Château Tanunda Winery facts for kids
Château Tanunda is a famous Australian winery. It was built in 1890 in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. This historic building is one of the most important winery buildings in the Barossa Valley. It was made from special bluestone, cast iron from Scotland, and French oak. Today, it is a protected monument on the South Australian Heritage Register.
A Look Back: The Story of Château Tanunda
Château Tanunda started in 1890. At that time, France had a problem with its grapevines called phylloxera. This meant France couldn't make as much wine. So, people saw a chance to sell a lot of Australian wine to Europe!
The Barossa Valley had many small grape growers. But they didn't have enough places to make wine. So, a group of people decided to build a huge winery.
In 1888, GF Cleland and William Jacob started a company. They convinced important people like Sir Samuel and Lady Davenport to invest. With many other investors, they raised £38,700. This money was used to build the Château Tanunda winery. At that time, many skilled stonemasons in Australia needed work. This was perfect for building such a large stone building.
The special bluestone for the building came from a quarry nearby. Brick kilns were set up at the building site. The site was chosen on the highest point of the Barossa Valley floor. It looked out over the first vineyards. John Basedow and his team finished the main 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!
By 1902, the winery was doing very well. It exported 80,000 gallons of Château Tanunda brandy. It also exported 700,000 gallons of wine.
From 1916 to 1998, the Seppelt family owned the Château. Then, the Geber family bought it in 1998. They worked hard to restore the building and the business. They even built a special small-batch winery. Today, Château Tanunda uses 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 in the Barossa Valley.
Wines Made at Château Tanunda
Château Tanunda makes many types of 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.
The winery became even more famous in 2010. Its Everest wines won three big awards. These were at the International Wine and Spirit Competition. They won for Best Shiraz, Best Single Estate Red for Grenache, and Best Australian Wine Producer.
