South ’s natural home

Adelaide is Australia’s wine capital and the industry’s heart Heritage History, experience and leadership Page 02 and soul can be found in ’s 18 unique and distinctive regions. Provenance Distinctive styles from special places Page 03 This is where it all comes together: a proud history enhanced by future thinking; prestigious with style and Prestige Australia’s very best wines Page 05 personality created from old vines and modern techniques; a commitment to sustainability and purity; and some truly Personality memorable tourism experiences. Authentic people with vision and passion Page 06

And then there are the names. Penfold’s Grange, the Barossa Purity Natural and sustainable wine Page 08 Valley, Peter Lehmann and – the list goes on. These special wines, signature sites and larger than life characters Innovation Shaping the future Page 10 are synonymous with a vibrant industry that continues to make the world take notice. Experiences Our wine history may be short by Old World standards, but Welcoming visitors with wine and more Page 11 it is incredibly rich. And the reason for our success and status is quite simple. Barossa / Mt Lofty Ranges Zone / Eden Valley / / Wine is central to South Australia’s being and dominates Hills / Adelaide Plains Page 12 our thinking as clearly as enhance our landscape. It is at once a way of life, an economic driver and a source of immense pride. McLaren Vale / Langhorne Creek / Currency Creek / We are blessed with a diversity of soils and climates that Southern Fleurieu / Page 15 provide a perfect platform for excellence and innovation. But it takes passion and skill to bring potential to reality and to do it Zone with style. That is the real South Australian story. Coonawarra / Padthaway / / The following pages provide a brief snapshot of why any Mt Benson / Robe / Mt Gambier Page 18 journey must begin in South Australia. You could be here quite a while! / / Southern Page 21

Nearly all of the images in this book are the work of Milton Wordley, a leading Adelaide photographer who has been capturing the spirit of the story for many years. wordley.com.au Additional photographs were also provided by McLaren Vale and Wine Tourism Association: Page 4,15 & 16. Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of SA Inc: Page 5. Wines: Page 8 & 19. Pike & Joyce Wines: Page 14. South Australian Tourism Commission: Page 11 & 21. The South Australian Wine Story 01 Heritage History, experience and leadership

companies with custodianship of some of our finest vineyards. Four other South Australian are members – Taylors, d’Arenberg, and Jim Barry Wines. As South Australia’s wineries grew and developed in the early years, they were greatly assisted by something that didn’t happen – Phylloxera, the tiny but deadly insect that can permanently sap the health and vigour of even the strongest vines. Strict quarantine measures and good management ensured the Phylloxera outbreak that ravaged Australia’s eastern states in the late 1800s – and has been equally destructive before and since in Europe and other wine-producing countries – simply didn’t make it to South Australia. Just South Australia’s prestigious place in This was always their intention. to be sure, a formal Phylloxera Act the wine world was born of equal parts South Australian settlers did not just was passed in 1899 – an early sign vision, planning and hard work. And it throw vines into the ground to see of the Government’s commitment to all happened quickly. what might happen. There was a clear supporting the wine industry. commitment to develop a world-class Barely three years after the original wine industry that would both use, and The importance of this cannot be Colony was founded in 1836, a German do justice to, what nature was providing. overstated. It means that South Australia settler saw the immense potential of the boasts some of the oldest established area north of Adelaide we now know as vineyards anywhere in the world. the Barossa Valley, noting a resemblance South Australian settlers to France’s famous Rhone Valley. did not just throw vines Henschke’s iconic Hill of Grace Shiraz, for example, is produced each year Just a handful of years later, vineyards into the ground to see from vines that originate from material were flourishing in the Barossa, McLaren what might happen. brought from Europe in the 1860s. Vale to the south and the nearby This single vineyard Shiraz has been (three of modern South It is significant that eight of the 13 acclaimed, and much in demand, since Australia’s pre-eminent wine regions) oldest wine companies or continuously the first bottling in 1958. and our pioneering were operating brands in Australia are Similarly, the enduring quality of beginning to make their mark. South Australian. ’s famous owes Established between 1841 and 1853 much to vines whose ancestry can be they include household names Penfold’s, traced back to the first stocks to be Orlando, and , brought to Australia. There is no greater alongside Bleasdale, Normans, Sevenhill proof that great wine begins with great Cellars and Oliver’s Taranga. The likes vineyards. They are priceless assets. of Saltram and Hardys were soon Knowledge is important too, and in to follow. 1936 Roseworthy Agriculture College, Yalumba is of particular note because the first institution of its kind in it is the nation’s oldest family-owned Australia, began teaching the nation’s and a founding member of first Diploma of Oenonolgy. Roseworthy Australia’s First Families of Wine now claims some of the world’s great (AFFW), a unique collaboration of winemakers among its graduates.

