Langmeil is often muttered in the same sentence as Penfolds and Glaetzer Wines. Regarded not just as one of the best wineries in Barossa Valley, it is simply one of the best there is. I firmly believe this myself, but I’m also echoing the words of the people who should know. Firstly the consumer, secondly the wine critic.

Highly rated by Robert Parker, and again awarded the coveted 5+ star rating by Australia’s authority in wine, James Halliday, we’re just happy the Australians let us bring some of it to Ireland.

The land on which Langmeil Winery now stands was purchased by a 36 year old German blacksmith, Christian Auricht.  He and his family arrived in South Australia in 1838 after emigrating from eastern-central Europe (Silesia) to escape religious persecution.

The Freedom

In 1843 he planted a Shiraz vineyard which survives to this day. Believed to be one of the world’s oldest surviving Shiraz vines, remarkably, they are still producing low yields of super-concentrated fruit to this day, which is going into their flagship wine, The 1843 Freedom Shiraz.

Auricht’s grandson was the first to build a winery on the land in 1932, long before it became known as Langmeil. By 1996 the it had fallen into the hands of three local mates whose families have lived in the Barossa Valley for several generations: Richard Lindner, Carl Lindner and Chris Bitter. They restored the old buildings and beautified the gardens. After several months of tender loving care, The Freedom vineyard was successfully revived. Langmeil’s first vintage was harvested in 1997.

Orphan Bank

There is more than one Old Vine Garden. The Orphan Bank vineyard consists of vines exceeding 140 years. A first for the Barossa Valley, the Orphan Bank vineyard is the result of transplanting over 300 vines from a 140 year old vineyard in Tanunda which was destined to be destroyed. It took 18 months to re-plant the vines on the south bank of the North Para River at Langmeil Winery.  The operation was 95% successful and the first post-transplant fruit was picked in 2008.

The Fifth Wave

Another plot of land situated in the southern reaches of the Barossa Valley, just out of the town of Lyndoch, showcases a diversity of soil profiles and aspects. The Fifth Wave Grenache vineyard is located here, named so because this is now the 5th generation of Barossa winemakers. Planted in 1953 on deep sandy soil, the dry grown 4.5 acre vineyard produces a rare, low yielding crop making for very small parcels of premium Grenache.

Trust me when I say, it really doesn’t get much better than Langmeil. The best thing is, you don’t have to be a millionaire banker to drink Langmeil, starting at a very reasonable €11.99 per bottle for the month of March. Buy two save up to €10 on Langmeil.

In the second of our two part series, we delve back into the Barossa Wine Traveller, with exclusive permission from co-author Tyson Stelzer, to get a closer look at visiting one of Robert Parker’s favourites - Glaetzer Wines. For part one on Langmeil, click here.

Although Glaetzer wines was only established in the mid-1990s, its heritage runs much deeper. The first Glaetzers settled in the Barossa in 1888 and were among the earliest recorded viticulturists in the region. The name has remained prominent ever since, and today there are no fewer than eight winemakers in the family, working across South Australia and as far afield as Tasmania and New Zealand.

Ben Glaetzer took over the winemaking responsibility from his father in 2002. “Behind the scenes, my father Colin and uncle John have had a key influence on a number of significant Barossa labels over more than thirty years,” Ben explains. He has already made his own mark, cementing his name among the ‘rock star’ makers of the region.

Tasting Glaetzer Wines

Ben’s lifestyle is perhaps not dissimilar to a travelling rock star.

“I spend six months of the year making wine and six months on the road promoting it internationally and domestically, so this is my focus rather than cellar doors and tourism,” he explains. “To find our wines locally, Amon-ra and Anaperenna are available at 1918 and Vintners, and the local pubs have Wallace and Bishop. The full range is available to purchase at Tanunda Cellars.”

Infamous growers

“My focus is on making wines that are reflective of their particular regions,” Ben says. “Of all the Barossa subregions, Ebenezer is the one where the wine in barrel looks the most like the fruit in the vineyards. I want my wines to have approachability in their youth but also longevity. And that’s what I get from Ebenezer. We source from vines there reputed to be 130 or 140 years old and also young vines – by which I mean 20 or 30 years old. The older vines are not necessarily the best quality but are usually the most consistent.

