Established 1847 by Johann August Frederick Fiedler, much of the credit for the finest Shiraz in the world is due to old vines such as Turkey Flat. Dry grown and gnarled, their roots extend metres into the soil in search of moisture. That they still exist is largely due to a far sighted quarantine scheme, as South Australia was spared the phylloxera outbreak which devastated vineyards around the world in the late 1800s. After five generations of stewardship by the Schulz family, a small parcel of fruit from the original 1847 vines is bottled as a superior vintage release.

The worthy vineyards along Stonewell Road at Marananga, have been source of the most memorable vintages in Barossa Cabernet. Tscharke established a smaller block of vine here in 2001, the quality of fruit however belies its teenage years. The auspicious plantings were sown east to west, aimed at protecting fruit from the parching late afternoon summer sun. The accumulated skills of six generations in Barossa viticulture, have sired a precious site which yields a multi dimensional Cabernet wine of amazing depth, structure and length.

No you're not seeing things, a Shiraz so nice, they named it thrice. An assemblage of fruit from the legacy of estate vineyards, planted to the oldest soils in Barossa Valley, very near the ancient hamlets of Stonewell, Gnadenfrei and Greenock Creek. A confluence of pastoral terroirs and more rugged terrains form a tapestry of unique mesoclimes, from which to fashion a velvet textured Shiraz wine with juicy fruit, crisp acidity and refined tannins.

Tscharke are a highly traditional, family hands on operation who have tilled their soils and husbanded vines for generations. A resurgence of interest for the arcane styles of the old world, inspired plantings of the more abstruse varietal grapes in the 1980s and 1990s. Crafted from parcels of Tempranillo clones D8V12 and Requiena, picked off two choice sites at Stonewell and Gnadenfrei in the western precincts of Barossa Valley, the Only Son offers a deliciously complex fruit filled wine with a measure of suave, food friendly savouryness.

A pure Touriga wine from the superlative Tscharke estate property at Gnadenfrei in Barossa Valley. The Nacional clone of Touriga vines were established 1985 to propitious weathered, quartzite rich, brown clay soils, they are now fully mature and yielding the most exemplary harvests. Damien Tscharke fashions his Touriga to a medium bodied style that drinks beautifully immediately upon release, ideally slightly, chilled alongside Mediterranean marinades and grills.

Montepulciano hails from Abruzzo on the Adriatic, it makes an immensely popular style, of food friendly savouryness and soft, light tannins. Tscharke source their Montepulciano from the first such site ever established in Australia. Montepulciano likes to vintage just a little later in the year, the longer growing season yields better balance and riper tannins in the fruit. An astonishingly good drink alongside all fine fare, its engagingly complex nose and judiciously drying palate conjures up recipes of bay leaf and game, fenneled sausages and braised, cured pork.

Two thirds Grenache, the balance in Mataro, picked off the Tscharke estate vineyards at Marananga. Preserving the integrity and retaining the eloquence of each variety is essential to the finished wine, both parts are encouraged to enunciate their uniqueness of character. A course of whole bunch ferments adds textural richness and introduces complexity, a separate term of age under seasoned oak permits the wines to mature and evolve as individuals. A seamless assemblage that's highly articulate of Barossa, as both parts express their personal charm.

Damien Tscharke was born and raised a sixth generation Barossa winemaker, he grew up amongst the vines at Seppeltsfield while attending Marananga Primary and Nuriootpa High. Gnadenfrei is the oldest vineyard within the Tscharke estate portfolio, established over seventy years ago by Damien Tscharke's grandfather, the terroir and clime yield an exceptional quality of Shiraz. A substantially structured, youthful Barossa style, driven by fruit and kept vital by rich, cherry filled acidity.

Tscharke are all about hand picking limited yields of the finest estate grown fruit, for the realization of outstanding, small batch Barossa wines. Following the traditions of several generations local viticulture in the ancient hamlet of Marananga, a precious parcel of Grenache at the pre eminent Gnadenfrei property is treated to the old world regimens of whole bunch ferment, foot stomping and seasoned French oak, achieving a richly complex Rhône style of dimensional fruit characters and the most exquisite balance.

Distinction is the jewel in the Tscharke crown, only ever made in the most exceptional vintage years, crafted from priceless parcels of Shiraz, hand picked off the elite Gnadenfrei property in the ancient Barossa hamlet of Marananga. The mesoclime here is fortuitous for Shiraz, an auspicious terroir of conglomerate pink quartzite and shallow red brown clays, the ideal environment for low yields of the most intensely flavoured fruit.

Graciano is well know in northen Spain and parts of southwest France, it makes a well perfumed wine with substantial tannins, superb balance and excellent ageing potential. An essential inclusion into many of the Navarra and Rioja blends, it can be capricious to grow and requires a dedicated vigneron to produce good harvests. Tscharke have been a part of Barossa viticulture since early settlement, they are people of the land with the skill and love of winegrowing that's required to achieve the most exquisite vintages of new world Graciano.