02 The South Australian Wine Story Provenance Distinctive styles from special places

Few wine regions anywhere in the This is one of Australia’s most world capture the meaning and spirit of picturesque and environmentally “” quite like the Coonawarra. conscious wine regions, as well as one of The focal point is the famous “terra the most geologically diverse in the world. rossa”: a cigar-shaped band of rich soil Significant differences in soil, topography just two kilometres wide and barely and weather conditions exist in very close 20 long that is so distinctively red it is proximity, creating an exciting range of clearly visible from the air. But there are options for wineries with vision. other factors at play as well. The Mediterranean climate has The shallow underlying limestone helped winemakers successfully embrace ridge, pure underground water and a Spanish and Italian varieties such maritime climate that produces long cool as , , , and ripening seasons all help create unique Mourvèdre, but Shiraz remains McLaren and distinctive conditions that have made Vale’s standard-bearer. James Halliday the name Coonawarra synonymous with calls it one of the “ancestral homes” of truly great . Shiraz in Australia. The Barossa Valley and Clare Valley are among the others. As James Halliday, Australia’s most The Clare Valley is actually even This unique heritage positioned influential wine writer, notes in his better known as prime Riesling country. South Australia to guide and inspire definitive Australian Wine Companion, This inland region at the base of the the growth of a mature and sophisticated “in South Australia, Coonawarra stands Mt Lofty Ranges endures warm to hot wine industry into the second half of the supreme, its climate … strikingly similar summers, but cooling afternoon breezes 20th century. to that of Bordeaux”. The result is “perfectly detailed Cabernets”. help slow the ripening process. This As high-quality wines emerged to allows for elegant, finely structured establish the reputation of regions like The maritime influence is even more that are respected worldwide. the Clare Valley and the world-renowned pronounced, though less uniform, in the James Halliday notes that for well Coonawarra, a hub of industry leadership McLaren Vale, where the sweeping vistas over 100 years the Clare Valley and was developing in South Australia, take in a mix of rolling vineyards and nearby Eden Valley “stood above creating what can only be described as rugged coastal scenery. all others” in Australia for premium Australia’s “Wine HQ”. Riesling. They remain the benchmark. The Australian Grape and Wine Authority – the Government body that regulates and promotes Australia’s wine and sets the industry’s research priorities – is based in Adelaide, as are the organisations that represent the nation’s winemakers and grape growers, and a critical mass of both research power and whole-of-wine supply chain wine education, encompassing , , wine marketing and wine business. Wine’s future thinking begins in South Australia, and there are significant rewards. Wine contributes more than $2 billion to the South Australian economy, second only to mining. South Australian wine is exported to more than 100 countries.

The South Australian Wine Story 03 The Eden Valley is sometimes were planted as early as 1839. This is The quiet achiever is Langhorne Creek, referred to as the “cool climate one of the very few regions in Australia rated by many good judges as among the Barossa”, and its greater altitude allows to produce truly great best regions in Australia for Cabernet winemakers to produce premium – wines with structure and authority Sauvignon. After all, it’s where Wolf Blass white wines ( as well as that can only be created in the right sourced the that helped him win Riesling) alongside the Shiraz that is conditions by winemakers with a real feel Australia’s highest profile wine award, the the hallmark of its immediate and for the variety. Jimmy Watson Trophy, an unprecedented otherwise similar neighbour. three years in a row. The Barossa, of course, is Australia’s The four Australian The underlying theme here is quality best-known wine region and Shiraz regions producing the fruit. The four Australian regions grown from some of the oldest vines in producing the highest percentage of the world is its star performer (alongside highest percentage of the very best grapes are all from South some exciting , Mourvèdre the very best grapes are Australia. The Barossa Valley, McLaren and Semillon). The growing conditions all from South Australia. Vale, Coonawarra and the Adelaide Hills are also conducive to fortified wines, between them have a 55% share. including Seppeltsfield’s legendary In recent years, the Adelaide Hills has Not surprisingly, this is mirrored in 100-Year-Old Para Tawny. also become known for and export figures. South Australia accounts South Australia’s true cool climate Semillon: more structured and weighty for 20-30% of Australia’s export sales at region is the Adelaide Hills, just than the classic Hunter Valley Semillon, lower to middle price points, but more 20 minutes from the CBD, where vines but every bit as sophisticated. than 60% at the higher price points.