“We have two great growers in Ebenezer that my father established relationships with during his days at Barossa Valley Estate. Sixth generation grower Adrian Hoffmann runs a vineyard with his father and also their neighbours’ vineyard. I take a large majority of their fruit. Adrian is keen to work with me because he understands how keen I am to showcase the best that the subregion can do. He has a real interest in the crop and the fruit but also in the finished product, so we taste together. We have a longstanding association and understanding and we reward him in a good year and we reward him in a bad year. That’s the beauty of dealing with guys like him. We both have young sons – five and six years old – and it would be great to think that in ten or twelve generations we can still be sourcing from the same people in the same region.

“Adrian is not doing much dissimilar to what his father, grandfather and great grandfather were doing. And he listens to the older generations, which is critical. He also prides himself on how many committees he’s on that are helping the Barossa. I have predicted that he will be Mayor of the Barossa in twenty years’ time!”

Wining kids

“I frequently take my son Wilbur up to the numerous national parks for a walk. It’s great up there. If you’re there between 7:30 and 9 in the morning or at sunset the roos are always out. The Barossa Bowland is a good spot for kids as well. It’s just been renovated and it’s well run. The Tanunda club has a kids’ room at the back, just off the dining room, with a TV and toys and things. Vintners and 1918 have good kids’ menus which are interesting and innovative. On Saturday morning the Farmers Market is good for kids. The kids can buy a bag of cherries or apricots or whatever is in season.”

The Barossa Wine Traveller is available from wineries throughout Barossa, as well as leading book stores across Australia.

This is a fruit-driven Chardonnay from Barossa Valley. Despite no oak treatment, the wine is plump and buttery due to the process of Malolactic fermentation. Put simply, this is where the tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid, thus giving a fuller mouth-feel.

To view product page and for more details, click on Earthworks Chardonnay.

When we stumbled across the Barossa Wine Traveller (here), a book described as “The bible of the Barossa”, we just had to share the two chapters on our favourite wineries with our readers. Langmeil and Glaetzer wines are consistently rated among the very top echelon of Australian Wineries by critics and consumers alike.

Wine writer Tyson Stelzer, co-author of the Barossa Wine Traveller, has very kindly granted us permission to re-publish the chapter on Langmeil (below) and the chapter on Glaetzer, which will be published next Friday (12th).

To step into Langmeil is to take a trip back to 1842 and into the second German settlement of the Barossa Valley. The old buildings of the original village are still standing, as is the 1843 Freedom vineyard, believed to contain the oldest Shiraz vines in Australia, and perhaps the world. The abandoned property was purchased in 1996 by three local mates, Richard Lindner, Chris Bitter and Carl Lindner, who have since refurbished the winery and restored the village and vineyards to their former glory.

My place

“This is quite a historic little area,” Richard points out. “There was a butcher, a baker, a cobbler’s shop and a blacksmith named Christian Auricht. It was Auricht who planted the vineyard in 1843.”

“We’re so lucky that these old buildings are still standing,” says Carl. “There was a council order for our old barn to be demolished. So we undemolished it! The walls were bending outwards so, bit by bit, we pulled them inwards with rods and used a bulldozer to push them upright. Eventually we got them square, and it lifted the roof up as well! We had to build a wall to prop it up, so it’s back into shape and pretty solid now, even though you can see that the roof isn’t quite perfect!”

Barossa dirt

“When we came here in 1996, this place hadn’t crushed a grape in eight years,” recalls Richard. “Some of the vines had been pulled out, ready to be burnt, but thankfully they left the old vines intact.”

“The old Freedom vineyard was pretty derelict,” adds Carl. “There were vines and weeds growing wild all over the place. When we first pruned the vines in 1996, we didn’t know if they were alive or dead. We had to cut them back quite heavily because they were sprawled out all over the place. It took us a few years to get it up to scratch.

“We love the old vines here. Old vines have been a passion of mine, going back to the days when I was involved with St Hallett. We found out then about the importance of keeping the old vines, because they had something extra to offer. We started St Hallett Old Block Shiraz in 1980. Soon after that, the vine pull came in and growers were starting to yank out some of their best vineyards, which was a bloody shame. I know I saved four vineyards in that period. It was bloody tragic that our heritage was lost by the government giving cheques to growers.”

