Yalumba returns to its roots

This month Yalumba celebrates the 2019 vintage release of its beloved Galway Vintage Shiraz with a heritage label that pays homage to its past.

Yalumba first released the Galway label in 1943 with the bottling of a 1941 ‘Claret’, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

Initially released as a ‘trade wine’ for 1 shilling 11 pence per bottle, the wine laid the foundation for the style of Yalumba red table wines.

In the 1980s, the label evolved to become the Galway Hermitage, containing mostly Shiraz from the Barossa. Since then, it has been made as a single varietal Shiraz.

“The heritage label conjures up fond, nostalgic memories of years gone by. Yalumba Galway Vintage Shiraz has been a well-loved wine for generations,” said Marketing Manager, Jacinta Gibson.

Galway has had an impressive following over its 80 year history, and was famously declared in 1965 at the Australian Stock Exchange by Sir Robert Menzies as the best Australian Red he had ever tasted.

For Yalumba winemaker Marc van Halderen, Galway is the closest thing we have to time travel.

“It’s an old stalwart, using a traditional variety, but has always been relevant to the wine drinker of the time,” he said.

“It used to be a light, simple Shiraz, but today it's become a generous, fruit driven, quaffable wine which rewards consistently, time and time again,” said van Halderen.

“The grapes for this Galway Vintage Shiraz are sourced throughout the renowned Barossa region. Ideal for growing expressive Shiraz”.

The heritage label incorporates elements of earlier Galway labels including the iconic Yalumba Clocktower building that featured on the original artwork.

“To know where you’re going, you need to first know where you’ve come from,” said Gibson.

“The Yalumba family story has always been one of proudly trusting in the unknown. Started by Samuel Smith, who - with his son, Sidney - planted some of the very first vines in the Barossa.”

“We want to excite and challenge the drinker; evolve with them and take them on a journey with every glass and every bottle.”

Yalumba Galway Vintage Shiraz 2019 is available from local bottleshops for RRP $18.