The Stories Behind the Labels
The Sinclair Tiger
Over the years there had been rumours of thylacine sightings in and around the area between Glenoran and Nannup. It was fairly easy to imagine that in the densest parts of the forest some might still exist...even with the absence of road kill! The legendary thylacine was chosen for the logo as a symbol of the need to preserve our land and it's creatures. These days we say that small winemakers are the endangered species!
On the early bottle labels the tiger logo was origionally depicted in a more life-like pose. The design was fairly old worldy and was vaguely reminiscent of a whiskey bottle. The brand name at that time was Sinclair of Glenoran.
A more simple, modern but classic design was called for so Darelle Sinclair contacted Leon Pericles to see if he would design the labels. Leon was very busy and about to go to the US so he suggested that his son Damien might be able to help. Damien and Darelle poured over the computer late into the night and came up with the mock cave drawing design for the Sinclair logo. Kim D'Alton and later Michael Rene worked on the layout arriving at the bottle labels that we use today.
Sinclair Unwooded Chardonnay Nikstar
Nikstar is the nickname of Nikki Sinclair who is the daughter of Darelle Sinclair, manager and co-owner of Sinclair Wines. Nikki worked part-time for Sinclair while at university and still occasionally contributes marketing ideas.
Nikstar has a very good wine palate and has been a panel member at West Australian wine and food festivals. She is often asked to taste and evaluate Sinclair wines both before and after bottling.
Sinclair Sauvignon Blanc Swallow Hill
Swallow Hill is the south facing slope of the Sinclair vineyard. Sometimes when the weather is about to change, especially before a summer storm, crowds of noisy swallows appear out of nowhere swooping and diving across the southern slope that we now call Swallow Hill. The south slope is very steep and is often buffeted by strong winds. The grapevines work hard here and the resulting small grapes ripen earlier than the grapes on the north facing slope. This goes against the established rule that in the Southern Hemisphere grapes grow best on north facing slopes. Because the grapes from Swallow Hill are small, thick skinned and ripen a little earlier than the grapes on the other slope they add complexity and tropical fruit flavours to the Sinclair Sauvignon Blanc.
Sinclair Rose of Glenoran
The Rose of Glenoran is made from Bordeaux grape varieties grown on the Sinclair vineyard in the Glenoran locality 17km west of the town of Manjimup. Hence the name, Rose of Glenoran. The wine is usually predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with a more intense colour and flavour than most roses. The fermenting juice is often left on it's skins for up to two days until the deep rose colour is evident. This soaking on skins also extracts flavour and a small amount of tannin. This gives the rose more body making it an ideal accompaniment to a wide range of foods, especially those with a spicy edge. Some food matches for the Rose of Glenoran are chilli mussels, tuna sushi with soy and wasabi, carpaccio of venison, Indian curries, Asian fusion styled dishes, turkey with cranberry sauce and cold seafood buffet. It goes without saying that the Rose of Glenoran is a hit with chocolate cake and raspberries.
Sinclair Chardonnay Lady Claire
Sinclair Cabernet Shiraz Jeremy
Sinclair Cabernet Merlot Jezebel
Sinclair Cabernet Sauvignon Giovanni
Sinclair Shiraz Ricardo