Brockenchack Wines

Wine- Epic

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Cellar Door- Epic

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Tasting Experience- Magic

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Date of Last Visit

October 2018 (May 2019 @ Wine Show)

Summary:

A Star Rises In The Eden Valley – Must Visit Brockenchack Wines

Every once in awhile in the winehunting trade, you stumble across true genius. It’s like love at first sight – those rare moments when you know the truth of a thing the moment you see it. We had this feeling when we first encountered Brockenchack Wines at large wine show in Melbourne. A visit to their shop in the Eden Valley confirmed that Brockenchack is pure wine gold. It has the holy trifecta of a heartwarming story, lovable characters, and most importantly, sublime wines.

Brockenchack’s is a family story of grit and long-term commitment. Founder Trevor Harch has been a passionate advocate of South Australian wines for decades. He ran a bottle shop in the Barossa for years before expanding his activities to include wholesaling South Australian wines into Brisbane as well. He even went so far as to open an SA-inspired wine bar, Bar Barossa, in Brisbane. For decades, he worked relentlessly as an ambassador of Australia’s greatest wine region. Finally, in 2007, the perfect opportunity arose for Trev to buy an established vineyard in the Eden Valley (part of the greater Barossa). At last, a beautiful vineyard some of whose vines go back as far as the late 19th century in the stunning Eden Valley. At last a chance for Trevor to weave into the beautiful tapestry he’d advocated so long. Thus was Brockencack born.

Trevor Harch is quite the character. The fires of life burn brightly in his eyes. If you love wine, history, passion, or just people, you will love him. He’ll keep you well entertained with the kind of conversation that you enjoy so much you don’t realise how much you’ve learned until it’s over. If you show too much interest, he might even whisk you off in his golf cart to show off his beloved vineyards. If he’s about, be sure to also meet Trevor’s son-in-law, Darren Naylor. Darren is that friendly, humble, engaged, and altogether competent kind of guy that will restore your faith in humanity as well as your glass of wine. A wine chat with him is priceless. Between Trevor and Darren, you’ll get two generations’ worth of perspectives, history, and hardwork in glorious SA wines.

And then we come to the wines. Polish, poise, and character are the adjectives that define the Brockenchack range. Each of these wines carves its own unique identity, but never so sharply as to break the sacred halo of polish and elegance. This is a feat rarely seen in a wine, let alone across an entire range. Such beautiful wines. In our last visit we particularly loved the 2018 Pinot Grigio (honeysuckle perfect), the 2016 Chardonnay (a ballerina dancing nimbly across a lemon curd palate), the 2017 Pinot Noir (oh so smooth, you won’t believe it’s from SA), the 2016 Zip Line Shiraz (this dark and brooding wine is the reason you should be drinking “entry level”), and the glorious 2013 Jack Harrison Shiraz (Barossa depth with Eden Valley finesse; violet, lavendar, raspberry, and plum somehow polished seamlessly into this “Good God Delicious” wine. This one is something special).

Brockenchack recently opened their new cellar door, housed right in their vineyards in a historic building that has seen many lives, including as butchery, and a brothel before that! The place perfectly ties together history with a little contemporary pizzazz. You’ll feel fabulous and educated at the same time just being there. Brockenchack is currently our number one recommendation in the Eden Valley. Next time you find yourself in South Australia, you simply must pay a visit.