SNOOK-ERED BY SHIRAZ OF NOVEL NAME
By Nigel Austin The Advertiser, 2001.
If Glenn Snook had his time over again he would be a winemaker instead of an electrician. After becoming an amateur winemaker in the late 1970’s, Mr Snook has carefully honed his skills and reach the pinnacle of his chosen hobby. His Tenfolds Strange replica of the famous Pinfolds Grange won the champion wine award at the Amateur Australian Wine and Beer last month.
The Tenfolds Strange 1997 shiraz was up against 683 of the best amateur Wines from around Australia. Mr Snook entered 8 wines in the show and also won for the best aged red wine, as well as for two gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Each year since 1990 Mr Snook, Gib Trobiani, Simon Robertson, Bob Battersby and Andrew Ottens have picked one tonne of grapes from a colleges 50-60 year old vines at Blewitt Springs.
The wine is basket pressed before maturation in American oak barrels with 600 litres made into 660 bottles of wine . Mr Snook estimates it probably costs $5-$6 per bottle to make the wine which would be worth at least $20 a bottle. Mr Snook has been dabbling in winemaking since 1977 when he joined the Amateur Winemakers and Brewers Club of Adelaide. He has also become a member of the Blackwood Winemakers and Brewers Club where he is president and was winemaker of the year last year. “I wish I had gone to winemaking 20 years ago but how do you know in life it twists and turns so much”, he said.
“I got involved in amateur winemaking because I became very interested in red wine and I started making small amounts in one gallon and then five gallon lots.” His fascination with the wine industry has grown so much he also entered the commercial wine industry. Mr Snook and 11 friends have started the 12 Staves Wine Company to produce commercial wines with a grenache and shiraz made this year and another vintage planned. They have won the best red wine award at the Singapore International Wine Show and are enjoying export success with 30% shipped to the United States.
Most successful winemaker of the amateur show was Mr Bruce Chadfield from Brisbane who sent 86 entries. The best 2001 Shiraz went to Tony DLoreto of Adelaide best wine trophy to Graham Ashman, of Clarendon while the Nurioopta High School won the trophy for Best Wine made by a school.
