History

1999

De Salis was established in 1999 as a ‘garage-ister’ winery located on Sydney’s Northern Beaches by research scientist Charlie Svenson. Known as ‘The Francateers’, Charlie, Martin Ostrowski and Andrew Collins produced award-wining wine from premium Cabernet Franc sourced from famed artisan wine maker Murray Smith of Canobolas-Smith.

2000

Cowra Wine Show – First Wine Medal for De Salis

2001

Charlie volunteered to work vintage and make wine with Murray Smith, at Canobolas Smith Wines, Alexandria Vineyard. Meeting Will Rikard Bell and watching the famous 2001 Shine Chardonnay be made.

2005

Pilgrimage to Burgundy.

2007

Pilgrimage to Champagne, Epernay & Burgundy.

2009

Established our own winery and made our First Vintage from Lofty Vineyard.

Lofty Vineyard was Purchased.

Lofty Vineyard was first planted in 1993 to Chardonnay and Merlot by renowned Orange horticulturalist, David Gartrell. Subsequent plantings have increased the vineyard area to 9Ha.

2009

Vineyard work: grafting Merlot to PN 777 and more 114 & 115, as well as Pinot Meunier.

2010

Cellar Door Opens at Lofty Vineyard.

2010

Made our first bubbles: 2010 Lofty Cuvee.

2011

Snow, lost 65% of the vintage (great for bubbles and Chardonnay).

2012

Mitch’s first Vintage as cellar hand.

2013

Converted more merlot to: PN; 667, Abel).

2013

Bubbles: made first vintage Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Rose (de Saignee).

2015

Purchased Forest Edge Vineyard.

Bubbles: started a set of Solera tanks and barrels.

Commissioned the bottling line.

2016

Mitch starts as fulltime Assistant Winemaker.

Purchased, riddling machine and disgorging machine.

2017

Ben Starts.

2018

New Winery Construction Commences.

2018

Gourmet Traveller Wine Awards De Salis Wines – Top 50 Wine Experiences in the World.

2019

Decanter Magazine UK – Rated 2014 Blanc de Blancs 96 Points

2022

New Plantings Chardonnay & Riesling vines.

Bernard 95 & 76, 1066 & 548 clones of Chardonnay.
Then first Riesling plantings of three clones GM198, GM110 & GM239.

All 6500 Chardonnay and Riesling vines were close planted at 1 metre spacings at Forest Edge Vineyard, 1 km west of Lofty Vineyard at the same altitude.