04 The South Australian Wine Story Prestige Australia’s very best wines

of Australian wine are represented, from and Rockford to Grosset, Jim Barry and Coonawarra Estate. Not surprisingly, these same wineries achieve five star ratings in James Halliday’s annual listing of wineries with a track record of sustained excellence, alongside other exceptional South Australian wineries such as Petaluma, Peter Lehmann, Shaw + Smith, Grant Burge, Wirra Wirra, Wolf Blass and Yalumba. South Australia’s reputation for crafting prestigious wines of distinction . is also reflected in a constant stream of Penfold’s Grange has become a The Langton’s classification is national and international honours, for global phenomenon. Headlines are considered the authoritative guide to both our established champions and a generated weeks before the May Australia’s premium wines and one of new generation of world-beaters. release of each new vintage, and chief the most comprehensive outside Europe. You need look no further than 2013 Peter Gago is as likely to be Updated every five years, it measures International Wine & Spirit Competition at a launch event in New York, London excellence over a sustained period of at for proof. or Hong Kong as in Adelaide. least 10 . Wolf Blass Wines rightly grabbed When he is in town, however, the The South Australian dozen listed as the headlines after winning three long queue waiting before dawn at the exceptional alongside Grange include trophies and being named International picturesque Magill Estate Winery for the another Penfold’s gem, the Bin 707 Winemaker of the Year for a third time. traditional 7.30 am first tasting – and first Cabernet Sauvignon, and two from the However, the judges were also excited by chance to purchase – highlights his, and historic Henschke vineyards of Eden two boutique South Australian wineries, the wine’s, status. Valley – the Hill of Grace Vineyard presenting two medals each to the Yet while Grange is unquestionably Shiraz (considered by some judges to Barossa’s Bethany Wines and Henry’s magnificent (Robert Parker Jr awarded be the best of the best) and the Mount Drive from the Padthaway region near the 2008 vintage a maximum 100 Edelstone Shiraz. Coonawarra (noting that Padthaway is a points) it is very much just the icing on a Four Barossa wines are in the top region to be reckoned with for Shiraz). spectacularly good cake. category – three classic Shiraz alongside South Australian wineries have also In the Langton’s Classification of the iconic Seppeltsfield 100-Year-Old dominated the Jimmy Watson Trophy, Australian Wine released in May 2014, Para Vintage Tawny – and three from the winning 75% of the trophies awarded 13 of the 21 wines rated as “exceptional” Clare Valley. Some of the great names since 1962. – the very best in Australia – are from South Australia. So too are more than half of those in the “outstanding” category. In all, 79 South Australian wines are listed, significantly more than from all the other states combined. Thirty come from Barossa/Eden Valley alone. They include the Rockford Black Shiraz; one of 12 new wines added from South Australia in 2014, and the first ever to be listed. The judges suggest it is the best example of a “distinctive, historic and uniquely Australian wine style”.

The South Australian Wine Story 05 Personality Authentic people with belief and passion

