The Grapevine: Wine industry updates from South Australia
In this edition of The Grapevine, Yalumba is recognised as an iconic family business, a wine fair with a (creepy) difference and Running With Bulls’ first ‘bagnum’.
- Yalumba picks up prestigious national award
- International wine importers hit the regions
- Septimus to host masterclass with SA wine young gun
- Boutique McLaren Vale winery wins major international award
- Third film in Hamilton Wine trilogy released
- A wine fair with a difference
- Running With Bulls releases first bagnum
Yalumba picks up prestigious national award
Australia’s oldest family-owned winery Yalumba has been recognised as the Family Business of the Year at the 2025 Family Business Excellence Awards.
The 175-year-old company was named the national winner in the Legacy Family Business category, following the Hill-Smith family picking up the SA award in 2024.
Robert Hill-Smith – fifth generation proprietor of Yalumba – accepted the award on behalf of the family.
“This award is a fitting tribute to generations past and present who have built, nurtured, and evolved this business with integrity, courage, and care,” Hill-Smith said.
“Yalumba has always been about more than wine – it’s about people, place, ambition and purpose.
“We are deeply honoured to be recognised in this way.”
International wine importers hit the regions
Importers from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand took part in an intensive four-day program visiting South Australian wine regions including the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, the Clare Valley and McLaren Vale.
The importers are members of the South Australian Wine Ambassadors Club (SAWAC) – a Malinauskas government initiative aiming to further diversify South Australian wine exports.
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Producers from other regions also showcased their wine at a National Wine Centre event.
During the trip, the importers visited famous SA venues such as Seppeltsfield Barossa, Shaw + Smith and Dandelion Vineyard’s Wonder Room.
SAWAC members are required to import at least one new-to-market brand in the first year of membership.
“This program is making sure South Australia’s globally recognised wine is reaching new audiences and capitalising on new opportunities,” Trade and Investment Minister Joe Szakacs said.
Septimus to host masterclass with SA wine young gun
Septimus House of Cheese and Wine has a seven wine and cheese pairing menu. This picture: supplied.
East End wine and cheese bar Septimus will host a masterclass with Barossa Valley-based Tribus Wines winemaker Paul Thomas, who was recently named a finalist in the 2025 Young Gun of Wine Awards.
The Tribus Wines team will host a guided masterclass of their current release wines.
“You’ll explore the story behind the label, the evolution of their craft, and what it means to build a cult following from the soils of northern Barossa and beyond,” Septimus said.
On pour for the evening will be Tribus Wines’ 2024 Watervale Riesling, 2024 Sand Block Grenache, 2023 Sand Block Mataro, 2022 Mataro Shiraz, 2021 Mickan Block Shiraz, and 2023 Barossa MCC.
Boutique McLaren Vale winery wins major international award
Photo: Manser Wine
Manser Wines’ 2023 100-Year-Old Vines McLaren Vale Grenache has been judged the best Grenache of any vintage entered into the prestigious 2025 London International Wine Challenge.
The drop won a gold medal and 95 points. Judges called it “expressive and well-integrated [with] youthful, concentrated fruit, spicy oak and generous red berry freshness”.
Manser Wines is just ten years old and was founded by brothers Kevin and Phil Manser.
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“We are absolutely bowled over by this result,” Phil said.
“It’s fantastic to get this recognition for all the hard work over the season but also for our take on what makes a great Grenache – the sandy soils of McLaren Vale’s microregions, vines that have weathered over a century of mother nature and the non-interventionist winemaking of our long-term collaborator and friend, Phil Christiensen.”
The small batch of the 100-Year-Old Vines McLaren Vale Grenache is available online here.
Third film in Hamilton Wine trilogy released
Dr Richard Hamilton, Jette Hamilton, Rick Cavaggion. Photo: Supplied
The third in a trilogy of documentaries about Richard Hamilton has premiered, telling the largely unknown story of the family’s involvement in the Australian gold rush during the 1850s.
During the drought and depression of the early 1850s, five of Richard Hamilton’s adult children (and their 19 offspring) abandoned the family’s McLaren Vale vineyard and trekked from Adelaide to the Victorian goldfields.
Called WineLine 3 Gold, the documentary follows WineLine 1: The Hamilton Story and WineLine 2: Odyssey.
“This is a personal journey by Dr Richard Hamilton in the footsteps of a prominent South Australian wine family who ventured into the Victorian goldfields,” director Rick Cavaggion said.
A wine fair with a difference
For 90 years, the Z Ward hosted Adelaide’s criminally insane. Photo: Supplied
Wine lovers can experience something completely novel at the ‘Z Ward Wine Fair’.
Hosted by the National Trust, the event will let attendees roam around the upper and ground floors of Glenside’s Z Ward, where, for 90 years, the criminally insane were locked away.
There, winemakers and wineries will occupy cells and offer complimentary tastings.
The Z Ward Wine Fair will be held on 14-15 June. Tickets are available here.
Running With Bulls releases first bagnum
Photo: Running With Bulls
Barossa Valley’s Running With Bulls has released its first-ever bagnum – a 1.5L soft pack containing its best-selling Tempranillo.
The brand said the bagnum format is designed with younger drinkers in mind, calling it “shareable, sessionable, and 90 per cent lighter than glass – perfect for picnics, hikes, or quiet nights in”.
Launching alongside the bagnum is the brand’s new Bullish Shiraz – a classic Barossa Shiraz dialled up with a dash of Tempranillo, giving it a kick of black pepper and warm brown spice.
- Running with Bulls Tempranillo Bagnum 1.5L RRP $40
- Running with Bulls Bullish Shiraz 750mL RRP $21
