Home Archive Subscribe About Contact     South Australia – Wine’s Natural Home Team vino india It is believed that the Australian wine journey must begin in South Australia – this is where one finds 56% of the country’s total hectares planted to wine grapes, 51% of the country’s grape production, 45% of the country’s wine production, 64% of the country’s wine exports and 73% of the country’s premium wine. The early settlers in the 19th century judged the potential of what over the centuries emerged as iconic wine regions, and “didn’t just throw vines into the ground to see what might happen” – natural resources were combined with good practice and developing skills. For an immersion trip to wine country in Australia, Team vino india followed convention to build an itinerary around Adelaide, one of the 10 Great Wine Capitals of the world, and experience the distinctive styles of wines from the many wine regions within motorable distance. Part 1 of our wine journey tells you the story of our glasses in the Barossa Valley. A snapshot of the region. Latitude 34° 29’S Altitude 250-370m Total vineyard area 11,370 hectares Clay loam to more sandy soils. 80% red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon dominant variety Mean Temperature 21.4°C Growing Season Rainfall 160mm Heat Degree Days 1710 Kies Family Wines Tina and Michael Kies (from a grape grower family) set up in 1985. Remains family owned and operated, with the children joining in. Kies have always focused on quality, not quantity. Michael, dressed immaculately in a suit, drove us through the vineyards to show us through the various parcels and the health of his vines – his passion shows. One of the first property’s entering the valley, the “Monkey Nut Café” opened at the cellar door in a Chaff Mill from the 1880s. On the clear day, we could see the imnspiration – the famous Monkey Nut Tree on top of the range – while being guided through the wines and gourmet teas! Tina had presented the South Australian Wine Masterclass 2016 in Delhi. Dedication Shiraz. Light red fruit, some tobacco and some very early beginnings of leather. Rich, powerful and age worthy. Rolf Binder Having migrated to Australia in the post war period from Austria and Hungary, Rolf Heinrich Binder and his wife Franziska founded the company in 1955, and named it Veritas. This was later renamed in honour of the founder. Around 250 acres of family estate vineyards in the Eden and Barossa Valley provide fruit to the operation. Son Rolf and daughter Christa are the second generation to take the family tradition of wine making forward – Rolf was Barossa ‘Winemaker of the Year’ in 2005. Rolf guided us through the tasting, and could not resist offering the winemaker special – barrel tastings that showed the evolution of the wines at different stages. Bulls Blood. A blend of Syrah and Mataro (Mourvèdre). A powerful wine. Intense chocolate, pepper, and plenty of very ripe black fruit. Saltram Saltram is a “great” in the landscape of Australian wines. As he was buying land to plant grapes in the Barossa Valley to establish W Salter & Sons, the founder of Saltram, William Salter, built a stone house “Mamre Brook” in 1844 that has since been preserved. With a history going back 150 years, Saltram has been the playground for many influential winemakers. Two families – the Salters and the Dolans – have played this ground, as has Peter Lehmann, and now since 2005 Shavaughn Wells (Winestate’s Australian Winemaker of the Year 2016) leads winemaking. Treasury Wine Estates is now the custodian of tradition at Saltram. Saltram Marble Quarry Shiraz 2013. Dark chocolate, plenty of jammy black fruit, and some vanilla. Seppeltsfield An institution in the world of wine, Seppeltsfield is a national treasure. Established in 1850 by the Seppelt family with 158 acres in the Barossa Valley. Decades of corporate ownership ended as Warren Randall, a qualified viticulturist and winemaker, acquired the estate in 2007. The visionary founders left the most unique collection of Tawny’s – an unbroken chain of every vintage from 1878 to now – the Centennial Collection which is a 100 year old single vintage fortified wine. Seppeltsfield is a proud holder of the Barossa Trustmark for the Centenary Tour & the Para 100 Year Old Vintage Tawny. Visitors get the rarest of rare opportunities to try their own birth year vintage Tawny directly from the barrel. Barrel 1917. Ink and treacle, and an extremely long finish – can still feel it. Yalumba A moon lit planting by founder Samuel Smith and his son, Sidney, five generations (and 167 years) ago has made Yalumba the oldest and most historic family owned winery in Australia. It has grown in size and stature, embodying all that has made the Australian wine success story the envy of winemakers the world over. After managing Yalumba for 3 decades, Robert Hill-Smith handed over the reins to the first non-family member in 2015 and himself became Chairman. The fruit for the Yalumba wines comes from across 10 regions of South Australia and is master crafted by Chief Winemaker, Louisa Rose. We paid homage to this Australian legend. In the heritage clocktower building, we made a pitch to the Yalumba India team to strengthen their presence, hoping that we would taste their wines more often in India. Barossa perhaps defines the history, evolution and revolution of Australian wine. And we are already planning our next visit… maybe you should to! Radhika Puar and Rajiv Singhal took advantage of their participation in Tasting Australia to visit wine regions near Adelaide. They thank the wineries for their kind hospitality. O T H E R     S T O R I E S The Great Wine Voyage Tasting Australia Vinexpo Bordeaux 2017: A Sizzling Show