Grampians Wine Barrique

The annual, highly anticipated Grampians Winemakers Shiraz Barrique auction is a highlight of the Grampians Grape Escape Festival each and every year!

What is the Barrique?

The Barrique Shiraz was inspired by a trip to France and the famous Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy, an auction where wine is sold by the barrique*. The idea was born and the first Barrique Shiraz was created by winemakers Trevor Mast and Viv Thomson in 1993 by blending select cuvees of the local wineries’ best Shiraz and maturing the finished wine in an oak barrel, known as a barrique. The wine was then bottled and packed ready to be auctioned at the region’s annual gourmet festival. The crowd did not disappoint and the barrique went under the hammer for the grand total of $4400. The auction has since become a highlight of the Grampians Grape Escape Festival, drawing fierce bidding from wine and food clubs and private buyers.

In those early years, the wine was sold as one lot only (25 dozen) which put it out of reach of many but even so, it was hotly contested and increased in price year on year such was its reputation for quality. These days, the Barrique Shiraz is auctioned in a variety of lot sizes to appeal to all comers, including single bottles and magnums but the total volume of wine remains the same, just 225L only!

The process of assembling and blending the Barrique Shiraz begins with our local winemakers in the Grampians region reserving a special selection of their Shiraz to donate to the ‘barrique’ wine. Trevor Mast, a pioneer of cool climate Shiraz, took charge of the first 14 vintages of the barrique before passing the baton to Simon Clayfield in 2007. This year’s Barrique Shiraz has been blended by Mount Langi Ghiran‘s Chief Winemaker, Adam Louder.

The Barrique Shiraz aims to embody everything that is great about cool climate Shiraz from the Grampians region, sourcing its fruit from elevated and gravelly terroirs with each winemaker adding their own twist along the way towards the final blending. Tom Guthrie, the owner of Grampians Estate and a life member of the festival, has been contributing to the Barrique Shiraz since 1996. He is a personal fan of the wine, describing it as aging into magnificent wine.

The Barrique auction will again be a highlight of the 30th Grampians Grape Escape Festival and we suggest you come along join the fun and be ready to bid on the 2021 vintage and some museum vintages from the last 30 years on Saturday, May 6th, on 2:15 pm, Halls Gap.

Grab your tickets to Grampians Grape Escape here

* A barrique is a specific size of oak barrel that holds approximately 225L (or 300 bottles).

Register below to access our tips and tricks on how to bid to get your hands bottle or 6 of the Grampians Barrique at the 2023 Grampians Grape Escape.