One of the biggest annual events in the Barossa Valley is the annual Declaration of Vintage celebrations.
The regional celebration of the grape harvest is held annually in the Barossa town of Tanunda with plenty of pageantry and colourful costumes to mark the occasion.
This year, however, something was missing: grapes. The 2023 vintage is several weeks behind schedule.
With no ripe grapes to press, for the first time since this event has been staged, the traditional hand crusher remained in storage and no grapes were pressed.
There was, however, some traditional business to attend to: the announcement by the Barons of the Barossa organisation of their Winemaker and Viticulturist of the Year.
The Barons named Jack Scholz (above) as the 2023 Barossa Winemaker of the Year and Tammy and Stuart Schutz as the joint Viticulturists of the Year earlier today.
Louisa Rose, the fraternity’s Grand Master (sounds a bit like the Freemasons) said: “These awards are peer generated. Jack, Tammy and Stuart are all respected for their dedication to producing grapes and wine of quality with a depth of regional expression.”
Jack Scholz, 29, works alongside his father Peter on the Willows Vineyard, which has enjoyed much recent success with its G7 range.
Tammy and Stuart Schutz were both raised in generational Barossa grape growing families.
Viticulturist Adrian Hoffmann, the Barons’ honorary vigneron, said that while grapes have begun to colour, the 2023 vintage is still some weeks away.
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