BAROSSA FACILITATOR GUIDE AUSTRALIAN WINE DISCOVERED AUSTRALIAN WINE DISCOVERED EDUCATION PROGRAM The comprehensive, free education program providing information, tools and resources to discover Australian wine. To access course presentation, videos and tasting tools, as well as other programs, visit Wine Australia www.australianwinediscovered.com supports the responsible service of alcohol. For enquiries, email [email protected] Barossa / Facilitator guide BAROSSA Kalleske Wines, Barossa Wines, Kalleske AUSTRALIAN WINE DISCOVERED Troye Kalleske, Troye Australia’s unique climate and landscape have fostered a fiercely independent wine scene, home to a vibrant community of growers, winemakers, viticulturists, and vignerons. With more than 100 grape varieties grown across 65 distinct wine regions, we have the freedom to make exceptional wine, and to do it our own way. We’re not beholden by tradition, but continue to push the boundaries in the pursuit of the most diverse, thrilling wines in the world. That’s just our way. Barossa / Facilitator guide AUSTRALIA NORTHERN TERRITORY QUEENSLAND WESTERN AUSTRALIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES VICTORIA BA RO SS A 0 500 TASMANIA Kilometres SOUTH AUSTRALIA BaRO SS a NEW SOUTH WALES V a LL EY EDEN ADELAIDE V a LL EY VICTORIA Barossa / Facilitator guide BAROSSA: HISTORY AND Encompassing Barossa Valley and Eden Valley, Barossa is one of EVOLUTION Australia’s most historic and prominent wine regions. - Rich history dating back to 1840s - Community includes long- established wine families and younger artisan and boutique producers - Diversity of soils, climate and topography - Some of the world’s oldest grapevines - Strong culinary culture and gourmet local produce VIDEO BAROSSA: HISTORY AND EVOLUTION Now is a great time to play the The undulating Barossa region is one of Barossa loop video in the background, the most historic wine-producing areas in as you welcome people. Australia. Located roughly 70 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, it is also one of the country’s most prominent and celebrated FIRST TASTE regions, showcasing the history, evolution and revolution of Australian wine. It THIS MAY BE A GOOD encompasses the Barossa Valley and OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE Eden Valley regions. EVERYONE A TASTE OF A A rich heritage CLASSIC BAROSSA WINE. Barossa has a rich vine and wine history dating back to the early 1840s and is home THE FULL TASTING COMES to fifth- and sixth-generation grape-growing LATER IN THE PROGRAM. families. Silesian farmers settled in the region seeking a fresh start and by the 1890s, dozens of wineries had been established including Oscar Seppelt’s Seppeltsfield, Johann Gramp’s Orlando, Samuel Smith’s Yalumba, William Salter’s Saltram and Johann Henschke’s Henschke Wines. Barossa / Facilitator guide DID YOU KNOW Tradition meets innovation More than 170 wineries are dotted Barossa is also famous for its food throughout the beautiful rolling hills and culture and gourmet attractions. valleys of Barossa. The area is reputed for its Foodies can taste the best of Barossa dynamic wine community, which includes at farmers’ markets, local food trails long-established names as well as younger and the Barossa Valley farm shop and artisan and boutique producers. Barossa’s eatery of Australian food celebrity and wine community is complemented by a proud local Maggie Beer. strong culinary culture and local gourmet produce, which reflects the area’s European heritage. Diversity of wine styles Barossa has both warm-climate and cool- climate growing conditions and a diverse range of soils. This makes it ideal for producing a wide variety of wines, from powerful, full-bodied reds and rich fortifieds to the most delicate of white wines. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mataro, Riesling and Semillon are some popular varieties with a long history in Barossa. Old vines Many would claim the region’s star performers to be Barossa Valley Shiraz and Eden Valley Riesling. Barossa is home to some of the oldest continuously growing Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Grenache and Riesling vines in the world, dating back to the 1840s. Barossa / Facilitator guide TO DAY WE’LL - The history of Barossa - Geography, climate and soil - Viticulture and winemaking - Old vines COVER… - Prominent varieties Barossa / Facilitator guide THE HISTORY OF BAROSSA: 1840s A VIBRANT PAST –1850s Barossa is first developed by the British. AND BRIGHT Soon after, Silesian Lutheran immigrants arrive and give the region a German FUTURE flavour. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mataro, Semillon and Riesling vines are planted. Late Late 1830s 1800s Shortly after the establishment –1960s of South Australia, Barossa is identified as a fertile area Barossa steadily grows, well suited to agriculture and becoming a specialist in viticulture. fortified wines to satisfy consumer tastes. 