Visiting Langmeil

“We love the history of this place and we enjoy passing it on to visitors,” says Richard. “We take people for tours of the 1843 Freedom vineyard. A coach turns up around midday every day and whoever wants to join the tour can jump on board. There are usually one or two tours a day. We take them out for a walk in the vineyard, show them all of the old historical points around the area and they get a real sense of the history of the Barossa.

“During vintage, visitors watch vintage in action to get a real feel for what happens here. They can stand there, see all of the basket presses going and watch the girls hosing over the open fermenters. This is part of the tour during vintage.

“We’ve also got a little museum with some old equipment that we show them also. It’s a good little tour, and people love it. At the end they can taste every wine in our portfolio at cellar door, including The Freedom.”

You wouldn’t read about it

“We had old vines on a vineyard near town that was rezoned for housing development,” Carl explains. “So we decided to relocate them to the spare land that we have here on the river flat. It’s pretty tricky to transport an old vine to another vineyard! We used a machine with three big tapered blades that formed a cone to dig a hole, then drove the same machine half a kilometre to the old vineyard and used it to dig out the vine and put it in the new hole. A day later you could hardly tell that the vine had been shifted! It’s been quite successful and those vines now make our ‘Orphan Bank’ Shiraz. We invited people to adopt a vine and we now have an annual picking day when they come in and pick the grapes from their vine.”

You can view a great little video of the guys digging up, moving and replanting the vines on their web site, www.langmeil.com.au.

Barossa Character

“I collect all sorts of old stuff,” says Carl Lindner. “We’ve got quite a few pieces of old winemaking equipment scattered around the property. All sorts of things, from the old press to old stalk carts and pad filters. But I can’t find a spot for my Jags yet! I’m a bit of a Jag buff. I have E-Types, Mk2s and XKs. I’ve also got the oldest Jaguar in Australia, a 1932 SS1. I’ve got 35 Jaguars in all, worth about $1.5 million. I have a full-time mechanic to look after them and a full-time body builder and we’re looking at building a new C-Type next year. One day I’d like to start a business with luxury accommodation and luxury tours of the Barossa.”

Local knowledge

“Tanunda Cellars is the best wine shop in the Barossa,” says Richard. “Trevor Harch has got some interesting stuff there. He’s a great guy and we’re lucky to have his support. He supports Barossa wineries and the wineries support him, so if they’ve got back vintages or anything unusual available, they’ll supply them to him.”

The Barossa Wine Traveller is available from wineries throughout Barossa, as well as leading book stores across Australia.

After a Morning in the Barossa on Tuesday, John McDonnell of Wine Australia kindly donated this ultimate guide to the valley and its people and we promptly threw it up as a prize on Wednesday morning.

Ebenezer is the increasingly famous sub-region of the northern Barossa where Ben Glaetzer sources the grapes for the increasingly infamous Amon-Ra.

There were a modest five correct answers, one of whom was disqualified for having already scooped a book from the tasting himself. (Well, actually Lar Veale was disqualified for bringing The Shamen and Ebeneezer Goode into things, which we would all rather forget!)

So, from four, Damian Bannon was drawn from the hat this lunchtime.

Congratulations Damian, we’ll be in touch for your address and get that out to you. Enjoy what is a beautiful book.

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending the morning Trade tasting of the previously posted Evening in the Barossa, hosted by Wine Australia and Toby Barlow of St. Hallett Wines.

Six whites and seven reds were laid out in front of us, as Toby took us on a verbal and visual tour of the Barossa, around ten different wineries and a breadth of styles that would dispel in an instant any myth that Australia doesn’t “do” terroir.

The Barossa “region” encompasses both the Barossa Valley, famous for it’s Shirazes, and the Eden Valley, with it’s trademark Rieslings. However, both regions are about so much more, with Viognier, Pinot Gris and Semillon featured in the whites on show, and a range of stunning old vines from Grenache to Touriga Nacional (!) contributing to the series of red blends.

