Chateau Tanunda

Chateau Tanunda was built in the late 1880’s, and has plantings dating back to the 1840’s. As Europe was ravaged by phylloxera which destroyed vineyards, an opportunity arose for very profitable winemaking in Australia. At one stage the growers were getting the equivalent of about seventy bucks a litre for bulk wine... or somewhere between ten and seventy times what they‘d be getting for it today. On the back of all that cash floating from the old world towards the Barossa, Chateau Tanunda became the largest winemaking facility in the Southern Hemisphere. More than 500 local growers were extremely well paid. An absolutely magnificent series of buildings were erected, which today still form the basis of operations and winemaking at Chateau Tanunda. The cellar door is also there, pouring a significant array of wines that offer staggering value for money. That said, it hasn’t always been plain sailing. The current owners bought the property in a derelict state. Pretty much every window was broken and a massive amount of work and money was required to restore it to its former glory. That process is approaching completion and we can’t recommend a visit too highly. Chateau Tanunda is a visual and historical feast, a testament to the original owners vision and timing and the current owners passion for preservation and improvement. It has also been a nursery and proving ground over the years - many famous Aussie winemakers have worked at the Chateau - Max Schubert (Penfold’s Grange), Grant Burge , Bill Seppelt, Jack Mann and Robert O’Callaghan (Rockford) to name a few.