SIXTH generation Barossa vigneron, Brett Grocke, has been titled Winemaker of the Year, in the prestigious 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.
Grocke, of Tanunda’s Eperosa, was chosen on a national level by an expert panel of judges, who reviewed close to 10,000 Australian wines throughout the past year.
Speaking to The Bunyip on Friday, Grocke thanked James Halliday and team, and said the accolade was both exciting and humbling.
“It does help reassure that you are on the right direction and track with what you’re doing with the wines your making,” he said.
“It’s also great for the Barossa, with Henshke being Winery of the Year and there were a couple wines that picked up gongs as well…We’ve done so well for the region and it’s a reflection of what the region is doing.
“…We realise on a world scale we are a small place and what better than to work together to achieve a common goal of making the Barossa a renowned wine region.”
Grocke started out working as a viticultural consultant, across South Australia, before purchasing a Vine Vale vineyard in 2013, followed by vines on Krohndorf Road.
He has also been able to buy grenache from the 1858 Stonegarden Vineyard in Eden Valley, and joined with Light Regional Council to buy grapes from a single row of ancient shiraz vines that once formed a boundary row of a vineyard now covered with houses.
His first vintage was completed in the corner of a Tanunda shed with a hand-operated basket press, the wine moved by gravity.
In awarding Grocke the title of Winemaker of the Year, it was noted that of the 56 wines Grocke has made since 2005, 33 have received 95 or more points (out of 100) from the Halliday judging team.
Other major winners in the 2021 awards include Eden Valley’s Henschke for Winery of the Year, Brokenwood’s 2018 Graveyard Shiraz (Hunter Valley) for Wine of the Year, McLaren Vale’s Varney Wines for Best New Winery, Yarran Wines (NSW) for Dark Horse of the Year, and Best’s Wines (VIC) for Best Value Winery of the Year.
The awards mark the release of the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion book, which is a comprehensive guide to Australia’s leading wines, wineries, grape growing regions and includes all award winners and over 4000 tasting notes.