My Story

Welcome to the Schwarz Wine Company - my small, boutique, hand made, artisanal, Barossa Valley winery.

It took me six years, a university degree, an around the world working holiday and an encouraging Kiwi to come full circle, return to my home and start my wine label in the Barossa.

I now proudly make these wines in the same small village of Bethany where three generations of the Schwarz family have cultivated their living from the vineyard.

It wasn't easy being the son and grandson of state pruning champions, and when I finished school I thought I'd pursue any interest other than winemaking and grape growing so off I went.

During these six years I not only gained a wine marketing degree in Adelaide and fantastic life experience traveling to London, Paris and Barcelona but my appreciation and renewed passion for wine working in and visiting Bordeaux, Burgundy, The Rhone, Stellenbosch and The Napa.

Returning to the Valley in 1998 I met the young entrepreneurial and truly artisanal winemaker, Peter Schell. This lost Kiwi taught me about the art of winemaking and the craft that is taking the raw material and crafting it into something extraordinary.

After some encouragement from friends I approached my father to discuss buying a small parcel of his fruit from the 2001 vintage. He agreed and I put together my first Nitschke Block Shiraz, making only two hogs head barrels.

In 2002 I produced my first Thiele Road Grenache and have made both wines every vintage since. To this day my parents have supported my venture and without their encouragement and sacrifice of some of the Barossa greatest Shiraz and Grenache I could not have made this dream happen.

"Well vintage is nearly upon us. The growing season started off fantastic, with cool nights and moderate day temperatures. But that all changed in late January, early February where we had 12 consecutive days of above 35 Degrees. To my surprise, and many other winemakers, most of the vineyards survived relatively well with only some burnt leaves and shrivelled fruit; but then there are other vineyards .....well I suppose they look as if they have stood out in 12 days of +35 with little or no water.

A very dark red with purple hues in the glass, this wine shows strong and profound fruit aromatics. An array of dark fruits including blackberry, very ripe cherries and plums along with liquored cherries and a hint of dark chocolate.

Bold and ripe on the palette the wine shows sweet fleshy plum and dark berry flavours tempered with subtle notes of blood orange and plum, with thyme like herb characters the tannin structure is ripe, fine and long.

"Nitschke Block Shiraz 2006 A heady wine, with confit black fruit and licorice; terrific concentration, and full throttle whack of fruit on the finish. Rating 94 To 2015."
... James Halliday (Australian Wine Companion, 2009)

Winemakers Notes

The Nitschke Block Shiraz is from my family’s vineyard in Bethany, one of the originally settled villages of the Barossa Valley. Planted in 1968 by my father and mother the vines are still traditionally hand pruned and picked.

This dry grown vineyard yields only 1.5 to 2 tonnes per acre.

Grapes are destemed, crushed and soaked for 2 days before yeast is added. We then pump over twice per day and hand plunged once. The ferment is allowed to reach 28-30 degrees to extract colour and tannins then chilled to 18-23 degrees to maintain those distinct Barossa Shiraz characters.

I undertake extended maceration to add to the wines complexity. The parcel will remain on skins for 12- 15 days, before being softly basket pressed to release only the premium wine. Malo lactic fermentation is undertaken in French Oak barrels, which range in age from new (5%) to 5 years old.

The wine is racked twice and unfiltered prior to bottling as not to loose any of the authenticity.

The finished wine is then bottled following 20 months in oak. I make this wine to show the true character of our 40 year old vineyards and let the fruit speak for itself.

Tasting Note

Very dense red with purple hues in the glass.

This wine shows intense deep plum and blackcurrant, with lifted lavender blossom, dark cherries and chocolate

The palate is powerful with ripe dark fruits, crème brulee, dark cherry chocolate, powerful and pure. Barossa Shiraz with long fine ripe tannins.

