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 From the left is August Herman Hahn with his dog, Gottfried and Dorothea Hahn with three of their six children, young Benny and Matilda, in front of the house built from 1846-1848 and which is now lived in by James and Jacqui Hahn, circa 1890.
The Hahn’s are as Barossa blue blood as you can get; almost national treasures. Maria and Johann Christian Hahn arrived in the Barossa Valley in 1845. Like all the early Barossa settlers they were of Silesian-German descent. Early settlers also staked out the best of the valleys farm land. Remarkably this land holding is still in Hahn family hands, six generations on. The history does not stop there as the current custodians, Jacqui and James Hahn still live in the original homestead constructed from 1846 to 1848.
A day picking grapes with third from the left Johannes Walter Hahn with his wife Linda the mother and father of Reginald on the right, who is the father of the current grape growers James and Jacqui Hahn, circa 1949. The Hahn’s vineyard holdings are well positioned on the valley floor. This is a different aspect for example to the type of wines that go into Veritas/Rolf Binder wines and as such express a different ‘terroir’. They are the custodians of some wonderful old shiraz vines which make up the core of the J.J.Hahn wine range. At this time four wines are available under the J. J. Hahn label and are made as a joint venture with Veritas/Rolf Binder wines. The Hahn’s tend the vines and the crop and we consult each other to set cropping levels through to the time of harvest. Crops are low but do vary from 1.5 to 3 tonnes per acre depending on the vintage and how the vines themselves deliver the crop. I normally ask for two picking about five days apart as I believe this gives a greater range of complexity in the final wines. Picking times vary from vintage to vintage but we hold our nerve and sweat it out to maximum ripeness which can push picking into early April. We skip vintages that are not good enough thus there is no 2003.  1914 Shiraz was planted by Frederich August Herman Hahn in of course 1914. The vines are now pretty fragile and just to keep them chugging along receive a bit of water from the drippers just in the heat of summer. About 400 cases go to bottle with the rest that isn’t quite good enough going into the ‘Reginald’.
1928 Shiraz planted by Frederich August Herman Hahn and Johannes Walter Hahn in of course that year. We make enough for about 500 cases but some is marked down and goes to ‘Reginald’ so about 400 cases make it through. The ‘Reginald’ is named after the father of the current keeper of this important Barossa land holding James Hahn. This wine is made from both the 1914 shiraz, the 1928 shiraz that are just off the pace and includes shiraz from a block planted in 1969 and also a 1979 planting that includes some cabernet. The Riverflat Semillon comes from plantings in 1960 and 1962 and they are vines of which we are particularly proud. This vineyard though is on the riverflats to the West of the North Para River which drains along the Western edge of the Barossa River. This contrasts with the source of the red wines discussed above which lie to the East of the North Para River. Recognition of Barossa semillon is coming slowly but Christa is a genius with this variety and with time the beauty of this traditional variety will gain acceptance. Only a few years ago the big companies to whom the Hahn’s sell a lot of fruit said this variety had no future and they should rip it out. The partnership of Rolf Binder/Veritas wines and the Hahn family is to recognize the heritage status of this family, the ancient vines and their unique part of the Barossa Valley’s history.
Taken at the 50th Wedding Anniversary of August Herman Hahn and Lydia Hahn, circa 1949. |
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The first red skins are about to be pressed at the new winery in April,
1999. The cellar hand is Peter Healy who is now a sommelier in Sydney. |
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After Round 10 |
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The points are close at the top end, and the Tip-Stars are juggling themselves between all positions - all below Rolf, that is. As our Beloved Lizard, he is, morally, not allowed to win, but he always puts on a good lunch when he does, so no-one is complaining!
The traditional winners are letting us all down, and with more double points rounds coming up, it might be worth tipping the underdog to knock the top dog off his spot. Still, it's only a game! |
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Great Rolf Binder |
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Rolf Binder talks about making and enjoying good wine with America's eminent magazine "Wine Spectator".
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"My wife and I were on our way to the Northern Territory where I was to work. We drove through the Barossa on our long journey there, and popped into the old shed of Veritas Winery after a long day of wine tasting around the place. This was in 1987. We met Rolf Senior who was a lovely, gentle chap, and we spent quite a few hours just chatting about nothing and everything, and tasting some very good wines. A couple of gents from Sydney came in at one stage showing off their knowledge of everything there was to know about wine. Rolf just brushed them off in the nicest possible way, so they left, and we kept on drinking and whiling away the hours, talking about nothing and everything.
When we left Rolf gave us the little old-fashioned wine glasses from which we were tasting, and we still have them in our crystal cabinet at home."
Sir Gerard Brennan former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
Talking about his visit to the Veritas Winery in the Barossa Valley on his way to the Northern Territory to preside over the 1988 Mabo vs Queensland Native Title case
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Liquor Licensing Act 1997: It is an offence to sell or supply liquor to a person under the age of 18 years, or to obtain liquor on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years.
This web site is operated by Veritas Winery Pty Ltd ABN: 80 098 219 553 Licence No: 50800044 |
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Red Wines
