Internationally, the Barossa Valley is probably the most famous of all Australian wine regions.  Brands such as Jacob’s Creek and Wolf Blass launched the Oz industry to the world and created the double edged sword that slices its’ way through the wine world today.  While these mega-brands have defined a regional style (especially for Shiraz) for the consumer, I was excited to explore the new wave of artisan small producers who are challenging this stereotype.

 

I hadn’t been to the Barossa Valley since I was an undergrad doing courses at the Roseworthy campus in Gawler.   So I have to admit that navigating my way out of Adelaide onto the wine route was a little challenging…too much “Coopers”Sparkling Ale at University I guess.  The first thing that struck me was the age of the vines, lots of unirrigated old bush vines with impressive trunks the size of my thigh.  This is one of the tremendous resources in the Barossa, which characteristically produce wines of great density and character.  Unfortunately many of these gnarled tributes to the past were removed in the 1980’s due to a misguided government “vine pull” program.  But those vines that survive today, are highly sort after, often going into wines that sell for over 3 figures.  

 

This is an old vineyard area with a tremendous history and culture.  In the late 1830’s to early 1840’s hundreds of Lutheran German immigrants moved to this area due religious persecution from Prussia.  These hard working people were good farmers and had been growing vines for hundreds of years in their native Selesia.  Through widespread vine trials they discovered that Shiraz and Grenache were ideal cultivars for the region as they could be dry grown, reached high sugar and tolerated the hot summers.  They also found that if they went to the higher altitude areas of the Eden Valley, fine Riesling could also be produced. Many of these founding families are still in the valley and their names are often found gracing the labels of the wine bottles.  

 

I found the Barossa Valley to be a paradox between the massive corporate wine business and the tiny tin shed winemaker.  Interestingly, most of the wines that overwhelmed me were produced by this new wave of artisan producer…small batch, highly focused wines with great finesse and character.  There seems to be a conscious effort to move away from the heavily oaked, highly extracted, alcoholic corporate styles to a more approachable structure with a lighter winemaking touch.  There also seemed to be a renewed enthusiasm for Grenache/Shiraz/Mouvedre blends.  This ideal combination inspired from Southern Rhone blends works perfectly in this climate.  

 

The trip was a great experience, and I am excited to introduce some wines into the Canadian market that may change some preconceptions of this unique region.