The Grapevine: Wine industry updates from South Australia
In this edition of The Grapevine: a bubbly Penola venue is celebrated, a Barossa wine legend is remembered and Vinarchy unveils its transition plans.
- Penola venue gets national ‘best place’ award
- Vinarchy unveils transition plans
- New chair for Hill-Smith Family Estates board
- Barossa Valley wine legend remembered
- Wine festival to take over the Central Markets
- Treasury Wine puts a dampener on US results
- McLaren Vale AgTech Demonstration Vineyard launched
- New industry workforce strategy
Penola venue gets national ‘best place’ award
POPO & Cuvée-Co has been awarded the overall 2025 National Best Place Bubbly Award at the Bubbles Review.
Venues were nominated by bubbly lovers around the country, with winners picked per state and an overall national favourite.
POPO & Cuvée-Co at Penola took out the top gong.
“Being named The Best Bubbly Place in Australia was a complete surprise,” POPO & Cuvée-Co Wines owner Peta Baverstock said.
“Even the nomination was a wonderful nod to the venue, and a moment to stop and reflect on what I have created in the past year.
POPO (Penola’s Old Post Office) space was opened just over a year ago as a tasting room to showcase Cuvée-Co Wines’ sparkling wine range.
“The venue may not be as opulent as some of the other amazing nominees, but the circa 150-year-old building has a lot of charm and is flooded with natural light,” Baverstock said.
Vinarchy unveils transition plans
Hardys Vineyard. Photo: Vinarchy
With a $30 million war chest, newly formed wine giant Vinarchy will establish its Rowland Flat winery in the Barossa as a “centre of excellence for premium and sparkling winemaking”.
It will also transition its primary commercial winemaking, packaging and warehousing operations to Berri Estates in the Riverland.
Work done at the St Hallett winery in the Barossa and Hardy’s Tintara winery in McLaren Vale will transition to Rowland Flat for the 2026 and 2027 vintages, respectively.
You might like
Adelaide will remain the company’s corporate headquarters.
The “twin-hub structure” at Berri Estates and Rowland Flat “allows us to consolidate our resources and expertise, strengthening the business and ensuring we remain competitive in the face of ongoing challenges in the global wine market,” Vinarchy chief supply officer Joe Russo said.
“Both St Hallett and Hardys are critical brands for Vinarchy, and we recognise the rich local history they have in the Barossa and McLaren Vale.
“While our winemaking will move, our commitment to quality wines, local sourcing and premium cellar door experiences for these brands do not change.
“These wines will be made with the same grapes from the same regions, by the same winemakers, just at another winery.”
As part of the company’s plans, the Rolf Binder and Banrock Station cellar door and restaurant operations will close. Vineyard and viticulture operations at these locations will be unaffected, however.
“We are deeply mindful of the impact these changes may have on our people,” Russo said.
“Where roles are affected, we are committed to supporting our teams through redeployment opportunities to other locations in many cases, or, where necessary, redundancy and outplacement support.”
New chair for Hill-Smith Family Estates board
Kiera Grant has been named the new chair of the Hill-Smith Family Estates board of directors, replacing fifth-generation proprietor Robert Hill-Smith.
Grant has been a non-executive director since 2014 and has a 20-year executive career in investment banking.
Kiera Grant
More recently, she has served as director for a range of ASX-listed companies and currently serves as non-executive director of Adairs Limited and Future Generation Global Investment Company.
She is also a trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and is the sole independent director of Perennial Partners.
Hill-Smith will move to preside over the company’s new Family Council, and will remain on the board as deputy chair.
“Kiera has served with distinction and enthusiasm on our board, and I am thrilled that she has accepted our invitation to become chair,” Hill-Smith said.
“We look forward to the future under Kiera’s guidance as a wine enthusiast and eminently qualified professional who is committed to our family business.”
Barossa Valley wine legend remembered
The “unrivalled Australian ‘King’ of Merlot” and Irvine Wines founder Jim Irvine has died at 92 years old.
The winemaker, who was inducted as a Baron of the Barossa, was remembered as an “unsung hero”.
