5th February 2025
Château Tanunda has marked the start of the 2025 vintage in the region this week with its annual ‘ringing of the bell’ ceremony.
Held on Monday, the tradition dates back to Château Tanunda’s early years, with this edition a particularly special one coinciding with the winery’s 135th anniversary in 2025.
The ceremony sees the entire estate team gather to ring the 100-year-old bell on the forecourt of the family winery’s iconic winery and cellar door building.
The winemaking team – this year led for the first time by Château Tanunda’s Senior Winemaker, Jeremy Ottawa – also provide a brief overview of the incoming vintage conditions as part of the ceremony.
When speaking to the incoming 2025 vintage, Ottawa noted its possible challenges but also its potential to produce exceptional fruit.
“This year’s vintage is three weeks earlier than average and will be a compressed edition with the reds and whites coming in simultaneously.
We will be spending a lot of time amongst our vineyards to select the best fruit at their optimal picking perfection. We expect the berries to be small and the flavour intensity high,” says Ottawa.
“As a winemaker, vintage is the most exciting time of year for the unique challenges and opportunities nature presents us with year after year to make the best wine we can – if every vintage was the same none of us would do it!”
Established in 1890, Château Tanunda is home to some of the Barossa’s oldest vines including the rare Centenarian Vines (100+ years of age) and Ancestor (125+ years of age) which are showcased in the winery’s prized Old Vine Expressions collection.
“Vintage here at Château Tanunda is like walking within the halls of Barossa winemaking fame. Today, it’s equipped with all the latest winemaking tools to allow us to craft some of the best wines in the estate’s long and proud winemaking history,” adds Ottawa.
Heading into the 135th anniversary year, the Geber family is committed to pouring passion, precision, and pride into every bottle. They honour Château Tanunda’s rich heritage while boldly embracing its future to continue a legacy that has stood the test of time.
“Chateau Tanunda has been historically strong in exports, and during this year in our 135th anniversary we are particularly focused on building the winery here at home, especially with our world-renowned Grand Barossa wines which are currently experiencing strong double-digit growth in Australia,” says Managing Director Michelle Geber.
“We remain committed to showcasing the excellence of Australia’s ultra-premium wines and sharing the Barossa’s unique old vine heritage with a wider audience through immersive tastings and storytelling at our Barossa and Sydney cellar doors.”