With South Australia making so many Schubert, who the international Of course, the list of South Australia’s of Australia’s truly great wines, it is magazine named “man of the leaders is not confined to those who have hardly surprising that we also dominate year” in 1988, worked hand in hand with been honoured with the Maurice O’Shea. the list of people who have shaped and Beckwith, whose pioneering research on Peter Lehmann, the undisputed led the industry. stabilising wine and protecting it from “Baron of the Barossa” rivalled Blass as Eight of the 13 individuals to receive spoilage revolutionised the public face of Australian wine, and the Maurice O’Shea Award – recognised practices around the world and laid when he passed away in July 2013 a as the highest honour the industry can the foundations for Australia’s modern nation mourned. confer on one of its members – have industry. It was one of the industry’s greatest ever partnerships. A great winemaker and a great man, come from South Australia. he was a larger than life character with Their names are synonymous with Wynn was renowned as an unorthodox personality and passion and it seemed Australia’s success: , David thinker, as well as a great winemaker. that every man and woman in the street Wynn, Brian Croser, Dr Bryce Rankin, He defied conventional wisdom to stake knew who he was and what he stood Wolf Blass, Guenter Prass, Dr Ray his future on a belief in the potential for. Newspapers wrote editorials, and Beckwith and Philip Laffer. of the Coonawarra, and generations of hundreds of people came from far and Cabernet Sauvignon lovers have been wide to toast his memory and share While their individual personalities the beneficiaries. are as disparate as the wines they helped stories in the grounds of his winery. create, they share a bond as visionaries and Croser, who was Decanter’s “man Francis d’Arenberg Osborn (better innovators with a passion for the industry. of the year” in 2004, has been one of known to all in the industry as d’Arry) Schubert and Blass are a case in point. Australian wine’s great innovators for holds a similarly legendary status in the more than 40 years, and a champion of its Schubert, the man behind Grange, McLaren Vale, where he has overseen premium wines. The founder of Petaluma in excess of 70 vintages, more than half was quiet, unassuming, and happy to in the Adelaide Hills and more recently let his wine talk for him, while Blass is in partnership with his flamboyant son Tapanappa Wines (in which Bollinger is Chester, who is recognised around the a true showman, his trademark bowtie a shareholder), he was one of the first in recognisable around the world. Their world for both his winemaking skills and Australia to suit grape varieties to regions his taste in colourful shirts. joint legacy is a commitment to blending and is considered a mentor by many of and to sourcing grapes from a variety our current leading winemakers. of regions that helped create some of Australia’s great red wines.

Max Schubert. Brian Croser. Wolf Blass.

06 The South Australian Wine Story Four generations of Hoffmanns in the Barossa Valley.

Perhaps South Australia’s most Or there’s Yalumba’s Louisa Rose, who dynamic wine “couple”, however, was Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine’s is winemaker Stephen Henschke Winemaker of the Year in 2008. A and his viticulturist wife Prue, who leading wine writer was moved to simultaneously enhance the legend suggest that “whatever the next big thing that is Hill of Grace while continuing to turns out to be, Louisa Rose will probably innovate and push the boundaries in a be the one who makes it”. vineyard that is now fully organic. “Outsiders” are still inspired to make Importantly, an exciting new their mark in South Australia as well. generation of leaders is coming through. Jacques Lurton, a leading winemaker Take Ben Glaetzer for example; a year from one of the most celebrated after he was named Australia’s Young winemaking families in Bordeaux, Winemaker of the Year, no less a judge discovered a unique sense of place than Robert Parker Jr called him as on Kangaroo Island and has built The “serious talent” and chose him as Wine Islander into one of the most respected Personality of the Year. wine labels in Australia.

Peter Lehmann (right) in familiar pose.

The South Australian Wine Story 07 Purity Natural and sustainable wine

Wine is first and foremost a natural results have been impressive. The use of McLaren Vale has also launched product, and South Australian irrigation in South Australian vineyards a code of conduct to ensure its winemakers take great care of their is 14% lower than the national average, vineyards remain free of Phylloxera environment. They see themselves as for example, and our wineries have and, after decades of diligent research, guardians of the ancient soils, fresh air received significantly more than their released what it believes is a world and clean but scarce water resources that share of government funding for clean first – a detailed map of the region’s underpin their craft. technology programs. diverse geology, which provides a key In recent years there has been a move Sustaining Success was the precursor to the complex, constantly unfolding towards establishing formal protocols, to the development of the Entwine links between the land and modern developing environmental management Australia program launched by the wine flavours. systems and setting standards for all the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia in South Australia’s wide range of industry to meet, and here again South 2008. This provides a mechanism for climates also provides important Australia has been a leader. winemakers and grape growers to receive benefits for wineries and ultimately In 2003 the South Australian formal certification of their practices consumers. Less disease pressure in the Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) according to recognised international vineyards allows for lower chemical use. consolidated a decade of thinking to standards. Two-thirds of Entwine In addition, many companies are create Sustaining Success, a toolkit that members are from South Australia. embracing solar energy. Jacob’s Creek set guidelines for wineries and wine In addition, some wine regions have made a significant statement in 2010 regions to follow in establishing best- complementary local environmental when it installed two large solar practice guidelines that would ensure programs, with the McLaren Vale in tracking panels at its Visitors Centre that South Australia was a global leader particular considered a leader in this in the Barossa Valley, for example, in wine industry sustainability. regard. Just two years after it launched a while at the end of 2013 d’Arenberg The aim was to make change based comprehensive sustainable winegrowing invested in the largest winery solar on knowledge, and the response and the program, 40% of its vineyard area had PV generator in South Australia at its signed on. McLaren Vale winery.