Grand Master Baron Louisa Rose said Jim was a “friend, mentor, and inspiration to many Barossans – an innovator unafraid to try something new, and a true legend of the Barossa”.
“But he was more than that. He had a remarkable memory and was always generous with a story or two, or ready to listen to one.
Stay informed, daily
“Jim lived and worked in the Barossa for much of his life, often as the unsung hero – mentor, teacher, confidant – and sometimes taking the limelight as the unrivalled Australian ‘King’ of Merlot. Three times Jim was awarded World’s Best Merlot; not surprising to those who, only a month ago, tasted his 1995 Grand Merlot which was the star of a tasting of 50 wines at The Barossa Cellar during a Vintage Festival event.
“Jim was proud to be inducted as a Baron of Barossa in 1998, and perhaps prouder still to see his daughter, winemaker Jo Irvine, inducted in 2014.
“He will be deeply missed by the Barons, the Barossa, and the many people whose lives he touched. Our thoughts are with his family, Marjorie, Jo, and Cathie.”
South Australian Wine Industry Association board member and Langmeil Winery managing director Matthew McCulloch said Irvine was an “enthusiastic entertainer with an ever-present twinkle in his eye who was never short of a story or two”.
“He was generous with his time and advice when I moved to Tanunda in 2009.
“I discovered we shared a backstory of Scottish descent, and we both called Clare home for a while before eventually settling in Barossa. When I asked him why he loved Merlot, he replied, ‘I was brought up on Cabernet and Shiraz, but when I tasted Pétrus I couldn’t believe its power, richness, silkiness and softness. That’s where my love for Merlot came from. There were also very few Australian Merlots at the time, so I decided to make Merlot because nobody else was doing it!’
“Mister Merlot will be much missed.”
Wine festival to take over the Central Markets
The Adelaide Wine Festival will take over the Adelaide Central Markets on Sunday. Photo: Adelaide Wine Festival
More than 50 South Australian wineries will descend on the Adelaide Central Markets for an event celebrating local drops.
The Adelaide Wine Festival will be held this Sunday, 8 June, from 11.00 am until 5.00 pm.
Alongside the vino, food will be provided by iconic market stalls Lucias, Cumbia and SiSea.
For more information and tickets head here.
Treasury Wine puts a dampener on US results
With one of Treasury Wine Estates’ US distributors announcing it will cease its operations in California, the Penfolds owner has been forced to reassess its own business in the state.
But the company stressed that Republic National Distributing Company’s closure would not impact the group’s FY25 results.
However, the company will see earnings of $770 million – $10 million lower than expected – because of economic uncertainty in the US and weaker consumer demand for wine at price points below US$15.
McLaren Vale AgTech Demonstration Vineyard launched
Primary Industries & Regional Development MInister Clare Scriven officially opens the AgTech Demonstration Vineyard. Photo: Supplied
As part of the celebrations of the McLaren Vale region’s first year of AgTech irrigation trials, a new demonstration vineyard has been officially launched.
The McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association (MVGWTA) received funding from the state government to conduct trials of five different AgTech irrigation technologies.
These include Sentek, Athena IR-Tech, AirborneLogic, Green Brain and SWAN Systems.
The demonstration site continues to operate into the 2025/26 season.
“MVGWTA is incredibly grateful for PIRSA’s continued support for technological extension and adoption through projects such as this, which has made it possible to establish our own dedicated demonstration vineyard right here in McLaren Vale,” MVGWTA CEO Erin Leggat said.
“This investment empowers MVGWTA and our members to explore and test a range of viticultural innovations in a real-world environment, giving local growers access to cutting-edge Agtech and paving the way for a more sustainable, resilient and future-focused McLaren Vale wine industry.”
New industry workforce strategy
The state government has announced it will develop a sector-wide strategy to attract and retain workers in the food, wine and agribusiness sectors.
The Food, Wine and Agribusiness Workforce Strategy will deliver a long-term integrated approach to supporting workforce growth, the state government said.
Development will be undertaken during 2025/26, with a focus on stakeholder engagement.
