Rockford

There are a few truly iconic wines and wineries in Australia. One of them is Rockford wines in the Barossa Valley with the Basket press Shiraz being the leading and most famous of their wines.

I have now been to Rockford many times, in fact whenever we are in the Barossa valley we always make time to a go for a tasting at the Cellar door.

If you arrive on just the right day and just the right time you will have the opportunity to see something very rare. The grape had been delivered from the vineyards that morning and we were able to see the fruit being fed down the famous chute, the basket press being fired up and the famous wines being pressed!

One of the only ways to be able to buy the famous Basket Press is at the cellar door and you can purchase 3 bottles per person in your party. It takes many years of patience and purchasing from Rockford to be able to buy Basket press through the online wine club.

The original Basket Press, still working every harvest!

The famous Chute that the Basket Press Grapes are hand fed into

The traditional wine cellar is tiny, more than 10 people in there and it starts to feel very very crowded. If you are able, get there first thing in the morning (1100am) and get in line for a first tasting. Its the only way to get a tasting that doesn’t feel rushed.

I love the stone buildings and the old cellar door with its short, narrow doorway leading into the long low tasting space. This is an old and truly beautiful space and well worth the visit.

Rockford of course don’t make only the Basket press . There are several other top-quality wines including the Rockford Sparkling shiraz and the Rifle range Cabernet sauvignon. Personally, I buy both every year. The Marion port is also worth a try and goes to support the local Marion Society a restoration group in the Barossa.