Horse Connection

Article & photos by Danae Blythe

Somewhere between a pale yellow kangaroo-crossing sign and a Saint Bernard’s watchful eye lies the Anvers Wine & Equestrian Center. Only those native to the McLaren Vale wine region of South Australia know that it exists. Still, there are many who do not. It is, an under the radar oasis for the wine and equestrian enthusiast alike. And like all good things usually are, Anvers is on the brink of discovery.

Just outside the Adelaide hub of South Australia is the McLaren Vale Wine Region. Just like numerous other Australian regions it is known for its renowned Shiraz grape. There is little else there. Neighborhood cheese shops and restaurants dominate the strip of street that is the only way in or out of the town. Restaurant owners work as servers, and winemaker’s hand deliver their bottled sustenance straight from their Cellar Door to the restaurants’ service door. It has nostalgic feels of Sonoma, California - circa 1983, a time when pulled red wagons were offered as transportation to the town’s center by a stronger, taller friend. The environment and the people of the McLaren Vale feel like a more simplistic and idyllic period of time. It begins to hail and you quietly hear the relief from winegrowers across the region. Australia has been struggling through severe drought showing to be more prominent than ever over the past few years. Everything is dry, including the vineyards.

Several minutes driving on still what feels like the wrong side of Australia’s own Chalk Hill Road, a narrow gate - half open - is cautious in letting me in, but warmly enough engulfs me upon entry. A king of a Saint Bernard and a runt of a tuxedo kitten throw themselves at my feet, as if in blissful exhaustion after claiming the worlds’ “most unlikely pair of friends” title. And at first mention, many would think the same of horses and wine. But just like these two non-denominational friends, horses and wine are kindred spirits and kindred to many of the same people. Both horses and wine thrive in similar environments; often meticulously looked after, and evoking elemental feelings of the very essence of our existence.

I am greeted by Wayne Keoghan, whose arm is outstretched for nearly five strides before me – and is beaming to have visitors interested in not one but two of his family’s most heartfelt passions. Myriam is second to welcome me, and we sit down to formalities that will quickly dissipate over wine, ordered in gourmet pizza, and a love for horses. It is clear in my very first conversations with them that Myriam looks over the horses and Wayne the vineyards, truly a marriage bound by as much tolerance and love for one another as is required for their individual passions. It is rare to possess a love more consuming than that for horses or wine. More Myriams and Waynes of the world need to find each other.

Like many of us, Myriam and Wayne Keoghan first longed after a property marginally beyond their financial horizons. The first bid on the estate initially came from an alternate party and for one reason or another (we’ll call it fate), fell through; the Keoghan’s put in an offer in 1993. The property was a kismet fit with their long time farming and viticulture interests. Myriam always wanted cows and Wayne was drawn to the 90 year-old Shiraz grapes on the property.

Years later at the Keoghan’s son, Mathew’s birthday party, a father approached Wayne about his property. Looking around at the 90 year-old Shiraz grapes, the water supply, not to mention the available land – he asked Wayne why they wouldn’t consider the wine industry as their primary source of financial interest. While Myriam and Wayne had a hold in the beef industry, Wayne also ran an electronics distribution business and it was then that they discovered they had the marketing and distribution support to look into a fully functioning winery, not to mention killer juice. With mad cow hitting England hard, Wayne and Myriam thought the idea just made sense for the long term.

Romantically named “Anvers”, French for Antwerp after Myriam’s hometown and the place where she and Wayne first met, the estate now produces nearly 10,000 cases of wine and eleven different wine varietals. There are 16 hectares on the property composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier grapes. The property is surrounded by plush grass turnouts, open fields, and horses excited by warm winds. There are ten stalls for boarding, indoor/outdoor arenas, and a stone bathroom (boasted by the Keoghan’s “we won’t make you use a portable like all the other equestrian facilities”). It is heaven, complete with Australian Grand Prix champion Rob Goldsworthy.

Rob Goldsworthy of course enjoys the perks of working a premier wine estate but he is there for the horses. He is quiet and unassuming in the tasting room and in the arena, and when Rob does have something to say, you listen. You would only guess that he has such a renowned background in the equestrian field after you see him interact with the horses. He is a man who has seen the equestrian industry through decades.

We tour the facility; it is vast and truly feels as if you are experiencing the calm before the storm, or rather the crowd. The Keoghan‘s point to the judging box, and then over to the cellar door where they will pour to thirsty spectators and wine lovers alike. In association with the EFA (Equestrian Federation of Australia) and the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) the Anvers Wine & Equestrian Center will soon be a premier venue showcasing both wine and horses within the Australian and International show circuits.

After nearly ten years since its original creation there is still a lot of work to be done. Though after my visit it is clear that the place cards have been set, and the invitations sent. With all the required accreditations and association memberships, the Keoghan family will soon realize a professional and personal dream that will be both no doubt intimate and yet shared with thousands. But that is in a nutshell both the wine and equestrian industries- often left open to crucial critique, scores and opinion. Wine critic and icon Robert Parker kicked off this endeavor with a 90 pt score awarded to their Cabernet Sauvignon, not too shabby for the animal lover and electrician duo from South Australia.