Amulet has two wine labels. The 'scarecrow' label was first, produced for our 2000 vintage, with the creative artwork and graphic design of Catherine O'Neill.

The central image on the label was developed from real scarecrows which were the 'overseers' of our first vintage and became very popular with passing traffic.

The wines in this range are produced for bistro style dining and enjoyment, are priced under $20 per bottle and are excellent value for money.

In the winery we encourage fermentation by indigenous yeasts and malolactic bacteria to produce wines reflecting the terroir and character of this site. Careful handling, preferred oak treatment and extra time in barrel and bottle further qualify these wines for the reserve label.

About 12 acres of vines are planted on gentle slopes at an elevation of 350 metres on decomposed granitic soils. There is minimal herbicide and foliage spraying, and no pesticide use. Sheep play a significant role in the vineyard, for six months of the year providing free mowing and natural fertiliser services.

Supplementary irrigation of the vines is provided solely from on-site dams through a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation is sparing of water; in an average summer each vine receives about one cubic metre of irrigation water. Crop levels range from 2 to 3 tonnes per acre, depending on varieties and styles. The vineyard is entirely hand picked, picking beginning at daylight so the grapes come into the winery in the cooler morning hours.

Our new winery (big shed) houses vintage operations - crushing, pressing, fermenting; and further racking and bottling. Barrels and bottled wines are protected from heat by a fully insulated, air-conditioned barrel shed.

Intervention in the winery is kept to a minimum, as our focus at Amulet is to deliver high quality fruit from the vineyard, so that the grapes and musts reflect our site without much further 'working'. We do not bleed (saignee) juice from our reds to intensify colour, as we believe that colour comes from the vineyard and that bleeding removes the best free-run juice. Our Rosato is therefore a seriously made wine and not a 'by-product' of red winemaking.