officially released their Berry Lane Winery strawberry wine, made from 100 percent locally grown strawberries.
The brainchild of Joe Barletta and his family business, the idea of strawberry wine arose when Shaylee Strawberries decided to keep their doors open throughout the year. Previously, the popular destination was only open during strawberry season, from June to October, but Mr Barletta was determined to savour the sweet taste of strawberries all year long.
“Strawberries are a romantic and fun product, and we wanted to capture that essence in a wine. It's essentially the bottled version of a strawberry,” he said.
“It's all part of our business's evolution. The previous owners did a fantastic job of creating an iconic business on the Tablelands, but we want to take it to the next level and become less seasonal and more year-round.
“That's why we also have jam, ice cream, a new café, and now the wine — we're preserving the strawberry in many different ways.”
According to Mr Barletta, having another winery to add to the region's ever-increasing “alcho-tourism” trail will attract more visitors to the area.
He hopes that his unique wine will help establish the Tablelands with a reputation similar to Victoria and New South Wale's winery destinations.
“Down south near major cities like Sydney and Melbourne, you have places like Mornington Peninsula and Hunter Valley, which create a whole new type of tourism. It adds a similar element here,” he said.
“The Atherton Tablelands is probably one of the most beautiful places in Australia, and this addition provides even more for travellers passing through to experience.
“I believe our strawberry wine is quite unique compared to others, and I would say we are one of the few farms in Australia that exclusively use strawberries to make the purest form of strawberry wine.
“We don't add strawberries to a wine base, as is traditional — our wine is purely strawberries.”
All wine is produced on-site in a winery shed adjacent to the café, managed by a team of locals trained by “wine expert” Ross Whitford.
The wine is crafted from extra ripe strawberries picked fresh from the farm, which are then frozen to initiate the process.
After freezing, the berries are crushed into juice, and fermentation begins. Once solids are removed, the juice is stored for 8-10 weeks and then is bottled and sold.
Berry Lane Winery strawberry wine is available for purchase at Shaylee Strawberries, located on Marks Lane, Atherton.
