THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – Federation to the Modern Era | 1900–1982
Although the Great Depression had left its mark, Australia boasted around 140,000 acres of vineyard plantings in 1932, with over £20 million invested in the wine industry. On average, one person per eight acres was required to manage the vineyards. But there was growing concern about oversupply and dwindling profitability. In England, a novel campaign was reported in the 19th of May 1933 Daily News , in which ‘the Duchess of Rutland, assisted by five charming society girls acting as barmaids, opened the Empire Wine Bar at the Piccadilly Hotel and emphasised the value of the wine trade of the dominions’. The campaign was initiated to offset the increasing perception that wines from Australia and other dominions were cheap and inferior. The huge volumes of fortified wines dominated the Australian narrative, even though Australian burgundy and hock had achieved remarkable inroads the decade previously. Another key figure of the South Australian scene was German-born Hermann Paul Leopold (Leo) Buring (1876–1961). He attended Prince Alfred College from 1883–1894 and then Roseworthy Agricultural College between 1894 and 1896 before becoming one of the most skilled winemakers of his generation. After attending viticulture colleges at Geisenheim, Germany, and Montpellier, France, he returned to South Australia to become a cellarman at Spring Vale. He worked at Rutherglen in 1900, Hans Irvine Cellars in 1901, and Minchinbury wine cellars at Rooty Hill, New South Wales, for the next 17 years, where he oversaw the development of sparkling wines. After a stint as a technical consultant and governing director of Lindeman’s, 1919–1923, he set up his own business, Leo Buring Pty Ltd, in 1931, which became one of the leading wine producers during the 1930s and ’40s, with a reputation for producing some of the finest wines from the Clare Valley and the Barossa, particularly the Eden Valley. Leo Buring popularised the use of potassium metabisulphite, which was a simple way of protecting must and wine from oxidation and the growth of unwanted wild yeasts and bacteria. His contribution to winemaking is commemorated in the superb Leo Buring Leonay rieslings from the Eden Valley and Clare Valley. The reputation of these wines was boosted by the genius of winemaker John Vickery during the 1960s. As the industry expanded and eyes set on the development of new wine regions, Coonawarra’s potential was again noticed during the 1930s, but only by those within the industry. The 1933 Woodley’s Adele Claret, with fruit sourced from Redman’s, won the first prize at the Empire Competition in London. But things were not looking good for Coonawarra ‘blockers’. Unprecedented frosts and the hottest summer on record in 1934 reduced yields significantly. But it was the first time in four years that some fruit colonists had actually picked their grapes. After an investigation by the district inspector of lands, it was recommended that ‘Coonawarra would be best be abandoned as a fruit growing
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