Matters of Interest

Wine Industry

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:22): Last month, I had the very arduous task of representing the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development at the Jim Barry Wines cellar door makeover celebration. Sometimes you just have to take one for the team, Mr President, and I was forced into this arduous position. The cellar door had not been renovated since the winery was founded back in 1959 by Jim Barry and his wife Nancy and, sir, I can tell you it is absolutely superb and their efforts will no doubt enhance the venue's appeal as a fine tourist attraction in the beautiful Clare Valley region.

To provide members with some history of Jim Barry Wines, its founder and namesake Jim Barry graduated in 1947 as the 17^th qualified winemaker in Australia and was the very first winemaker to work in the Clare Valley. He is considered a pioneer of Australian table wine and is regarded as having played a pivotal role in defining the Clare Valley as a benchmark region of riesling, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and Malbec. As well as starting his own label, Jim established Taylors Wines for the Taylor family in 1969.

The Barry family-owned and operated business is now overseen by Jim and Nancy's son Peter and his wife Sue, as well as their children Tom, Sam and Olivia, who fulfil the roles of director of winemaking, sales and marketing director and brand ambassador respectively. Their winery became the first in Australia to have three generations of its winemakers graduate from Roseworthy and the Waite school of oenology. It is quite remarkable that each generation developed a passion for the industry, applying their unique talents to continue the family legacy, a quite substantial one.

One of the Barry family's firm beliefs is that the best wine is made in the vineyard. Over the last 60 years, it has established 11 vineyards spanning 260 hectares in the Clare Valley, two of which cover 35 hectares in the Coonawarra. Maintaining full control of their crops enables them to cultivate fruit of an exceptional standard, with quality that is retained in the winemaking process to ultimately craft some exquisite wines. I do note that I have personal experience; I can vouch for that, sir.

As one would expect, Jim Barry Wines has received numerous accolades for its world-class produce, some of which include: being listed as one of the top 10 Australian wineries for 2018 and 2019; receiving the honour of being named the Best Exhibitor of Show in the Clare Valley Wine Show for the years 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011 and 2010; Peter Barry receiving the viticulturist trophy at the 2017 Clare Valley Wine Show; and, further, Tom Barry receiving the title of Young Winemaker of the Year. This is indeed just a snapshot of the Barry family's vast and impressive achievements.

South Australia is certainly renowned for its wine industry, and that is stating something that is absolutely obvious. It has generated more than $2.5 billion in revenue in the last financial year through domestic sales and exports to over 100 countries. Our industry alone accounts for almost 80 per cent of Australia's premium wine production, yielded from some of the oldest vines in the world, with just under half of our entire nation's vineyards situated right here in our state.

Jim Barry Wines has played a pivotal role in shaping South Australia's reputation for creating some of the best wines in the world, and the family's commitment to excellence and innovation will no doubt ensure it continues to do so. I had the privilege of spending some time with Peter and Sue at their celebration. They are rightly proud of their family's remarkable accomplishments. I would encourage members to take time out of their busy schedules to visit the Jim Barry cellar door to enjoy some wine tasting and a platter in our picturesque Clare Valley, which is particularly beautiful this time of year.

I have a minute left, sir, so I might just finish with an anecdote, if I may. Some years ago, I was in Beijing, well before I was a member of parliament. I was doing a tour from Beijing out to the Great Wall of China. Members who have been there would know that that is about an hour and half on a bus. I took the bus with a group of colleagues I was travelling with at the time as part of a work trip I was doing; we had a day off. I was on the bus with a few colleagues, probably half a dozen or so of us, and then there was what was obviously a tour group, presumably from China.

I asked the tour guide what these people were doing, what their plan was for their trip. They were obviously heading out to see the wall that day, and I asked them what was next. He said, 'Well, today we are going to the Great Wall of China.' These people were from all over China and, indeed, some were from outside of China, but mostly from China itself. Most of them had not seen the Great Wall of China, so they were heading out to the Great Wall of China from Beijing.

What he said next I thought was astounding; this is back in about 2002 or 2003, or thereabouts. The next stop for this tour group, after they had gone to the Great Wall of China, was the Barossa Valley in South Australia. He said, 'Have you ever heard of it? Do you know where it is?' I explained that I lived very close to it. I thought that was interesting, sir. We should be proud of our wine regions.