There’s no question that our foundations were built on premium Australian Shiraz. But what makes Shiraz such an iconic variety in Australia?
Shiraz, or traditionally known as Syrah, with its origins firmly in France’s Rhône Valley, thrives in moderate to warm climates of which Australia has in abundance. The first Shiraz vines were brought to Australia by James Busby in the 1830s and has been a firm favourite in Australian vineyards ever since. In fact, it is the most widely planted grape variety in Australia.
There are many gnarly, old and ungrafted, pre-phylloxera Shiraz vineyards spread across Australia and our Barossa Valley home boasts the oldest Shiraz vineyard in the world, planted in 1843. The Barossa Old Vine Charter was instituted to register vineyards by age, so that older vines could be preserved, retained and promoted. ‘Barossa Old Vine’ equal or greater then 35 years of age. ‘Barossa Survivor Vine’ equal or greater then 70 years of age. ‘Barossa Centenarian Vine’ equal or greater than 100 years of age. ‘Barossa Ancestor Vine’ equal or greater then 125 years of age.
But, Shiraz is an adaptable variety, as not only does it thrive in warm regions like Barossa and McLaren Vale, it also thrives in the cooler regions of Australia like Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills. Hence why we created our collection of Garden Series Shiraz, which aims to reflect the soil, climate and other aspects of premium Shiraz produced from six unique Aussie wine regions.
