If you are fond of Australian wine, then the Barossa Valley is a must on your bucket list. Not only is it the most famous wine region Down Under, it has over 70 wineries which are just an hour away from South Australia’s charming capital, Adelaide.
Last week I recommended visiting Murray Street Vineyards, Jacob’s Creek, and Whistler Winery. This week I suggest visiting Peter Lehmann Wines. It’s set in a beautiful rural setting north of Tanunda. You will find many of their wines on BC shelves yet it is a family winery whose owner, Peter Lehmann, became a revered legend in the Barossa.
The winery has an extensive portfolio thanks to the 140 winegrowers who supply the grapes from all 14 sub-regions of the valley. Peter Lehmann’s has some of the best value wines but also three of the nations’ flagships in Stonewell Shiraz, Wigan Riesling, and Margaret Semillon.
James Halliday awarded both the Shiraz and the Riesling “Best of the Best Variety” this year. His Halliday Wine Companion is an indispensable reference from Australia’s leading wine authority and a must-have guide for anyone visiting a winegrowing region.
In the cellar door/tasting room you can taste the entire range and there’s no tasting charge. And that includes their top Stonewell Shiraz and Wigan Riesling! They also have a number of cellar door only wines as something special because most of their other wines are available elsewhere.
I had the privilege of having a private tour of the winery by Senior Winemaker, Tim Dolan. Dolan has recently been named Dux (Top Achiever) of the Len Evans Tutorial, the most exclusive wine school in the world. Out of 100 applicants and 12 finalists, he was the best in the five day wine exam. “I’ve applied for the past three years, so to be part of the 2018 Len Evans Tutorial was a dream come true. The week was unbelievable and a surreal experience. What Len Evans created with his Tutorial is one of the Australian wine industry’s greatest treasures and I’m so appreciative to have had the opportunity to complete the program,” explained Dolan.
Another family winery, on a smaller scale is Tscharke’s Place at Marananga. Winemaker Damien Tscharke is a sixth generation vigneron and is a pioneer in planting alternative varieties. He was the first Barossa producer to plant the Spanish Albarino and the Italian Montepulciano. Today, Savagnin, Tempranillo, Graciano and Touriga Nacional are also planted.
“What excites me most about these varieties are not the unique styles of wines that they produce but also their suitability to our environment,” explains Tsharke. They really flourish in Marananga and seem to cope with extreme weather conditions and heat waves better than most other varieties.”
Damien’s wines, whether they are the alternatives or traditional Shiraz and Grenache, are all about texture, restraint and elegance, not just weight. And they are also very affordable for their quality. To add to the atmosphere in the traditional German timber A-frame tasting room, there is also a stoneware pottery gallery. Tsharke’s wife spent three years at a German pottery school and now sells her wares in the upstairs’ gallery.
Finally, the talented winemaker of Murray Street Vineyards in the Barossa Valley in my previous column is actually Jack Weeden, not the name that was printed.
Eric Hanson is a retired Richmond teacher who has been on an Australian wineabout.
