d’Arenberg planted Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne in the mid 1990’s, and the first crop of Roussanne from the 2000 vintage was covered in a sea of tiny “Money Spiders” (Erigoninae).

Popular belief is that kindness to these little creatures will bring good luck, hopefully in the form of money. Being a nature-lover and slightly superstitious, Chester refrained from sending the spiders to their death. Hence the first release of Roussanne was from the 2001 vintage, by which time the Money Spiders had learned their lesson and moved from the vineyard to the surrounding bushland.

Roussanne is a favourite variety among many winemakers for it’s rich, textual mouthfeel.

The nose displays aromas reminiscent of a vibrant Asian salad, think fresh mango, papaya and ginger. It delivers a generous mouthfeel oozing with luscious mango, honey dew melon and jasmine leaf, finishing long with tang and spice.

Don’t drink this wine too cold or you’ll lose some of the texture, halfway between room temperature and fridge temperature is perfect! Serve with lobster or pork belly and Asian greens.