| Henschke | |
| Location | Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1868 |
| Key people | Johann Christian Henschke, Cyril Alfred, Stephen Henschke (winemaker) |
| Cases/yr | 40,000[1] |
| Known for | Hill of Grace |
| Varietals | Semillon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz |
| Website | http://www.henschke.com.au |
Henschke is a family-owned, 144 year old Australian winery located in Keyneton, Eden Valley South Australia. It produces the 'Hill of Grace', one of Australia's Cult wines and considered Australia's second best wine by James Halliday in 2009.[2]
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Johann Christian Henschke, born on 24 December 1803, was from Silesia, and fled his homeland for Australia in 1841. In 1862 he purchased land in what now is called Keyneton. In 1868 he produced the first vintage of about 300 gallons of wine. In 1891 his son Paul Gotthard Henschke bought some land near the Gnadenberg Church; that land is now known as 'the Hill of Grace vineyard'. In the 1950s, Henschke started focusing on table wine instead of fortified wine that was more common in Australia at that time. In 1979 Stephen and Prue Henschke took over the running of the winery after Stephen's father Cyril died.[3]
In 2009, Henschke was asked to join Australian wine alliance Australia’s First Families of Wine.[4]
Henschke is best known for 'Hill of Grace', a Shiraz based wine first produced in the 1958 vintage[5] and which is classified as Exceptional, the highest ranking in Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine in 2005.[6] Hill of Grace is produced from vines planted in the 1860s.[7][8] Henscke also produces a wide range of other wines many of shiraz, but also wines and blends from cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, grenache, mourvèdre, cabernet franc, semillon, chardonnay, riesling, gewürztraminer, viognier, pinot gris and muscat.