Barossa valley wineries are low-key compared with the grand estates of the Napa Valley and the châteaux of Bordeaux, but they offer warm and unpretentious hospitality in a peaceful rural setting. We particularly recommend a tour during harvest time, March through April.
While Cabernet is king in America and France, the Shiraz grape reigns supreme in Australia's most distinguished wine region. Shiraz is the local translation (literally and stylistically) of the Syrah grape that traces its roots to the Rhône region of France. Oenophiles worldwide covet the finest Barossa Shiraz for the robust flavors that are a result of complex geographical conditions—small, twisting subvalleys and sandy soils—combined with low humidity, limited rainfall and generally warm temperatures. Wineries are ubiquitous in the Barossa, but the three reviewed on the following pages not only deserve special mention, but also could be overlooked by the casual visitor.
We began a recent visit at Torbreck Vintners, where Dave Powell is already a legend among American collectors because of his record number of 99- to 100-point ratings from Robert Parker. Powell is a larger-than-life character whose colorful biography includes a stint as a lumberjack in the Torbreck forest in Scotland, after which the winery is named. The estate's hospitality area is housed in an 1850s settler's stone cottage as an homage to Powell's pioneer predecessors. This respect for heritage is evident in his reverence for the ancient Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro vines that are the foundation of his estate. Powell's endeavors began in 1992 when he discovered a few blocks of these century-old vines. They had survived a shocking government policy of the 1970s that had encouraged the replacement of Shiraz vines with white grapes. How times have changed! Sitting on the back porch of the cottage with Dave, sampling the renowned Torbreck Descendant, sultry Factor and flagship RunRig bottlings, it is easy to understand this gifted winemaker's infectious enthusiasm for the viticultural paradise he calls home.
Our next stop was Elderton, three miles away among 117-year-old Shiraz vines within the village of Nuriootpa. The Ashmead family released their first wine in 1982, and 11 years later captured Australia's premier prize for red wines, the Jimmy Watson Trophy. The award came exactly a century after the Elderton vineyard was planted. Our entertaining hosts, Allister and Cameron Ashmead, shared a range of wines representative of Barossa's history, of which the highlight was the captivating Command Shiraz.
Henschke is located 14 miles east of Nuriootpa in the Eden Valley, and is widely regarded as the finest medium-size red wine producer in Australia. Its flagship wine, Hill of Grace, routinely vies with Penfolds Grange for Wine of the Year Down Under. Henschke features Shiraz plantings from the 1860s on rootstock brought from Europe by its founders. Current winemaker Stephen Henschke and his wife/viticulturist, Prue, are fifth-generation members of the family. Despite the winery's reputation, Henschke's facilities are surprisingly humble. Avoid weekend visits and instead pre-book a Thursday or Friday VIP tasting. The program includes a guided tour of the Hill of Grace vineyard and the winery, and a structured tasting of 10 premium bottlings. Our favorites included the delightful Johann's Garden Grenache and the sumptuous Tappa Pass Shiraz.
For assistance in acquiring the wines mentioned, contact WineConcierge@AndrewHarper.com or call (866) 550-2492, ext. 9. A shiraz collector pack is also available.
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