1970s –1980s 2009 Barossa wines diversify as The Barossa Old Vine consumer tastes evolve. Charter, which aims to They soon gain a global recognise and preserve old reputation, heralding a vines, is launched. golden era for the region. 2010s Late Early 1990s–2000s –TO DAY Traditional Barossa varieties have Intense, concentrated and heavily oaked wines been joined by a new wave of become the fashion, and Barossa Shiraz, Mediterranean varieties, as well as Grenache and red blends are in high demand. a new breed of grapegrowers and winemakers exploring innovative techniques. Barossa / Facilitator guide THE HISTORY OF BAROSSA: A was perfectly suited to vines, so he sent the VIBRANT PAST AND BRIGHT FUTURE message back to Germany to send cuttings Pre-1830s of Riesling. Englishman Joseph Gilbert The traditional custodians of Barossa are planted Riesling vines at his Pewsey Vale the Peramangk, Ngadjuri and Kaurna winery in Eden Valley in 1847 – the first grape people. Aboriginal people occupied these vines planted in the region. lands for thousands of years before Late 1800s to 1960s European settlement. Barossa steadily grew and developed, with Late 1830s Seppeltsfield becoming the largest winery in Not long after the establishment of the the Southern Hemisphere at the time. While colony (now the state) of South Australia in the region’s fine wines were renowned in 1836, German mineralogist Johannes Menge Australia, they were yet to make their mark identified what was to become Barossa on the world stage. As Australians were as a fertile area well suited to agriculture mainly drinking fortified wines, Barossa, and viticulture, and reported this back to like many other regions, had become a his London-based employer, the South specialist at producing these styles. Australian Company. Through strict quarantine restrictions and 1840s and 1850s the introduction of a formal phylloxera act The Barossa was first developed for by the state government in 1899, the pest agriculture and viticulture after European never made its way into South Australia. settlement by the British. Soon after, Silesian 1970s to 1980s Lutheran immigrants, who were escaping As wine tastes evolved in Australia and religious persecution in their homeland of around the world, so too did the wines Prussia, gave the region a distinctly German produced in Barossa. Initially it was white flavour. wines like Riesling and Chardonnay that Central to this development were two men: consumers turned to but, over time, people George Fife Angas, the largest landowner also grew to enjoy red wines such as Shiraz in the Barossa Valley and chairman of the and Cabernet Sauvignon. South Australian Company, and Lutheran A turning point toward red wine update Pastor August Kavel, who was pivotal in began when Colin Gramp (direct encouraging many Silesian farmers and descendant of Johann Gramp) visited tradespeople to resettle in Barossa. Shiraz, Napa Valley in the mid-1940s, where he Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Grenache, observed modern winemaking techniques. Semillon and Riesling vines, many of which Upon his return, he was motivated to make are still producing fruit today, were planted the first dry red table wine in Barossa since during this time. the 1860s. Some of the oldest wineries in Australia It wasn’t long before Barossa started to gain were established in Barossa Valley and Eden a global reputation for vibrant, fruit-forward Valley in the 1840s and 1850s. English brewer wines of exceptional quality. This heralded Samuel Smith sailed to Australia in 1847 with the start of a golden era for the region and his wife and children, and after working for for fine Australian wine. George Fife Angas for a time, he bought Late 1990s to early 2000s land from him and planted the first Yalumba Intense, concentrated and heavily oaked vineyard in 1849. wines became the fashion and Shiraz, Similarly, Johann Gramp, a farmer from Grenache and red blends from Barossa were Bavaria, arrived in Barossa Valley in 1847 soon in high demand. and settled on the banks of Jacob’s Creek. He, like Samuel Smith and many of the other settlers, noticed that Barossa Valley Barossa / Facilitator guide SUGGESTED 2009 DISCUSSION POINTS The Barossa Old Vine Charter, which aims – What regional factors initially drew to recognise and preserve old vines, was foreign vinegrowers to the area? launched. – How has the history of Barossa 2010s to today shaped the winemaking practices In recent years, traditional styles have been of today? joined by a new wave of Mediterranean varieties, suited to Barossa’s soils and climates. The region has also been invigorated by a new breed of grape growers