Aussie vines reach 165-year milestone

A Barossa vineyard is to celebrate its 165th birthday on 4 December with a lunch party on the “unique patch of dirt”.

Schild Estate’s 165 year old Barossa vineyard called Moorooroo

Schild Estate’s Moorooroo Vineyard was planted by Johan and William Jacob in 1847, just 11 years after the foundation of South Australia, and is currently cared for by winemakers Ed and Michael Schild.

According to the Barossa Old Vine Charter, the Moorooroo vineyard falls into the category of “Ancestor Vines”, as the vines’ genetic material has helped to populate Barossa vineyards.

Only four rows of these ancient vines remain, providing grapes for Schild Estate’s most prized label, although the low-yielding vineyard only produces about 200 cases each year.

“The historical importance of these vines is hard to ignore,” said Schild chief winemaker Scott Hazeldine.

“Coupled with that, the vines’ deep root structures and their ability to thrive in all conditions, their low yields and resulting depth of flavour, and the individual, idiosyncratic and unique characters that show up in the final wine really remind us just how lucky we are to get to play with this unique patch of dirt.”

The current release of this wine is the 2007 Moorooroo Limited Release Shiraz with an RRP of AU$85.