History never repeats.

I'm having a bit of a Split Enz moment tonight - if you aren't familiar with the song 'History never repeats' then you should listen to it here. Split Enz were one of my favourite bands in the eighties and I find them (and the Finn brothers' offshoot, Crowded House) rather inspiring to listen to, when I am writing.

Speaking of inspiring, opening the Collective Barossa shop in the magnificent historical landmark c.1866 building which houses the Barossa Museum in Tanunda, was serendipity as far as the continuing journey to write my first (published) book. I have dreamt of writing this particular book for at least five years, and whilst I had the basic concept of it in my head, I had been unable to find a starting point in many ways; the format, the publishing and a sense of confusion as to how I was going to expand on the very early history of the region with little experience of digging so deeply through archives, and not having the time to do so. So by having a shop in the Museum (also the Barossa Valley's first Post Office and Telegraph Station) and walking regularly past the amazing array of historical items whenever I venture to the toilets or glass washing area, I have found the encouragement to begin working on what will no doubt be a very rewarding project.

As my ancestors were the third largest landholders in the Flaxman's Valley area until the very early 1900's, I have long been curious as to how the land was divided up, and how much of it is still in the hands of generations descended from these first families. Some of the (previously) well-known families of this region (which I have lived in since 1985) such as Argent and Randall, married into my ancestors families, and small sections of the region were even named after them i.e Argent-Town and Randall-Town. The past fifteen years or so have seen most of these families leave the region, and with many newcomers to the area, our history was slowly being lost, and this is what gave me the original idea of recording what I could, whilst some of these family members were still alive and able to contribute to what will possibly be the first book dedicated to this region.

My landlords of the Collective Barossa shop are the small and amazing group of people who dedicate their time, on a voluntary basis, under the banner of the Barossa Valley Archives and Historical Trust. Since 1963, when the Trust was formed (due to concerns that the Barossa was fast succumbing to development and the subsequent loss of our valuable historical buildings and items) the members of the Trust have preserved an incredible array of anything and everything that relates to the Barossa and its German heritage. Many of them have recorded some of the informaton in a collection of historical books and their passion and skills are second to none.

I have enlisted the help of one of the members, Mr. Reg Munchenberg, to help me in researching information to write an accurate account of what the Flaxman's Valley area was like from settlement in the late 1840's to the early 1900's. Reg is a wealth of information and his experience in historical research is truly amazing. I thank him sincerely for his assistance, and have no doubt that without it, I would never have been able to get this project started so soon. It is really important to me that some of the older generation - my former neighbours in the area in the 1980's - get to see this book finished as they have already shown such excitement at the prospect, and gratitude to me, even in this very embryonic stage. Earlier in the year I sent out questionnaires to former residents to see if they were interested in participating, and I was thrilled to check my mail and see the completed questionnaires, copies of photos and heartfelt notes enclosed. I feel privileged to have lived out here early enough to have seen the lifestyle that was so simple and different to what it has become over the past fifteen years.

The photo below is of Reg with some of the information he has already collated for me. Now, in my spare time, I get to the fun part of reading it all, cross-referencing and formatting it into a very interesting beginning to my book. I look forward to the day when I can proudly announce that "Tales from Bullfrog Flat" is published and ready to read:)

A chilly night with warm hospitality! Collective Barossa is officially opened.

Our vintage is over. Whether it actually was long, or whether it just felt long, well, I am not sure but it sure has been a busy time. James already has a full-time job (outside of the wines and vines). I now manage and work in a shop (Collective Barossa), as you probably already know. In between, we have harvested, made our products for 2010 and maintained some form of sanity in our house. I am not sure how, but the important thing is that we made it. And by all accounts, the long, hard slog has been worth it on many fronts.

I will write an update on the actual Karra Yerta vintage soon but tonight's entry is on the recent Official Opening of Collective Barossa.

Planning an event during vintage, ie trying to co-ordinate four different wineries, and communicating with guests who are also in the industry (with everyone working endless stints of six or seven days a week, and long hours during those days) can be a huge challenge. When I chose April 10 to be our night to officially celebrate the opening of the Collective Barossa shop, it felt like it was so far away but the weeks went fast, the vintage continued and it was there before any of us realised. Despite the inevitable hiccups that come with such things, we did manage to host a small but pleasant evening which all of our guests will remember.

Approximately 55 people attended on that rainy, misty Barossa autumn night to taste the delicious wines from the four wineries - Karra Yerta, Gumpara, Kurtz Family Vineyards and Smallfry Wines. Wayne from Smallfry and myself took care of the food and made sure that everyone had a delicious feed to compliment the wines. All of the winemakers attended and spent the night mingling with our guests who appreciated the opportunity to meet the Collective group and learn about our wines.

Wine journalist Philip White gave a short but poignant speech on the Collective, the wine industry in general, and also expressed his appreciation of the actual Barossa Museum and its rare and special contents. Three members of the Barossa Valley Archives and Historical Trust attended and gave guests the opportunity to have guided tours or just discuss items in the Museum which gave a nice, personal touch.

Our two teenage sons provided live music in the adjoining courtyard and no-one let the weather dampen their spirits. At the end of the night, all of the Collective group had a hard earned Cooper's Pale Ale after cleaning up, and that is the group photo taken below. The top photo is of our eldest son, Daniel, entertaining us; the second of Mark from Gumpara Wines with his Mum, Bev and step-father, Bruce, and the third, James with local legend, BobMcLean. It really was a great night and a success on all fronts. We look forward to having more Collective Barossa events in the future.

A little less conversation, a little more action...

