Image: Seppeltsfield Road
Australia’s only sub-regional wine show returned in style this year to recognise fantastic local winemakers and wines being produced in the western Barossa. At the 2025 Marananga Wine Show Public Tasting, wine lovers, growers, and producers came together for an event that captured the spirit of the western Barossa.
Launched back in 2004 by the Gnadenfrei Lutheran Church, the Marananga Wine Show was created to showcase the very best wines coming out of the Marananga region. Two decades on, the event has grown into a key fixture on the Barossa calendar and one of the country’s most unique wine shows.
“Gnadenfrei Lutheran church congregation members originally created the wine show in 2004, to provide the opportunity for local growers and producers to benchmark their wines, and the show has grown to have an extraordinary following, with the public tasting a much-loved community event,” shared 2025 Marananga Wine Show Committee Cath Wills.
Held at the Old Redemption Cellar at Peter Lehmann Wines, this year’s public tasting brought together more than 120 wines from across the western Barossa.
Tscharke Wines stole the show with their 2024 A Thing of Beauty Grenache, taking out both the Cooperage 1912 Trophy for Best Wine of Show and The Greenock Trophy for Best Grenache. Laughing Jack Wines was another big name of the evening, collecting the Gnadenfrei Lutheran Church Marananga Trophy for Best Exhibitor of Show, the Nitschke Furniture Trophy for Best White Wine for their 2022 Old Vine Greenock Semillon, and the SANECTOR Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon with their 2021 Gold Seam Moppa Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.
The crowd had its say too, with the Appellation at The Louise People’s Choice Award going to Elk Wines for their 2024 ‘The Stag’ Stonewell Shiraz.
Seppeltsfield Wines took home the MCC Adelaide Trophy for Best Rosé with their 2025 Barossa Grenache Rosé, and Murray Street Vineyards impressed across multiple categories, including the Fabro-Weld Trophy for Best Dry Red Blend and three separate Shiraz trophies.
What makes Marananga so special is the combination of high calibre of the wines and the intimate experiences being created by the locals. At the event, attendees kicked back with the growers and winemakers, swapping stories, tasting side by side, and even casting a vote for the coveted People’s Choice Award, which, of course, went to Elk Wines.
This slice of the Barossa, iconic for its palm-lined Seppeltsfield Road and dotted with villages like Marananga and Seppeltsfield, is home to some of South Australia’s most renowned wineries, including Whistler Wines, Torbreck, Tscharke, and Seppeltsfield. It’s a region with tonnes of tradition but alive with innovation, and the results of this year’s judging reflected just that.
“The wine industry is a key economic driver for the Barossa, and integrally combined in our culture and heritage. A celebration of local wine makers, such as the Marananga Wine Show, helps to connect us with the generational winemaking legacy within the Barossa, while championing innovation and emerging talent,” said Cath.
This year, the Marananga Wine Show once again proved why it holds such a special place in the Barossa, and continues to set the benchmark for wines being produced in the western Barossa.
2025 Marananga Wine Show Winners
Cooperage 1912 trophy for Best Wine of Show: Tscharke Wines 2024 A thing of beauty Grenache
Gnadenfrei Lutheran Church, Marananga trophy for Best Exhibitor of Show: Laughing Jack Wines
Appellation at The Louise trophy for People’s Choice: Elk Wines – 2024 The Stag’ Stonewell Shiraz
Nitschke Furniture trophy for Best White Wine: Laughing Jack Wines – 2022 Old Vine Greenock Semillon
MCC Adelaide trophy for Best Rosé: Seppeltsfield Wines 2025 Barossa Grenache Rosé
The Greenock trophy for Best Grenache: Tscharke Wines 2024 A thing of beauty
Grenache Winechek trophy for Best Grenache Dominant Blend: Hentley Farm 2024 The Stray Grenache Shiraz
Fabro-Weld trophy for Best Dry Red Blend: Murray Street Vineyards – 2023 Artisan Cabernet Shiraz
Barossa Vine Improvement trophy for Best Other Red Varietal / Alternative Wine: The Cutting – 2024 The Outlier Cinsault
SANECTOR trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Laughing Jack Wines – 2021 Gold Seam Moppa Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
Tanunda Cellars trophy for Best Shiraz 2024 or younger: Elk Wines – 2024 ‘The Stag’ Stonewell Shiraz
Barossa Valley Ballooning trophy for Best Shiraz 2023: Murray Street Vineyards – 2023 Artisan Shiraz
Winegrapes Australia trophy for Best Shiraz 2022 or older: Murray Street Vineyards 2022 Greenock Estate Shiraz
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