| Seppeltsfield | |
| Location | Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1851 |
| Key people | Joseph Ernst Seppelt, Oscar Benno Seppelt, James Godfrey (winemaker) |
| Parent company | Seppeltsfield Estate Trust (Kilikanoon) |
| Known for | 100 Year Old Para Tawny Port |
| Varietals | Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Grenache |
| Website | www.seppeltsfield.com.au |
Seppeltsfield, one of Australia’s oldest wineries, was founded in 1851 by Joseph Ernst Seppelt. The Seppeltsfield winery is well known for their signature wine, the 100 year old Para Tawny Port.[1]
Contents |
Joseph Seppelt, a merchant who sold such commodities as tobacco and liqueurs, emigrated with his family from Poland to Australia in 1849 to break free from political and economical issues.[2] In 1850, he and his family settled in Klemzig. He was intent on growing and selling tobacco. After discovering that the land was not suited for such purpose, Joseph Seppelt and his family decided settle in the Barossa Valley in 1851.[3]
In 1851, Seppelt purchased 158 acres (0.64 km2) of land for about £1 an acre. He would later call this land Seppeltsfield. He soon discovered that, as was the case in Klemzig, the land in the Barossa Valley was not suited for growing proper tobacco.[4][5] However, the Seppelts did have success growing wheat on their land and were able to sell it for high prices due to high demand at the time. With his knowledge of liqueur gained from his days at a merchant, Seppelt saw there was potential for wine production on his land. Soon thereafter, the Seppelts planted vines that flourished, and by 1867, Joseph had begun construction of a full scale winery and by 1878, the port store cellar was completed.[2] Today, the cellar holds about 9 million litres of fortified wine.[6]
Joseph Seppelt did not live to see the completion of his winery, as he died in early 1868. Oscar Seppelt, his eldest son, inherited a 55% majority of the winery at that time at the age of 21. Benno’s younger siblings Victor and Ottilie inherited 30% and 15% of the winery respectively. He would later buy out his younger siblings and retain complete control of the winery.
Benno’s oversight helped earn the winery a reputation for quality wines. At the turn of the century, the Seppelt Winery was Australia’s largest winery, producing 2 million litres annually.[2] According to Ken Gargett, Seppeltsfield is thought to be the iconic winery in the Barossa Valley.[7] It is believed that, as of 2006, about 300,000 people would visit Seppeltsfield on a yearly basis.[8]
In 1878, Benno selected a 500 litre barrel of one of his finest port-style wines and declared that the barrel would be allowed to mature for 100 years. It was at that time that the idea of for the Seppeltsfield 100 year old Para Tawny port-style wine was born. From 1878 on, every year the Seppelts would set aside more of their finest wine for 100 years of barrel maturation. In 1978, the first bottles of the 100 year old Para Tawny were released. The 100 year old Para Tawny has become the signature wine for the Seppeltsfield brand.[1] Seppeltsfield is the only winery to have notable amounts of wine set aside in consecutive vintages of over 100 years.[9]
Benno and his wife had a total of 16 children. After his death in 1931, many of his children took controlling interests in the company. The winery remained in the Seppelt family until 1984 when it was purchased by SA Brewing Holdings. Meanwhile, Tooth & Co., part of the Adelaide Steamship Group, purchased a number of wineries.[10] AdSteam sold its wineries to SA Brewing Holdings in 1990, who then renamed all of its wine holdings "The Penfolds Wines Group", and then in 1994, Southcorp Wines. In 2005 ownership changed hands again when the Foster's Group purchased Southcorp Wines.[11] In 2007, ownership of the winery changed again when the Seppeltsfield Estate Trust, which includes Nathan Waks (Managing Director) and Bruce Baudinet (Chairman), purchased Seppeltsfield from the Foster's Group.[12]