Veteran Adelaide photographer Milton Wordley, who has a long association with wine and vineyards, has published an extraordinary book, “A Year In The Life Of Grange”.
The book measures 38 by 31 cm and weighs 2.6 kg, putting it firmly in the coffee-table, if not the board-room table, class. With concise and elegantly chosen words by Philip White, the book charts a year in Grange’s life from vineyard and grapegrower to winery and winemaker, and ultimately to the collectors who buy it and bring their bottles to recorking workshops and the critics who assess its virtues.
There are some wonderful pictures, many of which take up double-page spreads. The history of Grange and its creators Max Schubert and Ray Beckwith is covered in detail. Produced without the involvement of Penfolds, but with its approval, it’s aimed fair and square at collectors.
It is hand-made and beautifully designed and produced in every way. There are three editions. The Limited Edition has a canvas cover, dust jacket andslip-case, runs to 1,000 numbered copies and is priced at $785.
The Winemaker’s Edition is Gaia fabric-covered with a kangaroo-hide spine, slip-case and comes with an archival paper print of the four winemakers; it runs to 250 numbered copies and is priced at $1,000.
And the Collector’s Edition is leather-bound with a kangaroo-hide spine, comes with a folio of seven original museum-grade photos in a leather case, and the whole thing is packed in an American oak-sided box; 100 numbered copies; cost $4,000.
All editions include a DVD with interviews of key wine identities including Schubert and Beckwith.
Huon Hooke
This article is from Huon Hooke’s ‘Hooked on Wine’ website, the original article can be viewed here: http://huonhooke.tumblr.com/tagged/A-Year-In-The-Life-Of-Grange
