People of the Vines

In their big tin shed on God's Hill Road, Wayne and Brenda Dutschke have been quietly making some of the best wines of the Barossa for the past 25 years. Their little family estate bottles the fruit of the nearby historic vineyard of Wayne's uncle Ken. It's a daring gamble to be the first to pick in the earliest harvest in the history of the Barossa, but can they pull it off?

In all of the Barossa, there is one name that is revered for its contribution to the wine industry above all others. The legacy of the late Peter Lehmann is now in the hands of new chief winemaker, Ian Hongell. He's dreamed of stepping up to this position all his life, but he didn't bargain on a takeover and a three-fold increase in production in his first vintage.

Bernard Hickin's journey with Australia's champion bargain wine of Jacob's Creek began when the brand was first created forty years ago. As chief winemaker today, his challenge is to turn around one of the biggest wineries in the country. He is relying on top Barossa shiraz from the great old vineyards of the Barossa, but an early ripening season takes him by surprise.

Crops are down in the Barossa, a high stress vintage has ramped up the pressure and winemaker Toby Barlow is juggling the fruit of more than 40 different growers to create three million bottles of wine. Achieving balance in the winery is a delicate equilibrium, and finding time for his young family is tough.

High above the Barossa Valley, a picturesque landscape of rocky outcrops and ancient gums is home to the great white wine variety of the Eden Valley: riesling. This may be the neglected variety of Australian wine, but as chief winemaker for Australia's oldest family owned winery, Louisa Rose is proving that one special vineyard can turn around its fortunes.

What makes a wine worthy of a $700 price tag? The sweeping hillsides of the Eden Valley are home to Hill of Grace, Australia's most famous vineyard. Upholding the legacy of these 150 year old vines in a bottle of wine leaves no margin for error for Stephen and Prue Henschke. Can they win their fight against frost, low crops and bushfires this year?