Tag: Barossa Valley

The Beast and The Beauty of Hentley Farm Wines

You don’t win the prestigious James Halliday Winery of the Year unless you’ve got some serious plonk! In 2024, the winner was Bleasdale Wines from Langhorne Creek, while in 2023, it was the famed Pooley Wines in Tasmania – where they make what are undoubtedly amongst the best pinot noir from Australasia. So when the…
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Reid Bosward and Travis Schultz

Kaesler Avignon

Maybe it’s human nature, or just the Aussie way, but we seem to be a bunch who like to seek the “good oil” in our quest for the proverbial holy grail.  Whether it’s investing in the shares our stockbrokers are buying, following the lead of the racehorse trainer having a bet on their pick of the…
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Samuel's Gorge

Grenache blends; the perfect balance of power, personality and presence

Blends of grenache, shiraz and mouvedre (mataro) are extremely popular amongst Australian wine consumers and wine producers are adding the style to their cellar lists in abundance. The spiritual home of these blends is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC in the southern parts of France’s Rhone Valley where the Mediterranean climate is ideally suited to these key…
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Travis Schultz and David Franz

The character behind David Franz’s characteristic wines

The Australian Wine industry is recognised and valued globally for the remarkable character of our wines. Here, at home, we also recognise the characters who produce a ‘good drop’; the early pioneers, the industry stalwarts, the entrepreneurial winemakers and the lovable larrikins who ’do it their own way’.

Travis in Torbreck

Torbreck. A great place to visit; but stay on the paths!

Blessed by a Mediterranean style climate and some of the oldest root-stock in the world, the Barossa Valley is undeniably a world leader when it comes to shiraz production, but there’s a sting in the tail of that enviable reputation. Such is the power of the “Barossa Shiraz” brand that uninformed consumers often miss out…
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Torbreck Hillside Vineyard Shiraz and Roussanne 2018

Roussanne Shiraz – Torbreck

I’ve always found the wines of the Rhone region fascinating, if not charming. And particularly those of the Southern Rhone where the winemakers of the Côtes du Rhône villages set an exacting standard using Châteauneuf-du-Pape as their role model. In the region, the wines are typically richer, spicier and higher in alcohol than other parts…
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Pindarie Estate Winery

Pindarie 2016 Western Ridge Shiraz

For oenophiles like me, there’s an indisputable romance in wine, wineries and the vinicultural process. Sampling the product of other’s hard labour in the vineyard and expertise in the winery is enchanting, if not seductive; but for mine, there’s nothing more intoxicating than a good story about the journey of the people behind the brand.…
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Murray Street 2017 Red Label "The Barossa" GSM

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Murray Street Vineyards 2017 Red Label “The Barossa” Fans of the comedy series, Frasier, would be acquainted with the French style, Châteauneuf-du-Pape; the red wine that Frasier Crane is frequently observed ordering while eating out at French restaurants. It’s a blend of red varietals from a region in the southern Rhône area near Avignon which…
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Ian Botham Wines

Ian Botham Wines

They were long, hot and often dry summers, but some of my fondest childhood memories are of spending the Christmas school holidays going to the beach, swimming in my friends’ pools, and spending countless hours with eyes glued to a static-ridden tv screen listening to Richie Benaud calling the Ashes. I loved watching Dennis Lillee…
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Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2017

Better With Age … Not Quite

The terms “Vielles Vignes” or “old vines” have become to the wine industry what buzzwords like “superfood”, “natural” and “organic” are to products on the supermarket shelves; terms that sound impressive to the consumers and get the cash registers ringing, but beyond enabling a price premium to be achieved, does it really make any discernible…
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