June 28 was a sad day in the world of wine, particularly in the land Down Under. Peter Lehmann, known as “The Baron of the Barossa,” passed away that day at age 82.
Lehmann may not have put Barossa on the map literally, but he played a huge role in developing the region’s reputation for high-quality wines.
Lehmann’s son, Doug, described his father as “one in a million,” and added: “Like everything he ever did in his life, he fought incredibly hard in the end. And always with a smile and a quip. He certainly lived more than nine lives in his 82 years.”
Lehmann always will be a hero to Aussie grape growers because of the courageous stand he took in 1979. That year, the big “corporate wineries” stopped buying fruit, threatening the futures of more than a hundred families.
So Lehmann started a new, independent winery, providing a lifeline for the growers. Through the years, the wines he made gained international acclaim.
We at Vinesse have been privileged to feature many of Lehmann’s vintages through the years, and we’ll remember him not only for the wonderful wines he made, but for the thousands of lives he impacted.