Analysis at Bottling

Alcohol 15%
pH 3.45
TA 7.0 g/L

A deep ruby coloured wine the Grenache shows lifted fresh red fruit aromatics on the nose. Plums, prunes and mulberries are overlaid with subtle sandalwood, thyme, spice and deeper wood nuances.

With a full generous palette and strong ripe plum, raisin and red liquorice flavours the wine has lovely ripe tannins and soft acidity.

"Deep, glass-staining red. spicy raspberry, maraschino cherry, incense and dried rose on the nose. Fleshy and sweet, offering suave red berry preserve and cocoa flavours and an undercurrent of baking spices and mocha. Picks up floral pastille and refreshingly bitter cherry skin qualities on the long, juicy finish. This really clings to the palate. Rating 91."
Josh Raynolds, (Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar)

Winemakers Notes

I used to catch the school bus from the end of Thiele Road. Our family Grenache block is planted along this dusty old track and has been there since my father’s uncle dropped in the cuttings in 1946.

These gnarly old vines now hold up the traditional red gum trellis and the trunks are home to nests of white ants.

The vineyard is spur pruned to reduce vigour and bunch density. Typically small berries and open bunches are this vineyards characters.

Fruit is hand picked and 50% destemmed, 50% crushed to give some carbonic maceration characters.

Soaked for 3 days, yeast is then added and the ferment is allowed to reach 30-32 degrees to increase colour and tannin before reducing the temperature to 18-23 to maintain varietal characters.

Ferment is pumped over gently twice a day and hand plunged so that skins do not desecrate. We undertake and extended maceration on skins for 8- 12 days.

Malo lactic fermentation is then undertaken in old French oak barrels and the wine is purposely unfiltered and racked twice before bottling 20 months later.

Tasting Note

Deep ruby red with violet hues in the glass.

This wine shows red currants, musk stick, spice, floral and frankincense with graphite wood nuances.

The palate shows rich red fruits, with red currants, satsuma plums and spicy musk stick.

Pure depth of flavour, with length and persistence. Finishing with fine grain tannins and soft acidity.

Analysis at Bottling

Alcohol 15%
pH 3.36

The Dust Kicker is a blended wine of premium Barossa varieties.

It is a vinous tribute to my work boots, as we spend many hot summer days walking the rows of Barossa Vineyards to select the perfect parcels of fruit to make this wine.

The 2007 Hunt & Gather is a blend of 14 vineyards from the within the Barossa, each parcel adding its own complexity to the finished wine - Grenache from Greenock adding cherry, Shiraz from Stonewell giving palate weight, and Mataro from the banks of the North Para River adding spice.

All parcels undertake malolactic fermentation in seasoned oak, and spend 18 months maturation time in barrel.

The wine is un-filtered or fined to show the true character of the fruit that makes this wine.

Winemakers Notes

The Dust Kicker is a blended wine of premium Barossa varieties.

It is a vinous tribute to my work boots, as we spend many hot summer days walking the rows of Barossa Vineyards to select the perfect parcels of fruit to make this wine.

The 2007 Hunt & Gather is a blend of 14 vineyards from the within the Barossa, each parcel adding its own complexity to the finished wine - Grenache from Greenock adding cherry,

Shiraz from Stonewell giving palate weight, and Mataro from the banks of the North Para River adding spice.

All parcels undertake malolactic fermentation in seasoned oak, and spend 18 months maturation time in barrel.

The wine is un-filtered or fined to show the true character of the fruit that makes this wine.

Tasting Note

Deeply coloured.

The Hunt & Gather shows fragrant aromas of dark plum and blackcurrant with lifted blueberry notes. There are hints of earth, Asian spice, licorice and clove ably supporting the lush fruit.

In the mouth the wine is textured and shows good weight on the palate with flavours of plum, glazed cherry and blueberry. The initial attack of primary fruit flows into a spicy mid-palate which displays judicious oak use and finishes with a seam of bright acidity, ripe fine grained tannins and a lengthy, red-fruit tinged finish.