08 The South Australian Wine Story Some activities are gaining industry’s behalf, signing a formal international attention. Banrock Climate Change Sector Agreement with Station has been a leader in promoting the South Australian Government. environmental protection and There is also a strong focus on restoration for close to two decades, environmental research. The AWRI, and in 2001 the giant wetland area that for example, is investigating the use of is a focal part of its winery was formally grape marc as a fuel source for low- rated as of international importance emissions renewable power generation, under a global treaty known as the and working with partners in the Ramsar Convention. Adelaide-based Wine Innovation Cluster In 2013 Yalumba won the to develop innovative methods for International Award of Excellence in improving the management of valuable Sustainable Winegrowing Competition soil and water resources. run by the Botanical Institute of Texas – For consumers, the end result is better, the only one of its kind in the world. cleaner, healthier wines. The award acknowledged the success of a program developed over three decades that runs through the entire business from grape growing to wine production to the consumer. Taylors Wine has an equally impressive track record and its Eighty Acres range of wines was the first in the world to have its full carbon footprint assessed to international standard so the company could then offset its CO2 output using legitimate, high quality carbon offsets.

The use of irrigation in South Australian vineyards is 14% lower than the national average.

Taylors’ comprehensive environmental management system allows it to audit the impact of its activities across a number of key measures, including water consumption, waste, noise and air emissions, energy, soil and storage managements and environmental risks. SAWIA continues to provide a focus for the industry’s determination to constantly improve its environmental performance – making change based on knowledge – particularly in relation to climate change. This has included developing a Climate Change Adaption Toolkit for the industry and, on the

The South Australian Wine Story 09

Experiences Welcoming visitors with wine and more

You won’t find ChocoVino on any wine winemaking – and does it so well that lists, but it has become a popular wine it is now part of South Australian experience for visitors to the Adelaide Tourism’s Hall of Fame – while nearby Hills, and been applauded by the likes of Seppeltsfield has been described as a Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine and national treasure. Here you can explore the US television network CNN. heritage buildings, try a vintage tawny Hahndorf Hills Winery matches its made in the year of your birth, or watch boutique wines to a selection of the world’s artists at work in the prestigious Jam best chocolates, a concept that explores Factory studios. wine’s potential in exciting new ways – and You can combine in quickly turns doubters into devotees. the Riverland with the unique Just a short drive away, Sinclair’s Gully experience of exploring the Banrock Station Wetlands, or spend a few days is as well known for its bird life and You can even have a unique tasting cycling or walking the Clare Valley’s views across the Morialta Conservation experience without leaving Adelaide’s 33-kilometre through Park as it is its quality wines, while The CBD. The National Wine Centre has rolling countryside as you visit a Lane Vineyard hosts one of the best installed the largest wine-dispensing variety of cellar doors and other tourist winery restaurants in the country. bank in Australia, allowing you to buy attractions. The oldest winery in the a taste of whatever takes your fancy. That’s the way we do it in South region, Sevenhill Cellars, was established Australia. We firmly believe that wine is by Jesuit priests who first planted the As many as 120 wines are available a part of life, and we offer a diverse range vines to make sacramental wine. at any one time – including Penfold’s of opportunities to taste it and talk about Grange – and there are three tasting sizes. The Clare Valley also pioneered the it, while also enjoying great food, great Once again innovation is the key. Once concept of the annual gourmet weekend scenery and a range of other tourist a bottle is opened, the machine pumps – combining wine, fine food, music and attractions. Many wineries operate from in a small shot of argon gas, preventing fun at cellar doors across the region heritage buildings that date back to the oxidation and preserving the wine for up – and 30 years on it is still one of the earliest days of European settlement. to three weeks. best. All of our major wine regions have Our 18 wine regions are found in some a similar event each year, each with its In South Australia, a glass of great of the most picturesque parts of South own regional style. wine is never far away. Australia, from the (where the great Australian Outback begins) and the banks of the mighty to picturesque Kangaroo Island (KI to the locals), where you can combine wine tasting with whale and seal watching. In McLaren Vale you can even have a go at creating your own wine at d’Arenberg’s “blending bench”. You’ll be given a selection of wines, each with distinctive flavours and textures, and helped to do what the great winemakers do – blend them to get just the right balance. When you’re happy with the result, you’ll bottle it, create a name and a label, and take it home. In the Barossa, the Jacob’s Creek Visitors Centre lets you immerse yourself in the art and science of

The South Australian Wine Story 11