CHAPTER 23 | 1980–1982 – Out of the Cold
1980 ST HALLETT OLD BLOCK SHIRAZ Barossa Valley, South Australia
The release of the 1980 St Hallett Old Block Shiraz, based on 1912 plantings, spearheaded a new perspective and national pride in Australia’s romantic wine story. Winemaker Robert O’Callaghan, who soon after, created his own Rockford brand, recognised the potential of the Barossa’s old-vine resource and became its most vocal champion. Typically, low-yielding old vines, if managed properly, promote saturated colours, fruit density, and tannin richness. St Hallett’s chief winemaker Stuart Blackwell, realising that single-vineyard old-vine shiraz might not always achieve the best outcome, searched for supplementary old vineyards to achieve more flexible blending options and increase volumes. St Hallett Old Block remains a beacon of the Barossa’s old-vine narrative.
the UK’s retail entrepreneur Tony Laithwaite, who established the Sunday Times Wine Club and a direct-to-consumer model. The first Australian flying winemaker was the Roseworthy-trained Nigel Sneyd (later a Master of Wine), who supervised a vintage in the Dordogne region of France with great success. Working in the Northern Hemisphere became a rite of passage for many winemakers, and some stayed, although most returned home. The opportunity to work abroad became a feature of Australia’s modern winemaking culture of following the vintage from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere and gave winemakers the chance to make wine twice a year. These experiences and regional reference points led to improvements in Australian wine styles and more worldly perspectives. At home, the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology, a non- political organisation established in 1980, encouraged practising winemakers and viticulturalists to exchange technical and anecdotal information to improve the quality and reputation of Australian wine. Its Australian Wine Industry Technical Conferences and Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research have set an underlying agenda of sound viticultural and technical winemaking for both commercial and fine wine.
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