If you’ve followed the Turkey Flat story you’ll be familiar with our origins as the trial garden for viticulture during Barossa Valley settlement in the 1840s. Furthermore that the protection of the shiraz vines planted during this time was the impetus for the birth of Turkey Flat Vineyards as a winery.

A little known adjunct to this story is back when cumbersome tractors replaced the horse and cart, the new machines could no longer fit between the rows of vines. Thus, practicality won out and 4 rows of the Ancestor shiraz 1847 plantings were removed to create access for the tractors.

Now modern tractors are far more lithe, and we can access narrowly planted rows, leaving us with bare earth, a sad reminder of what once was. For years we have dreamt of bringing life back to this precious site, and this week we have seen the years of planning and work come to fruition.

The 4 rows have now been replanted with shiraz, and to retain the integrity of the original vineyard all base material has come from the very 1847 shiraz plantings that surround them.

Just another way we’re ensuring our heritage will continue to grow and thrive for another 170 years and beyond.