Vintage Path

Each year grape growers had gathered after vintage for the “vintage payday”.

This gathering was the forerunner of the Barossa Vintage Festival, which was ultimately inspired by the thanksgiving festivals held in Europe.

The 1947 vintage had been a particularly successful one in South Australia, setting the scene for a celebration. It was also the year that the first ‘modern’ Barossa red was produced in the region. In the years leading up to World War II, most Barossa wines were fortified – ports, sherries and brandies – but in 1947 Colin Gramp produced his Orlando Special Reserve Claret with a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet grapes. He called on knowledge he had acquired from visits to wine-making areas in France, Germany and California to begin making distinctive table wines.