The Hazyblur Story

It was in 1998 that Ross and Robyne Trimboli established their small boutique winery on Kangaroo Island, 70 miles off the coast of South Australia. They crush around a hundred tonnes each vintage under the watchful eye of Ross, who supervises all the winemaking processes.

Ross learned his winemaking skills at his father’s feet – literally! His father was an immigrant from Italy who made his wine using a basket press and rubber boots.

When Ross became of age, he began making his own experiments with winemaking. He and a few friends started making small batches. He also completed a winemaking course in 1996, as he became more and more serious about the industry.

The name he gave to his label was inspired by the view he saw as he was driving back from a wine tasting trip through the Coonawarra region. It was hot and his car did not have air conditioning and when he came in sight of his vineyard he saw that it was covered in a hazy or shimmer, a mirage over the vineyard – a ‘hazy blur.’

The main varietal produced at Hazyblur Wines is Shiraz. For their Hazyblur range Ross sources his grapes from top flight South Australian regions, such as the Adelaide Plains, the Barossa Valley, Baroota in the Southern Flinders Ranges and McLaren Vale. They also produce wine exclusively with their own fruit grown on Kangaroo Island.

The estate on the north coast of Kangaroo Island is called The Cassini Vineyard and was planted to vine in 2001, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Shiraz being the varietals of choice.

The site on Kangaroo Island was chosen for its excellent terroir for grape growing and for its pristine beauty. Growing wine in paradise does have its challenges. Logistics, such as transport, service industries and skilled labour are difficult to obtain. It takes Ross 10 hours by truck, via ferry,  roundtrip from the vineyard to the winery to pick up grapes, but anywhere else but Kangaroo Island would be too easy!