By Christine Salins.
Yalumba Galway Vintage Claret 1964
To know where you’re going, you need to know where you’ve come from. Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, Yalumba, certainly operates by that credo. It has a proud history dating back to 1849 yet it always has an eye on the future.
Yalumba’s remarkable legacy spanning six generations is honoured in a number of fine wines with great pedigree and price tags that only serious wine drinkers will pay.
But it has something in its line-up for all budgets, and it’s pretty special to think that you can be drinking an under-$20 wine that shares some of that proud history.
Yalumba’s Galway Vintage Shiraz has been re-launched with a label that pays homage to the wine’s long history. The label incorporates elements of earlier Galway labels including the iconic Yalumba clocktower building that featured on the original artwork.
Yalumba Galway Vintage Shiraz
Yalumba first released the Galway label in 1943 with the bottling of a 1941 ‘Claret’, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. It was initially released as a ‘trade wine’ selling for 1 shilling 11 pence per bottle.
In the 1980s, the label evolved to become Galway Hermitage, containing mostly Shiraz from the Barossa. Made as a single varietal Shiraz ever since, it’s a rich yet approachable crowd favourite, the sort of wine you might pull out at a barbecue or at a game of backyard cricket.
Named for former South Australian Governor, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Lionel Galway, a keen wine buff, Galway has been a well-loved wine for generations. In 1965, then Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies declared it the best Australian red he had ever tasted.
Yalumba The Octavius Shiraz
Yalumba winemaker Marc van Halderen says that although it’s an old stalwart, Galway has always been relevant to wine drinkers of the time. “It used to be a light, simple Shiraz, but today it’s become a generous, fruit driven, quaffable wine which rewards consistently, time and time again.”
Yalumba 2019 Galway Vintage Shiraz, $18: Generous flavours of plum, blackberry and sweet spice, with hints of licorice and pepper, soft tannins and a long, pleasing finish. Enjoy with mushroom risotto, burgers or barbecued meats.
Yalumba 2016 The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz, $150: At the other end of the spectrum, this flagship Shiraz has a beautiful purity and elegance. With rich and distinctive flavours of plum, cassis and mocha, it is made from Barossa and Eden Valley vines with an average age of 80 years.
Yalumba The Steeple Shiraz
Yalumba The Steeple Vineyard Shiraz 2016, $80: A fine wine that is approachable now but also a keeper, The Steeple comes from an exceptional single Barossa site with century-old vines. Named for an old Lutheran church steeple seen from the vineyard, it has generous notes of dark cherry, dried fruit, coffee and cinnamon. If you enjoy mulled wine, you’ll love this.
