To complement Ken Gargett’s magisterial two-part survey of Australian Riesling published on worldoffinewine.com this week, we have returned to an article first published in WFW68 in June 2020, in which Sarah Ahmed reported from the Barry family’s 60th-anniversary Clare Valley Riesling tasting, which included some of the last remaining bottles from the 1970s, and which proved to be an impressive demonstration of the longevity and quality of Jim Barry Riesling.
Australian Riesling: An underrated, pristine joy
Australian Riesling: The regions, producers, and wines
Modest and perspicacious, Jim Barry (1925–2004)—Clare Valley’s first (and Australia’s 17th) enology graduate—remarked, “Sometimes it takes longer than a lifetime to do a lifetime’s work […]. It’s now up to my children.” And grandchildren. His eponymous label was the first to boast three generations to graduate from Adelaide’s acclaimed Roseworthy/Waite School of Oenology (Jim, Peter, then Tom), and the milestones keep coming. Today, Jim Barry Wines is Australia’s market leader for Riesling in sales volume, value, and vineyard area, with 160ha (400 acres), no less.
A diamond anniversary
Playing the long game is not only a family trait at Jim Barry Wines. Last September, Jim’s grandson Sam (director of sales and marketing) resoundingly reinforced the staying power of Jim Barry Wines’ Rieslings with a 60th-anniversary tasting across five decades, showcasing the grape that “fascinated” his grandfather. From the Barrys’ museum, this rare vertical included some of the last remaining bottles from the ’70s. With an eye to the future, Jim’s son, managing director Peter, has
This Article was originally published on World of Fine Wine
