Barossa Valley Estate:At Marananga, in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia

(Text & Photos supplied by Sightseeing South Australia)

The Heart, The Soul, The Soil.

Right in the heart of the Barossa at Marananga you'll find Barossa Valley Estate Winery and Cellar Door complex.

The estate is the result of a co-operative formed in 1985 between some 80 mainly third and fourth generation Barossa Valley grape growers.

Made from local stone and built with meticulous environmental care and planning during 2002, the winery is complemented by 43 hectares of new vine plantings and seven hectares of established vineyards.

Open seven days a week for tastings, light lunches and unique functions, here you can discover the Barossa Valley Estate range of premium, award-winning wines including E&E, Ebenezer, Moculta, Epiphany and Spires.

E&E
From old, twisted vines which produce only a meagre yield, comes one of the Barossa's most awarded wines E&E Black Pepper Shiraz and E&E Sparkling Shiraz.
US magazine Wine Spectator (2000 edition) voted the 1996 E&E Black Pepper Shiraz Number 7 in the world and the 2001 edition voted the 1996 E&E Black Pepper Shiraz joint highest scoring Australian wine, equal with Penfold's Grange and Henschke's Hill of Grace.

Ebenezer
This premium range was named in honour of the picturesque village where generations of growers have painstakingly nurtured their vineyards since 1851. Descendents of Adam Bartsch, who built the Ebenezer church in 1859, proudly supply fruit for the Ebenezer 'flavour-bursting' range including Shiraz, Cabernet Merlot and Chardonnay.

Moculta
Moculta is an area renowned for premium fruit, located around eight kilometres north east of Angaston. Named after a prominent hill by the local Aboriginals, it was settled in 1865 by Irishman Abraham Shannon. One of its finest landmarks is the beautiful Lutheran church (c1880) which is featured on the Moculta wine labels. Grapes for the Moculta range, including Shiraz, Chardonnay and Cabernet Merlot, are hand and machine harvested from vines between 10-60 years old sourced from seven vineyards and three different Barossa sub-areas.

Epiphany
Barossa Valley Estate's Winemaker Stuart Bourne says Epiphany is an inviting drop that has all the expression of the region's Shiraz without a hefty pricetag. Retailing for about $12-$14, the debut vintage 2001 Epiphany Shiraz will be more appealing - and affordable - to a broader range of consumers, yet still enjoyed by fans of the big, powerful Barossa Shiraz styles like E&E.

The essential difference between Epiphany and Ebenezer and E&E reds is that fruit for the latter mainly comes from very old, dry-grown Shiraz vines in the Barossa's drier northern areas, where yields are small and the berries only tiny, yet packed with incredibly concentrated flavours and characters.

Spires
The essence of the Barossa Valley is captured in its unique landscape of vineyards, stone cottages and church spires. It reflects the profound influence the first German settlers had on the area, so Barossa Valley Estate have named their Spires range in honour of their achievements and the landscape they forged.

These fruit driven wines, including Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay Semillon, are from 100% Barossa fruit - a rarity in wines of this price range.

Barossa Valley Estate
Address. Seppeltsfield Road, Marananga 5355
Ph. 61 (0)8 8562 3599
Fax. 61 (0)8 8562 4255
Email. bve@chariot.net.au
Website. www.bve.com.au