Henschke Winery of the Year

One of Rich & Lingering's key winery partners in Barossa, Henschke, has been named Winery of the Year in the inaugural The Age/Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide Awards.

Wine critic and author of the Good Wine Guide, Nick Stock, said the quality of Henschke wines has never looked better. “Its hard to sum up just how precious an asset this winery is; Henschke are the custodians of not just Australia's, but the world’s most important vineyards,” he said.

The winery, established in 1868 by Johann Christian Henschke, is notable for pioneering single-vineyard wines in Australia and for the internationally renowned shiraz, Hill of Grace, in Eden Valley.

Fifth generation winemaker, Stephen Henschke and his viticulturist wife, Prue, said they were thrilled to be awarded this accolade recognising “the strength of their family heritage, the outstanding quality of their wines, their commitment to leading viticultural research and evolution, as well as their dedication to inspiring and nurturing the next generation”.

Prue Henschke said a priority for her and Stephen was their passion protecting the land, the environment and the future of their vineyards for the next generation, their three children, who are set to be the sixth generation of Henschkes in wine.

“Nourishing the land is a vital tool to connect healthy soils and healthy vines, to produce fruit with vivid varietal flavours and give the vines a buffer against climatic extremes. Sustainability in the vineyards has always been our goal — we aspire to tread as lightly as possible on our land,” she said.