Summary
A cool dry year with below average growing season rainfall and a mainly trouble free vintage, other than a little oidium due to overcast conditions. This resulted in good yields and sound, balanced wines although they lacked the depth and richness of 1990 and 1991.
In 1992 there were 5,710 hectares of vineyards in Barossa and 53,158 tonnes of wine grapes were crushed in that vintage.
Highlights
“Wine Flight of a Lifetime”, the first Australian wine region tour by UK trade and press visited the Barossa in February. Organised by Hazel Murphy of the Australian Wine Bureau, Wine Flight attracted 120 opinion-makers such as Tim Atkin, Oz Clarke and Robert Joseph, creating significant marketing goodwill.
After many years of negotiation, the Barossa Wine and Tourism Association was incorporated on April 22, 1992. An annual general meeting in October the year before had ratified the merger of the Barossa Winemakers’ Association, the Barossa Vintage Festival and the Barossa Tourism Association and elected John Steinle as chairman and appointed John Howie as general manager. The powerful new body achieved increased government funding and created a new regional wine tourism centre in Tanunda.
The first commercial release of Penfolds 100% Barossa Valley Old Vine Mourvèdre Grenache Shiraz. This was seen by growers as a recognition of the large company’s acceptance of the value of the Barossa name on a label, and its traditional red varieties.
Wolf Blass Wines was named International Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, London (IWSC).
Honourboard
Vigneron of the Year – Ian Zander
Sources
SA Wine Grape Crush Survey, Vinehealth Australia and ‘Barossa Vintages: a wine history from 1842’, Peter Fuller
