The Kaesler family arrived in the Barossa Valley from Silesia in the 1840s and in 1891 purchased land in the Barossa, spending two years furiously planting. They planted 96 acres of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, along with a few white varieties. Some of the original Shiraz vines are still producing grapes which provide great intensity and depth to many of Kaesler’s wines.
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Read moreFounded in 2005, Murray Street Vineyards (MSV) is set on exceptional vineyards in the Greenock sub region. Currently, MSV farm around 300 acres situated in the celebrated ‘Western Ridge’ of the Barossa, 130 acres in Gomersal, and 170 in Greenock. These acres hold predominantly Grenache and Shiraz vines, dating back to the 1940s and 1960s.
Read morePindarie first produced wine under the Pindarie label in 2005. They have 100 acres planted on their 750 acre farm situated on the Barossa Valley’s Western Ridge. Fruit from the Western Ridge inspired the genesis of Spinifex Wines and forms the backbone of JJ Hahn, Murray Street, Kalleske and many other top end Barossa producers besides. Warren Randal of Seppeltsfield fame has also been snapping up vineyards in this part of the Barossa of late.
Tony Brooks from team Pindarie is a 6th generation pastoralist. He restored the stone buildings on site by hand, in the process earning for Pindarie a coveted and difficult to get Barossa Trust Mark…
Viticulturist Wendy Abrahart spent 12 years at Penfolds, becoming their senior viticulturist in the process before setting up and continuing to manage the 100 acre Pindarie vineyard.
My tastebuds, sense of smell, liver damage and gut grew up and out over many courses of Barossa Shiraz. I had put myself on a two year break on purchasing Shiraz yet occasionally one pops up that is hard to go past. The Hemera Shiraz 2012 is all that I love about wine without the cricket bat assertiveness of some of it’s big ass Barossa neighbours. The wine is as comfy as a pair of fleecy trackies. I like rocking out in a new shirt or jeans but the comfort of the tracksuit pant is beyond measure. It makes you feel at home…if home is place where no one else is around putting demands on your time, energy or attention. Run DMC rocked out in casual adidas tracksuits because they could. I rocked out the Hemera Shiraz 2012 because I could. While in the cinema watching Brad Pitt in the movie Fury, I just happened to have a bottle with me and a plastic cup from the ‘candy store’. The nose is plummy, blueberry and the palate has dark cherries and chocolate with silkyRead more
Despite family roots and vineyards in the Clare Valley Stuart has made his name as a top end winemaker in the Barossa. He's spent the last fifteen years squishing Barossa grapes and turning them into quality kit. His love for the region comes from it having "some of the oldest vines on the planet, the history of the area and its culture." We'd be loath to call him lazy but he attributes his success to doing as little as possible in the winery. Old fashioned techniques and equipment are employed with minimal new oak. Fruit is simply destemmed but not crushed. Much of his work is with the growers, making sure the fruit is as good as possible. In this sense he sees himself being as much a farmer as a winemaker. He loves the ancient building where he makes the wine and its living cultures. The indigenous yeasts and malo bugs perhaps reflective of their origins in Château Tanunda's brandy production back in the 1800s are uniquely hardy beasts. They can operate in conditions that wouldRead more
Read moreChateau 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
Read moreJames Brown sang about it and Aretha Franklin and Otis Reading definitely had their share of it. SOUL. If what’s good for the soul is good for the body then put on some old soul and pour me many a glass of Soul Growers 2011 GSM and let the cleansing begin! Brilliant blood plum in colour and with a vibrant juicy nose laced with wafts of Vanilla thanks to its time in American and French oak. David, Paul and the Linder Brothers have hand crafted themselves a very highly enjoyable GSM. A well balanced hit of acid helps to build the wine a structure that enjoys a deep cassis burst and hints richness in the weight. Fine tannin at the end help to reel in the juicy richness and certainly have you leaning for more. My advice, pour a glass slide on the record player and sit and enjoy the night…. [caption id=attachment_1209 align=aligncenter width=950]
Read moreGood mates, honest winemaking and some bloody old vines are the heartbeat of the Soul Growers existence. Sourcing their fruit from tiny hand selected pockets of the Barossa Valley including a 1\4 acre lot in Nuriootpa which features 130 year old Mourvedre vines, Greg Cruickshank, Paul Heinicke and James and Paul Linder believe what’s good for the soul will be good for their wine.Small batch and hand crafted is the order of the day for these boys building on reputation rather than mass production. With their small plots in Seppeltsfield, Nuriootpa and two in Tanunda producing exceptional fruit the boys then hand craft and basket press the grapes before maturing in 1-4 year French oak. The result is wine that has body, great fruit and dare I say it….. Soul. Meet the Soul Growers guys at winedirect.com.au’s Through the Tasting Glass - Curiouser & Curiouser tasting
Barossa Gourmet Weekend was held on the 18th and 19th of August this year and whilst the weather was decidedly inclement – a great weekend seemed to be had by all who attended. We travelled up on the Sunday and first stop was Artisans of Barossa who represent John Duval, Massena, Schwarz, Sons of Eden, Spinifex, Teusner and Hobbs wines. This is a stunning modern cellar door which looks out over the vineyards in and around Vine Vale. The Artisans of Barossa Cellar Door is a fantastic concept seven winemakers with vastly different wine styles in their portfolios all at the same beautiful location. My tipple of choice at this winery was Sons of Eden 2011 Freya Riesling – limey with excellent length and not overly acidic. Onwards to our next stop which was Saltram Wine Estate. The Cellar Door is set in the original winery and the legendary Mamre Brook House. Again a lovely Cellar Door set in a more contemporary space. Here we enjoyed a new release to the range which was the WinemakersRead more
