Yalumba, the oldest family-owned winery in Australia, celebrated its 175th anniversary this month, on November 17th, 2024. This event marked nearly two centuries of winemaking excellence and a deep-rooted family legacy in the heart of Australia’s renowned Barossa Valley.
The celebrations began with a commemorative tree-planting session at Yalumba’s ‘Signature Vineyard’ on Eden Valley Road, Angaston. This session showcased the winery’s enduring commitment to environmental sustainability. Louisa Rose, Yalumba’s Winemaker and Head of Sustainability, shared, “Today has been a meaningful experience for our team to actively contribute to a more sustainable future,” she said. “Our group brings together diverse skills and roles, and it’s special for each of them to give back to the land, especially those not typically involved in our daily viticultural work.”
She continued, “Our Signature Vineyard, with its view over the Barossa Valley, is still relatively young
and planted with Cabernet and Shiraz. We prioritise planting native vegetation around all our
vineyards to support biodiversity and enhance vine health. This vineyard is set to play a pivotal role in
our future, providing grapes for our most renowned wine, Yalumba The Signature.”
Robert Hill-Smith, the fifth-generation proprietor and Chairman of Yalumba, reflected on the importance of the anniversary. “This anniversary is not only a nod to years passed. It is a reflection of our resilience and a commitment to mastering our craft, generation after generation. It also acknowledges the many exceptional fine wine people that have come through the gates of Yalumba across three centuries with shared love for our property, our wines, and our industry,” he stated.
“Most of all, it is a celebration of an exciting future ahead for our family business and the world of Australian fine wine. While we celebrate our past 175 years, we keep our eyes firmly set on the next 175 as the generations before us have done.”
As part of the year’s festivities, Yalumba released a Museum Collection that features a selection of the great vintages of its finest wines, aged up to 20 years. This collection pays tribute to Yalumba’s lasting winemaking legacy, showcasing over a century of vision and craft.
In honour of the 175th anniversary, Yalumba also introduced a limited-edition Shiraz Grenache blend. This special anniversary wine, crafted from grapes sourced from some of the Barossa’s oldest vineyards, is a reflection of Yalumba’s character and heritage. The limited-edition Shiraz Grenache 2022 magnums are available for purchase, allowing wine lovers to own a piece of Yalumba’s storied history.
The Yalumba story begins in 1847 with Samuel Smith, who settled on land cared for by the Peramangk people for millennia. Out of respect for the land and its original custodians, he named his farm Yalumba, a word thought to originate from the Peramangk language, meaning “all the country around”. Today, Yalumba acknowledges the traditional owners of the land and pays homage to their rich storytelling tradition.
The 175th anniversary of Yalumba not only commemorates its past but also heralds a promising future, ensuring that the legacy of the Hill-Smith family and their dedication to fine winemaking and community continues for generations to come.
The Yalumba 175th Anniversary Shiraz Grenache 2022 magnums are RRP $175, available at the
Yalumba Wine Room and Yalumba.com from 17 November.
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