Now here’s the geeky (but fascinating) low-down on the land: the whole region in no more than 30km north to south and 25km east to west, encompassing both of the famous valleys. Barossa Valley itself follows a classic topography, with the valley floor varying by a maximum of 100 metres and averaging 274 metres above sea level. The Eden Valley, meanwhile, right next door to the east, has elevations ranging from 380 to over 600 metres, with most of the wine-growing located in the higher sections - this would explain how you can get crisp, steely Rieslings from vineyards only a literal stone’s throw from the powerhouse, deep red Shirazes we’re more familiar with from the Barossa Valley.

More than that, both valleys benefit from hugely diverse soil and rock structures, meaning even grapes grown in the same vineyard can add different attributes to a final wine. Combined with pockets of priceless and jealously guarded old vine plots, many over 100 years old, you can see why the Barossa is capable of stunningly complex, long-lived wines, and a range of diverse styles within.

Now, giveaway time!

John McDonnell of Wine Australia has very kindly donated a copy of “Barossa Wine Traveller” to the Curious Blog, a personal tour guide to the places, characters and flavours of the Barossa, written by Aussie wine authorities Tyson Stelzer and Grant Dodd. It’s a beautifully descriptive and pictoral tour of this fabulous region, bursting with a passion and deep love of this fantastic region. (It’s the next best thing to tasting the wines themselves, and I guarantee will have you reaching for Barossa on your next visit to a wine store!)

To win, simply answer the following question in the comment box below (hint: the answer’s in the question!):

From which sub-region of the northern Barossa Valley does Ben Glaetzer source his Shiraz for the iconic Amon-Ra?

A winner will be pulled from the hat on Friday of this week from the correct answers below.

Final and sincerest thanks to John McDonnell of Wine Australia and Toby Barlow of St. Hallett’s. If you missed the tasting last night, get yourself to the next Wine Australia event, John always puts on a great show.

Old vines generally make better wines. With age, yields naturally decline leading to more concentrated grapes that can result in amazingly complex wines. Australia’s Barossa Valley consists of the world’s oldest surviving pre-Phylloxera Cabernet and Shiraz vineyards. The Aussie’s were fortunate enough to avoid the kind of devastation Europe endured in the late 19th century from the Phylloxera plague.

The story of the Old Vine Gardens in the Barossa has somewhat of a chequered past but now possesses an optimistic future. Their initial survival is a tribute to the pioneering grape growers, however, as these precious and rare Old Vine Gardens were being grubbed into extinction in the 1980s. The introduction of the “vine pull scheme” after the wine industry suffered a significant decline and growers needed help to get them through troubled times, saw many Old Vine Gardens sold off and bulldozed.

If it was not for some like minded Barossans who promoted their uniqueness in the world of wine and were able to showcase the virtues of these wines that were made from these Old Vine Gardens, almost all would have been lost.

The oldest surviving pre-Phylloxera vines belong to Penfolds and Langmeil respectively. All at Langmeil are convinced the best way to ensure the unique qualities of the Old Vine Gardens is to continue to make and showcase wines from these vineyards. Hence the Langmeil Old Vine Garden wines are vinified and bottled separately to produce wines that are as true to vine and vineyard as they are unique.

As the wine trade, media and consumers continue to appreciate and understand what the Barossa and other local regions can offer the world with wines made from old vines, there is hope that the absolute rareness of these wines will also be valued. Very few other regions can offer pre-Phylloxera vines grown on their own roots that not only survive but continue to thrive. This is true history in a glass that is irreplaceable and non-replicable. To that end, Langmeil is part of a movement to create an official register of Old Vine Gardens.

For an old vine wine, click here to view Langmeil’s Orphan Bank Shiraz from 100-140 year old vines, and keep on the look out for a new arrival to the Curious range. The Freedom 1843 Shiraz from 165 year old vines is on its way.

Information sourced from Langmeil’s “The old Vine Garden Release”. Picture obtained from www.langmeilwinery.com.au

Remember this? It would seem that investors are still putting their money into wine as a safe haven, as opposed to stock, and it’s also great to hear that Australia is starting to be taken seriously when it comes to ultra-fine wine.

Last week, fine wine auctioneers, Langton’s, reported that Australia’s ultra-fine wines increased in value by 64% during the past two years, defying the slump in the international fine wine market. The increase contrasts with an estimated drop of 20% since July 2007 in the Bordeaux-dominated international market.