The title of this blog entry is one of my favourite motivational songs, and I need some motivation. It's been a huge five weeks; long days (still), short nights, summer, vintage, and in between yet more surprises, some bad but mostly good.

I am exceptionally happy at the way the range of Karra Yerta wines have been received at the Collective Barossa shop, and lots of new friends have been made which is really wonderful and incredibly encouraging. There has been so much bad press regarding the Barossa and the entire Australian wine industry in recent weeks that it is totally refreshing to be in the thick of many levels of the local wine industry at the grass roots level, and feel such positivity.

My customers at the shop are sincere in their appreciation of our "hands-on" approach, as tired as we all are (the four winemakers and myself), and they really do leave the Collective Barossa shop with another perspective of the Barossa (and Australian) wine industry. It is wonderful to be able to share our stories with our customers and also fill them in on our own family histories after they have visited the Museum.

In regards to the media, one positive event was a visit from one of our favourite wine writers, Andrew Graham, from Sydney. Andrew has reviewed a lot of Karra Yerta's wines over the past few years and always enjoys them which is a terrific feather in our cap seeing as how we were completely unknown when he first discovered us. It is the support of writers like Andrew that keep the little guys plugging away at their dreams when sometimes it all seems too hard. It is easy to give up, and I am sure that this year, many vignerons and winemakers will. It is an incomprehensibly tough market. I'm not sure when things will settle down, on a global scale let alone locally, but with the encouragement that Andrew provides, and many other writers who continually and willingly taste small batch wines, and not only appreciate and like them, but publish these positive reviews, it will get better for those of us that persist. The first photo below is of Steve (Kurtz Family Vineyards) with Andrew and his lovely lady, Caryn.

On the same day of Andrew's visit, I had to attend a photo shoot at Eden Valley for a feature in an upcoming Wine Business Magazine. When you get to stand along side the other producers from our very special, and still relatively unknown region (Eden Valley), you can't help but be impressed with the quality of wines being produced. Hutton Vale, McLean's Farm, Radford, Irvine, Mountadam, Henschke, Fernfield.... so many fine wines, such an incredible array. The bottom photo shows how the ladies got over the barbed wire fence to get to the actual location (you had to be there but trust me, it was rather funny) and the other one is of Wayne Ahrens and another great Eden Valley identity, Chris Rogers.

Despite the negativity, and stressed look on many faces, I feel a ray of hope for the future of the Australian wine industry and especially for the families that really do put in the hard yards themselves. It's hard work, and can take many years to be rewarded financially, but I have said it once, and I will say it again; the lifestyle is hard but worthwhile. Sometimes one does feel like giving up but after a weekend like this, you are again filled with inspiration to continue with the passion of producing great products from exceptional vineyards in an incredibly special area.

Cheers to the future of Australian wine!

It's Vintage 2010! There's no time to be Lazy.

February has suddenly arrived; our grapes are under netting, the wine tankers are on the road in every direction, the winemakers have a look of anxiety in their eyes and lack of sleep becomes the norm for most people in the area. Long days, hard work, harsh weather. Welcome to Vintage 2010!

I have been working an average of 14 hour days, 7 days a week, between the newly opened Collective Barossa shop, and at home (running the administration, sales and marketing sectors of Karra Yerta Wines, and trying desperately to still maintain in every way, a house with a husband, two teenage sons, a dog and a large garden currently full of the most delicious organic vegetables and herbs). Life is busy indeed. I never realised until last week just how much I enjoy my own cooking:) It must be my German heritage - the importance of a home-cooked meal after a hard days work is paramount.

As exhausted as I am, I have to say every single bead of sweat and every single hour less of sleep has been worth it, and still, the support and encouragement of people has been simply sensational. I have some of the best friends that anyone could ever want as the help and advice given, consistently, has been priceless. Be it with signage, curtains, artwork, marketing, design, paperwork, woodwork, painting, plastering, plumbing, electrical, in fact, anything and everything, it has been totally overwhelming. Sincere thanks to all who have played a part in Collective Barossa being alive, and indeed, kicking.

Thanks also to the committee members of the Barossa Valley Archives and Historical Trust who have been incredibly grateful since watching their lovely old Museum room be given a total revamp and indeed, a new lease of life. It took us a while but we got there, and the feedback from wine buyers and visitors to the Museum has been terrific. It is certainly becoming a special attraction in the Barossa in its own right and I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of it. Being based in such a lovely and historical old building is probably the third best work environment I have ever had in my life (after my home in the beautiful Ranges, and Collingrove Homestead) and it certainly does help me to get through the long days.

Our wines, along with those of the other Collective wineries have been exceptionally well received and the feedback from both our own customers and the visitors to the Museum has been incredibly inspiring. Visitors are enjoying being able to meet the winemakers (a little difficult at the moment as we are in the midst of vintage) and knowing the different stories of the families behind the brands, most of which they had never heard of before.

The shop itself is looking fabulous and was enhanced even further yesterday with a special visit from my good friend, James Hook (who runs the Lazy Ballerina winery at McLaren Vale). James delivered three of his stunning photos to display in the Collective Barossa shop. James and I are hoping to work together in the future to promote both the Barossa and the McLaren Vale areas as after all, variety is the spice of life!

The coming weeks will be incredibly busy but no doubt rewarding as more people stumble upon us. It's really exciting and that, along with the high probability of a good crop for 2010, is yet another reason to knuckle down, work hard and in the process, enjoy what we are doing. I've said it many times but being in the wine industry can be really tough, savage in fact, but the lifestyle and people you meet, new friends you make, make it well worthwhile. I look forward to writing the upcoming blog entries about our harvests. No doubt that time will be here sooner than later:)

Finally, here are the latest photos of the shop.