The Tscharke family have been a part of Barossa viticulture for six generations, they know all the other heritage growers well and can access some of the region's finest Shiraz. Choice parcels have been assembled for vinification into a full bodied style of palate weight and opulence, purposefully fashioned to drink early as a young wine. The trick is to isolate those harvests which have been picked on the perfect day of optimal ripeness. A solid Shiraz of juicy fruit flavours up front, supported by sound structure and affable Barossa charm.

The folks who make wine at Kellermeister wear boots and have purple hands. The winemaking here really is old world style, nothing is done by machine. Parcels of hand selected grapes from choice Barossa vineyards are fashioned into an exquisite Shiraz wine offering generous helpings of deliciously rich, sweet blackberry flavours and requiste Barossa dark chocolate characters, finishing long and fruit filled on a note of lingering spice. A superb choice with barbequed or roasted meats, rich desserts and fine aged cheese.

Before David Powell took on the task of raiding Barossa vineyards, he spent several years on the Scottish Highlands as a lumberjack in the Torbreck forest. Woodcutter Shiraz is a highly approachable introduction to the Torbreck range, featuring fruit from some of the up and coming vineyards, rather than the battle hardened old warriors which make up the heart and soul of the Torbreck winelist. This is the kind of red the winemaker himself liked to drink with a hearty meal after a hard day's work in the wood, but you don't have to be a woodcutter to enjoy it.

Torbreck are strongly influenced by the long enduring, classic French styles of wine. The wild, rugged and earthen aromas associated with France's Bandol provide the basis for The Pict, a powerful single vineyard, pure Mataro wine. Sourced exclusively from a plot of ancient vines near the hamlet of Greenock, the palate is elegantly rich, earthy and beautifully balanced for early drinking, a profound expression of Mataro, untamed and wild, almost certainly enough to satiate a Pictish warrior.

Roussanne is a deeply coloured grape that's native to native Valley Rhône, employed as a blender into both red and white wines, it introduces fragrant stonefruit and nutty nectarine characters. The Loon is a unique and stylish rendering of Shiraz, as beguiling as it is intense, characterised by its beautifully lifted fruit characters and exquisite balance, made boisterous through the inclusion and co fermentation of Roussanne skins. The Loon matches well with goat, game meats or lamb, a splendid accompaniement to mushroom, provolone or truffle recipes.

Torbreck believe that they source fruit for The Laird from the greatest vineyard on earth, owned by the Seppelt family, it commands a price for its harvest that's commensurate with the most prestigious first growths of the old world. There have only ever been four vintage releases, such is the strict criterion for quality. Two precious hectares of Shiraz named Gnadenfrei, yield a crop of small, concentrated berries, the envy of all growers and winemakers in Barossa Valley, only the most exceptional years are worthy of The Laird.

In the early 1980s, due to lack of demand, the government paid incentives to growers to rip out their vines and gut some of Australia's most precious old vineyards. The movement to cool climate viticulture made the Barossa, of all places, look rather irrelevant. The Factor is Torbreck's salutation to those dedicated growers who stood by their vines and continue to painstakingly produce small harvests of the most splendid Shiraz. A wine of immense concentration and great purity of fruit that only the most meticulous husbanding of vines can achieve.

On a highland farm, the array of barns, stables and outbuildings is known as a steading. Steading GSM has long been David Powell's favourite wine within the Torbreck stable because of the old, gnarled bush vines that produce its core. Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz grown to ancient sites at Moppa and Marananga, Seppeltsfield and Ebenezer, Gomersal and Greenock, perform brilliantly in their own right. When assembled however, their strengths coalesce into a wine of remarkable structure and bucolic grace.

Exceptional Langtons Classification. From vines up to 140 years of age, planted to the most distinguished sites at Marananga and Moppa, Gomersal and Ebenezer, Greenock and Kalimna. A flagship wine of phenomenal density, a remarkable port like concentration, fashioned from parcels of the most invaluable Shiraz, compounding the wine's irrepressible bouquets and epic palate. The intensity of flavour hits the mouth like a gale, releasing a multitude of layers and complexities that continuously resonate and evolve.

Exceptional Langtons Classification. RunRig was a system that the highland clans employed to distribute property and holdings. It appropriately defines the Torbreck flagship, crafted from small yields of the most precious hand sorted Shiraz, picked off a canon of very old, dry grown vineyards. The emphasis is never on any one proprietor or farm, but rather the communal elements of the whole. RunRig is a wine which exhibits so much power and latent richness, that it is compared with the epicly structured and perfumed first growths of Cote Rôtie.

Dave Powell was honoured when good friend Ignatius Chan asked him to make a wine for his renowned Singapore establishment. Powell sourced a unique parcel of old vines Grenache from the devigorated soils of western Seppeltsfield to create Les Amis, a testament to what the most exacting standards of viticulture can achieve. A harvest of the most precious fruit, gifted with purity, intensity and finesse. Les Amis flaunts the poise, concentration and panache, with which only the world's greatest terroirs are bestowed.