No-one needs to tell us about how fine Australian wine can be. The upper Glaetzer range, including the Amon-Ra, has great ageing potential, with the likes of Langmeil producing wine to last 15 years and beyond, and the ‘04 Woodstock “Stocks” Shiraz, although drinking well now, could perhaps do with another year or two to fulfil its true potential.

Langton’s fine wine principal, Andrew Caillard, added that there was less ultra-fine wine produced in Australia than in Bordeaux and Burgundy. A top Bordeaux winery produced about 10,000 cases or more a year compared with 100 to 6000 by Australian equivalents. Those Old World die hards can write off Australian vintners at their pearl.

If you’re looking to invest in wine, whether it’s for financial investment or for future indulgence, do your homework first. Remember that the vast majority of wines are to be drank young - many (particularly inexpensive wines) will not drink well beyond three years. Don’t be afraid to ask a member of staff on their opinion. A good wine merchant will know their wines well enough to advise on ageing. When you get the wine home, store it somewhere cool where the temperature won’t fluctuate too much, and lay it on its side to prevent the cork drying out.

Eden Valley and Clare Valley are accredited with producing Australia’s finest Riesling. These are generally dry, medium-bodied, with high acidity and pronounced citrus fruit notes (lime, lemon). As good Rieslings do, they will age well, developing notes of honey and toast. Some may develop smoky aromas, not unlike petrol, but don’t let that put you off.

Although it makes great reds too, Clare Valley’s cool nights help give this area its reputable name, with fantastic growing conditions. Very minerally, again, sometimes with a note of lime, these wines are typically bone dry in youth, developing great toasty notes with age. These are wines designed for food, particularly in their youth as they may seem a little intense at first (again, generally speaking).

Eden Valley is the one that got me taking Australian Riesling to heart.  Situated in the hills on the eastern flank of Barossa Valley (Clare and Eden are the two valleys that make up the official Barossa region), it is not so far from Clare, but its Rieslings are quite different. More floral, juicy and less austere in youth, they also take on a toastiness with bottle age.

So here’s another few regions that’s got to be added to the “must try” list of those avid Riesling fans. I think the most accessible Rieslings are those of the New World. Starting with New Zealand, you should move to Eden & Clare Valley before conquering Alsace and Germany. But then, who ever listens to me anyway?

From our own range, Cascabel produces a world-class Riesling from Eden Valley, achieving 5 stars from renowned wine critic James Halliday.

Let’s not make a Shiraz of Syrah. They are the same grape, taking the name from the city of Shiraz in Iran, where wine flowed freely for many years before the Prophet Muhammad laid out his cards in the 6th century. Generally labelled Shiraz in Australia and Syrah in France, there is a huge worldwide following for this noble grape variety.

Expect deeply coloured wines with medium or high levels of tannins and acidity. Shiraz is a medium to full bodied wine (again, think of that water vs. milkshake consistency). The subtle spiciness in its aroma, often a combination of cinnamon, rose petals and orange rind, complement flavours of blackberry and black pepper.

Whereas French Syrah would tend to be more restrained, the Aussie Shiraz is generally big, bold and fruit driven. Some may not be for the faint hearted, although they can still be very accessible because of their soft tannins and relatively low acidity. The hot climate is key in this, allowing grapes to ripening thoroughly before harvest, helping to produce wines with intense black fruit, sweet spices and notes of black chocolate. Oak aging may add smoke, vanilla and coconut flavours.

The Northern Rhône in France is the classic region for Old World Syrah. The finest wines are grown on steep terraces that tower above the Rhône Valley. Grapes are harvested by hand and the sunlight and good drainage provide ideal conditions for the production of powerful, complex and age-worthy wines. In the flatter zone of Crozes-Hermitage, you’ll find less expensive wines that often display raspberry-like fruit flavours with hints of black pepper. The higher acidity of the French Syrah’s allow them to match very well with food.

New Zealand (aka ‘Godzone‘) is one of the New World countries that is producing Rhône-like Syrah’s, particularly those of Hawkes Bay in the North Island. Chile is also producing some fascinating Shiraz.

For a big, fruit-driven Shiraz, check out the Heartland Shiraz of Barossa Valley, South Australia, and for a particularly good food wine, the Charles Thomas Crozes Hermitage.