Château Tanunda Winery facts for kids
Château Tanunda is a famous Australian winery. It was built in 1890 in the beautiful Barossa Valley of South Australia. This winery is a very important building in the Barossa Valley. It was made from strong bluestone, cast iron from Glasgow, and French oak. The building is so special that it's listed on the South Australian Heritage Register. Château Tanunda is highly rated, even getting 5 stars from wine expert James Halliday. In 2024, it was also voted 5th in the Halliday Wine Companion People's Choice Award.
Contents
History of Château Tanunda
Why the Winery Was Built
Château Tanunda was started in 1890. At that time, there was a great chance to sell a lot of wine to Europe. This was because France, a big wine producer, had problems with a tiny bug called phylloxera. This bug damaged their grapevines, so they couldn't make as much wine.
The Barossa Valley wine industry in Australia was not very organised back then. There were over 560 small grape growers. They had plenty of vineyards, but they needed a big place to make the wine.
Building the Grand Winery
In 1888, some important people like GF Cleland and William Jacob decided to form a company. They got other pioneers and investors to help. Together, they raised a lot of money, about £38,700, to build the Château Tanunda winery. At that time, many people in Australia were looking for work. The Barossa Valley had many skilled stonemasons. These workers were perfect for building such a large stone building.
The special bluestone for the building came from a quarry nearby in Bethany. Brick kilns were set up at the front of the building site. The site was chosen on the highest part of the Barossa Valley floor. It faced south over the very first vineyards in the area. John Basedow and his team finished the main part of the building in just 11 months. When it was completed in 1890, it was the biggest building in the Southern Hemisphere. Once it was ready, the winery could process 100 tons of grapes every day.
Early Success and Ownership Changes
By 1902, Château Tanunda was doing very well. They exported 80,000 gallons of their special brandy. They also sent out 700,000 gallons of wine. From 1916 until 1998, the famous Seppelt family owned the Château. Then, in 1998, the Geber family bought it. They worked hard to restore the building and the business. They even added a special small batch basket press winery. Today, Château Tanunda gets its grapes from over 100 hectares of its own vineyards. These vineyards are in areas like Bethany, Eden Valley, Vine Vale, and Tanunda. They also buy grapes from 30 other growers across the Barossa Valley.
Wines Produced at Château Tanunda
Château Tanunda makes excellent table wines. They use grape varieties like Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Chardonnay, and Riesling. In the past, the winery was also well-known for its brandy. In late 2022, they introduced a new Tawny wine, which was very popular.
Awards and Recognition
The winery became even more famous in 2010. Their Everest wines won three big awards at the International Wine and Spirit Competition. They won for Best Shiraz, Best Single Estate Red for Grenache, and also Best Australian Wine Producer.
See also
- Australian wine
- Cult wine
- South Australian food and drink
- List of wineries in the Barossa Valley
