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BarossaCellar Door

The Barossa Cellar Takes First Breath

By Thursday 20 July 2017April 5th, 2020No Comments
WBM Barossa Cellar

The Barossa Cellar promises to deliver new levels of experiences to wine lovers from around the world. From its stunning location in the heart of the Barossa, this exquisite building will serve as a regional wine museum, as well as the home of the Barossa Grape and Wine Association (BGWA).

The Barossa Cellar will boast a substantial cellar to ultimately store more than 2000 dozen of the finest wines from the Barossa and Eden Valleys, as well as its own extraordinary Shiraz vineyard, showcasing the best of Barossa viticulture and producing outstanding wine.

The concept is unique in Australia and will draw wine consumers, trade and media to its program of master classes, wine tastings and promotional events – all dedicated to educating a global audience about Barossa wine. A fundraising campaign is underway to in excess of $4.0 million, and since its launch three months ago, The Barossa Cellar has received more than $2.25 million in cash and in-kind donations.

Gold Key donations from people living overseas with business interests in the Barossa or a passion for Barossa wine have boosted other generous donations from the Barossa wine and grape community, which range from Diamond, Gold and Barossa Keys to the popular Stone ($500) and Vine ($1000) categories.

WBM Cellar

This ambitious project was conceived by not-for-profit wine fraternity Barons of Barossa, which was founded in 1975 by past wine giants, including Peter Lehmann, Cyril Henschke and Wyndham Hill-Smith. The Barossa Cellar is being backed by the current crop of Barons, which includes founding member Colin Gramp, with Stephen Henschke at the helm. As well as purchasing a stunning parcel of land in the foothills, the Barons have contributed $1.0 million to the project.

While the Barons initiated the concept, Stephen said The Barossa Cellar was very much a community project that would benefit the entire region. “It will operate on a non-commercial basis to raise the profile of Barossa Valley and Eden Valley wines, promote the aspirations of the local grape and wine community and secure the Barossa’s position as one of the world’s best loved wine regions,” he said.

Wine consumers worldwide will be pleased to learn that The Barossa Cellar’s immediate goal is to raise another $1.0 million by the end of September, so construction can begin in spring this year. The Barossa Cellar will be fully operational by the end of 2018, offering a program of master classes, tastings, wine industry events and open days, as well as cellaring a magnificent collection of fine wines that have been donated by Barossa wineries.

WBM Cellar 2Plans are also underway to develop and establish an “extraordinary vineyard that will be a real showpiece for the region”. Barossa growers and wineries are being invited to nominate the best of the region’s oldest Shiraz vineyards to be part of this exceptional vineyard. In charge of planning The Barossa Cellar’s vineyard is none other than Yalumba’s Head of Winemaking Louisa Rose, who is passionate about the project and the role it will play in promoting Barossa wine to the world.

“At 1.0ha, the vineyard may be small, but its significance lies in the DNA,” Louisa said. “Cuttings will be taken from up to 30 different old-vine Shiraz vineyards, representing some of the earliest material in the Barossa and some of the oldest Shiraz genetics in the world. We have no doubt this vineyard will produce outstanding Shiraz grapes and exceptional wine and our Vine and Key donors will have first option to buy this. Quite literally, it will be hundreds of years of Shiraz history in a bottle!”

Stephen and Louisa are confident The Barossa Cellar will soon be a reality. “Every donation is important, highly valued and will be acknowledged on a display in The Barossa Cellar,” they said. For further information or to make a donation go to thebarossacellar.com.au

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