A wickedly decadent indulgence, an extravagant gratification for the hedonist within the most wayward Barossa enthusiast, here are Torbreck at their nefarious best. Heinously high in alcohol and not for the feint of heart, a single unique parcel is called upon, only ever in the finest vintage years, hand picked off a precious, sharefarmed block at Moppa. Treated to a meticulous old world vinification techniques, Highland Fling is arrested mid way through fermentation with a fortification of Torbreck brandy, lifting the intensity of palate and infusing evocative perfumes.

Excellent Langtons Classification. A single vineyard wine, the Barossa Valley's first ever co fermented Shiraz Viognier, from fruit grown next to the winery block on Roennfeldt Road, planted to cuttings off old RunRig vineyards, some of the oldest genetic material in Australia. Built to last and evolve for many years as time unlocks layers of cryptic complexity within, the Descendant's immediate charm can be enjoyed immediately upon release, after a few hours of essential breathing. A wine of remarkable concentration, supported by silky tannins, suave sophistication and impeccable balance.

Torbreck founder David Powell is a frequenter of fashionable wine bar Les Juveniles whenever he's in Paris. Conversely, the proprietor of Les Juveniles spends time with Powell whenever he's wine trekking around the Barossa. A delightfully fruit forward accord of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourverdre, crafted from fruit grown to old and very old Barossa vineyards, judiciously fashioned to an early drinking Rhône Valley styling, principally for the enjoyment of bohemians and artistes, épicuriens et bon vivants.

Thorn-Clarke are one of the Braossa's most salubrious grower families, by appointment to Australia's most recognized brands. Thely can be proud of six generations in Barossa viticulture, a timeless source of Shiraz for the nation's most memorable vintages. The best parcels are selected from the estate's St Kitts, Milton Park and Kabininge sites to form the backbone for Shotfire. The enduring Aussie style, a generous palate of ripe blackberry and plum flavours, seasoned by spice and vanillan oak, supported by a structure of fine, pliant tannins.

At a time when the government was paying growers to pull vines in an attempt to curtail the oversupply of grapes, David Clarke was working against trend, testing soils and buying land, under car headlights to avoid local farmer suspicion, with the intention of establishing the finest Barossa vineyards. Thorn-Clarke Quartage is a complex yet seamless cepage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc provide wonderful upfront berry fruit characters, Malbec contributes suppleness, an eighth of Petit Verdot adds depth of flavour and intensity.

The five Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot, a multi award winner. Seamless yet deeply complex, fashioned from the pick of Barossa fruit, there is awesome length to Quartage, as its cornucoppia of berry fruit flavours unravel over a framework of fine grain tannins and spicy lingering oak. Internationally renowned, Shotfire has one key goal, to satisfy red wine enthusiasts by over delivering on quality.

The initial release of Riebke Ebenezer was conceived during an economic decline in Barossa Valley. The Riebke family were being paid very little for their Shiraz and asked Teusner if he was on the market for quality fruit. Teusner agreed to produce a wine but made no promises, as they hadn't even seen the harvest. The epiphany occurred as soon as fermentations began and the winemakers knew that they had come across something very special indeed. A tip of the hat to the Riebke brothers, whose vineyards play the essential role in the wines of Teusner.

In the wonderful wide world of wine, you will find over sixty aliases for Mataro. Mourvedre from the Cotes du Rhône and the Spanish Monastrell are amongst the most familiar, as well as lesser known pseudonyms such as Balzac and Esparte. Custodians of the finest parcels of Barossa Mataro, the house of Teusner are Australia's most accomplished purveyors of this complex and engaging, esoteric varietal. Teusner's favourite by far is the French construct known as estrangle chien, the dog strangler, due to its bestial tannins.

Half Grenache with the balance of Shiraz and Mourvedre, grown to some fantastic old vine stock, most are a century of age, treated to a spell in well seasoned barrels. The oak influence is minimal, serving to complex and mature the wine rather than to impart flavour. So marked must be the profile of fruit to make the cut for Avatar, that initial classification of the components takes place immediately after vintage. Well balanced and round, a wine of earthy, savoury complexity, displaying ripe fleshy fruits, bramble and licorice spice.

Albert is the namesake of Teusner's grandfather, commemorated for his tireless hard work and commitment. Albert is sourced from two small blocks of low yielding unirrigated vines, aged between fifty and a hundred years, one precious site in the Barossa's north at Ebenezer and the other, near the valley's southern most parts at Williamstown. Pure and expressive, displaying the power, elegance and generosity of splendid old vines Shiraz, Albert is a joy to drink now and will continue to evolve magical Barossa richness.

At the heart of Barossa culture, is the tradition of Lutheran migrants who were invited by the British Crown, to flee persecution in the old world and populate the new colony of South Australia. Johann Christian Henschke arrived in the 1840s, acquiring property at Krondorf and planting vines, he sold his first vintage in 1868. The Henschkes of today own and operate some of the most distinguished vineyards in Australia, they know the best Barossa growers well and source the most exquisite parcels of Shiraz every year for inclusion into Tappa Pass.