On October 23rd, the Calabria family solidified and celebrated their entry into the Barossa Valley region with an official opening of their cellar door officiated by Hon. David Ridgeway MLC, Minister for Trade, Tourism & Investment South Australia. Around 110 people joined the Calabria family and enjoyed a day filled with wine, vineyard views and beautiful food by the venue’s restaurant, Harvest Kitchen.
Andrew Calabria said, “It’s been close to a decade since we started our journey into this region and my siblings and I couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the opening of our Barossa Valley Cellar Door and a new era in our family’s long history.”
The picturesque setting for the day was made perfect with stunning weather, joined by the members of the Barossa community and wine industry stakeholders for the ribbon cutting ceremony by Bill and Lena Calabria along with Hon. David Ridgeway.
The site also includes 10 hectares of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon vines and was the family’s third vineyard acquisition in the region, taking their total vineyards holdings to 100 acres.
The family’s journey into the renowned Barossa Valley region began in 2010 when patriarch Bill Calabria and his sons were visiting the region and happened to notice a for sale sign on a vineyard. Although it was in disrepair it boasted vines planted in 1914, and Bill immediately fell in love with the site. So began many years of tirelessly working the land to bring the vineyard back to health.
“Everyone thought I should pull them out and start from scratch, but you would never get these one hundred years old vines again. I couldn’t let that history go.” Bill said.
Bill’s hard work paid off with the fruit from the one hundred year old vines creating the Calabria Iconic Grand Reserve Shiraz 2015, with the annual launch of the wine coinciding with yesterday’s opening. Chief Winemaker, Emma Norbiato says we can expect, “A wine that is made to respect the site and vines it comes from. Density, purity and harmony.” The wine will be
available for release in June 2020.
Michael Calabria said, “The release of the 2015 vintage also pays homage to these iconic moments in our family’s history. The opening of our Barossa Valley Cellar Door and our upcoming 75th anniversary are a celebration of our future and our past.”
2020 marks the Calabria family’s 75th anniversary, with plans already underway to celebrate.
On the anniversary and future of the family business, Elizabeth Calabria-Staltare said, “My brothers and I are very proud and extremely grateful for what our grandparents and parents went through to make the business what it is today. We plan to continue their legacy and pass the values we grew up with of working hard, being innovative and staying true to their vision, onto our own children. We will be celebrating with a couple of key events and activities, stay tuned for more details.”
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