NEW BAROSSA – OPPORTUNITY OR DIVERSION
The Barossa Valley is one of our most historic regions. Since the 1840s it has played a leading part in defining the changing narrative of Australian wines – Australian burgundy in the late 1800s, the traditional hearty Barossan style developed in the latter half of the 20th century, including ageworthy icons such as Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace, Eden Valley’s classic, fine and long-lived rieslings, and then also the sumptuous, high-alcohol often oak-driven red wines that emerged in the 1990s. The region has been a chameleon, time and again, successfully responding to the whims of local and export markets, which has driven its reputation for almost two centuries. The Barossa has become Australia’s key home to big reds – dense, rich, powerful and mouth-filling wines that deliver intensity of fruit as young wines but can also stack on complexity with time in the bottle. It’s traditionally been an easy style to sell, with many wine drinkers treasuring wines at the big end of the spectrum, particularly in key export markets. But there is no doubt that change is afoot. Perhaps as a component of the general public’s greater interest in lower alcohol options, many wine drinkers are increasingly looking to move away from big reds. Many are also looking to branch out, away from traditional wines into a wider range of grape varieties as well as the modern, early-drinking red wine styles with savoury nuances and personality. But with the Barossa’s foot firmly in a full-bodied camp, can it again successfully pivot into lighter reds and alternative grape varieties? The Barossa obviously already has a big natural winner for the lighter reds with its significant stocks of old vine grenache. Grenache fruit prices have never been higher, nor has demand for wines at every price. In our tasting of emerging styles, with 72 wines submitted in total, we expected grenache to perform strongly, and it did. The wines were largely bright, juicy, modern versions, often with a bit of stalk influence
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T he V intage J ournal – Regional Focus
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