Discover the Rockford Winery in Barossa

Note from Guidora Team: This is a guest blogpost from Roshan Lewis, who writes about her travel experiences at http://roshansramblings.com 

By Roshan Lewis:

Featured Winery: Rockford, Barossa.

It was my third visit to the Rockford cellar door and I was not disappointed. It confirmed for me all the reasons why it is my favourite winery in the Barossa.

Rockford has been operating since 1984. The cellar door is a small quaint stone cottage from the 1850’s where you have to jostle for a place overlooked by the port barrels and quirky white cat in the roof.

Rockford’s founder, Robert O’Callaghan, started as a trainee winemaker at Seppelt’s Rutherglen winery in 1965. His philosophy is that “quality winemaking is a skilled craft that consumes a very large part of one’s life, so it must give you joy. That joy is extended if the maker can sell the wine directly to those who drink it for their pleasure.”

The cellar door host was bright and friendly, and was happy to share the story of Rockford with us while we tasted their wares. Rockford’s wines are all handmade from established Barossa varieties. Once the grapes are picked, they are fermented for seven days in the 10 foot gravity fed underground tanks that keep the wine at a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. The grapes are then basket pressed and set in oak barrels for two to three weeks.

Outside you can clearly see the winery in operation with oak barrels and tank lids built into the ground which Robert collected when they were discarded by other Australian wineries as they modernised. It was a great lesson in wine making, especially for my friend as it was her first visit to the Barossa.

My top pick this year was the 2012 Rod & Spur (65% Shiraz and 35% Cabernet) which is named after the growers who spend the winter hand pruning in the traditional rod and spur method. The oldest vines with grapes in this bottle are 132 years old!

I have also been a fan of their Alicante Bouche for a while now; and shared a bottle of 2015 White Frotignac over an Asian dinner that night which was the perfect pairing.

Other wines available in the current release are:

-2012 Eden Valley Riesling

-2012 Local Grower’s Semillon

-2013 Frugal Farmer

-2011 Moppa Springs

-2011 Basket Press Shiraz (limit of 3 bottles per customer at the cellar door)

-2014 Disgorgement

-S Marion Tawney

Be quick as the 2012 Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 Shiraz VP have already sold out! Rockford cellar door is open seven days a week from 11am to 5pm (excluding Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and the 3rd Sunday in May).

Address:  131 Krondorf Rd, Tanunda, SA 5352

Phone: (08) 8563 2720 or 1800 088 818 (free call)

Email: info.contact@rockfordwines.com.au

Website: www.rockfordwines.com.au