Wine
Chaffey Bros and the Barossa's New Groove
Chaffey Bros are bringing the spirit of the Barossa into the modern age with their playful style – and seriously good wines.
Self-described as “part-perfumiers, part historians, and part mad scientists”, brothers-in-law Daniel Chaffey Hartwig and Theo Engela have been not-so-quietly making a splash in the Barossa and Eden Valleys for their handmade wines, offering a new take on the vines, varieties and sub-parishes that have made the region so central in Australian wine.
“Styles here have moved from elegant in the 70s, 80s and 90s to blockbuster intensity through the 2000s and back again,” says Hartwig when asked about the winemaking DNA of Chaffey Bros. “In describing ourselves as New Wave it highlights our elegant, balanced and energetic styles in keeping with the region’s signature varietal make up and origins.”
In other words, it’s less of a challenge to existing norms, and more a statement that Barossa “has the right styles for today.” For Hartwig, who grew up amongst the back blocks of Eden Valley picking grapes and eventually going on to work at the tasting bench at Penfolds, the pop-inspired labels of the Chaffey Bros range play a big part in communicating that diversity and quality through style and impact.
“We like to approach the branding of our wines with the aim of conveying the truly distinctive flavour and aroma proposition that each wine offers via the Barossa’s uniquely diverse attributes,” he says. “Customers seem to love engaging with and unravelling the layers of imagery and storytelling.”
Hartwig’s also excited what young gun winemaker Huon Fechner has brought to the team. “He’s helped us go next level with our winemaking,” he says. “He’s also brought a fastidious scientific approach to fermentation management that combines well with his and our pursuit of perfection!”
As the recent haul of major Trophies and awards – including the coveted ‘Best in Show’ at the Decanter Wine Awards – might suggest, this is one small winery worth exploring.
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