We seek to understand, nurture, care for and ultimately express this beautiful land in its wines, its values and its experiences for visitors. ‘ALKINA’ is an Indigenous Australian girl’s name meaning ‘Moon’ or ‘Moonlight’. This name embodies our respect for the land and the many forces of nature that we work with to bring life, energy and authenticity to our wines. Ancient stones and soils, organic and biodynamic viticulture, small scale winemaking and the creation of unique micro-terroir wines, grown and made on our estate in the Western Barossa ranges of the Barossa Valley.
The farm at Alkina was established in 2015 when Argentinian vintner, Alejandro Bulgheroni purchased a property near Greenock in the Barossa Valley. The property consisted of a vineyard planted in the 1950s and old stone buildings built in the 1850s. Together with local winegrower, Amelia Nolan, they both loved the rolling hills and the promise of the geology that lay beneath, as well as the area of old Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro and Semillon vines that we now call the Old Quarter.
The old stone buildings recalled the area’s period of German settler history and the establishment of a farm on this country by the Schulz family in the 1840s. Working with local tradesmen and artisans, we have lovingly brought these buildings back to life, using stone dug up on the property to ensure the authenticity of the restoration.
We have 43 hectares of organically farmed vines with younger plantings accompanying the old, still focusing on the heritage varieties that have found their natural home in the region. We grow and make all Alkina wines on the farm, hand picking the fruit and moving them to our small winery, which is also housed in an original 1850s building. In addition, the Homestead (1900), the Cottage and Tasting Room (both 1850) make up our ‘village’ situated right in the heart of the vineyard.
‘Kin by Alkina’ celebrates our community of makers, thinkers and artists. Over time we have understood which blocks and parcels can yield the perfect fruit for the approachable, varietal wines in this set. It has also given us the opportunity to expand our winemaking knowledge, particularly with whole bunch levels and extended skin contact. For these labels, we collaborated with artist and graphic designer, Damian Hamilton.
The trio of Wild Earth, Night Sky and Birdsong show a step up in our fruit selection, diving into Polygon territory, older vines and the wonderful art of blending. Large canvases for these labels were created by Adnyamathanha artist Damien Coulthard, in which adorn the walls of Alkina.
