The Cat That Always Had An Empty Glass

Cats and alcohol are generally not a good mix as the Osborn family of D'Arenberg wine fame found out with their wine loving cat called Booze. Now you might think they were asking for trouble by naming their cat that but he was originally called Non Alcoholic Booze until they realised he had a penchant for their excellent wine! The Osborn family have been tending to the vineyards in the McLaren Vale in Australia since 1912.  Four generations on they are still going strong  with Chester making distinctive wine using traditional methods both in the vineyards and the winery itself. His day consists of walking the grape rows and tasting the grapes as it's his decision when the grapes are picked . Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to open fermenters with foot treading occurring two thirds of the way through the process. The liquid is then transferred to a mix of old French and American oak barrels to complete fermentation and mature for anywhere up to 24 months. So where does Booze come into this? When Chester was knee high to a grasshopper Booze was the family pet. It came to light that Booze was very partial to red wine which obviously concerned the family greatly. Poor old Booze was kept away from the vino and led a frustrated life with his glass permanently empty! Chester decided to create a wine in dedication to his beloved cat and called it 'The Cenosilicaphobic Cat'. Cenosilicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass.....