{"title":"Rockford | Barossa Valley","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"float: none;\" alt=\"Rockford Winery \u0026amp; Cellar Door in Australia's Barossa Valley\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/Rockford_Cellar_Door_Winery.jpg?v=1730556714\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEstablished in 1984, \u003cb\u003eRockford\u003c\/b\u003e acts as a living, breathing guardian of the Barossa Valley's early winemaking heritage. Founded by the visionary Robert (Rocky) O’Callaghan, this family-owned institution has spent decades resisting the modern urge to mechanise, choosing instead to farm traditional regional grape varieties—some of which are sourced from ancient plots dating back to the 1880s. The cellar itself operates like a working museum, utilising winemaking equipment that is well over a century old, including a classic wood-and-iron \u003cb\u003ebasket press\u003c\/b\u003e that gently coaxes out juice without crushing the seeds. This unhurried, hands-on craftsmanship ensures that oak plays only a subtle, supporting role, allowing the fruit to deliver a fragrant, beautifully textured, and deeply nostalgic style of wine with an extraordinary capacity to age. Because Rockford exports less than a fifth of its total production, with the rest fiercely guarded by Australian cellar-door collectors, these limited allocations are highly prized and rarely seen on British shelves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile their legendary Basket Press Shiraz is a globally hunted rarity, the entire portfolio carries the exact same old-school integrity and soul. A spectacular introduction to their house style is \u003cb\u003eRockford Rod \u0026amp; Spur\u003c\/b\u003e, a traditional Australian blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon that offers a rich, perfumed, and silky palate framed by long, fine-grained tannins. For those drawn to the warmer, more rustic side of the region, \u003cb\u003eRockford Moppa Springs\u003c\/b\u003e brings together Grenache, Mataro, and Shiraz into a soft, savoury, and beautifully spiced red that wears its Barossan birthright proudly on its sleeve. The estate is equally masterful with white varieties, turning the clock back with the \u003cb\u003eRockford Local Growers Semillon\u003c\/b\u003e to create a complex, refreshing, and deeply textured expression that completely redefines what this historic grape can achieve when given proper old-vine care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe generous structures, vibrant fruit clarity, and authentic savoury depth across the entire range make these bottles exceptionally comforting companions for the dining table. They possess the structural poise to enhance a classic British Sunday roast beef with all the trimmings, a slow-simmered venison casserole, or a simple evening sharing a board of strong, mature farmhouse cheeses with close friends.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"rockford-basket-press-shiraz","title":"Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eRockford is one of Australia's most influential wineries of the last 30 years, with a cult following for its rare Barossa Valley wines. Their iconic Basket Press Shiraz is made mainly from 100 +year old vines. It is loaded with rich, ripe fruit flavour gently spiced with beautifully textured and very fine tannins. It's a big old fashioned red wine that will put a smile on the faces of all those who drink it - but the biggest smiles will belong to those who are patient enough to put it away in the cellar for 10 years! [#intro]Iconic Shiraz that will put a smile on the faces of all those who drink it...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rockford","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53528925700477,"sku":"A18ROCKFORDBPSHIRAZ","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/BasketPressedShirazBt.jpg?v=1731240170"},{"product_id":"rockford-rifle-range-cabernet-sauvignon","title":"Rockford 'Rifle Range' Cabernet Sauvignon 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Rockford 'Rifle Range' Cabernet Sauvignon takes its name from the Tanunda Rifle Range, which was located in the hills at the back of Krondorf for nearly a hundred years and is now covered in vineyard. One of the many European traditions that the first settlers brought to the Barossa was their love of small bore target shooting and the wine, food and fun that went with those days made them an important part of early Barossan social life. This old tradition may be gone, but because Rockford make most of their Cabernet Sauvignon from the surrounding vineyards a glass of traditional, rich, soft Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon is still being raised. Although this wine shows typical varietal and regional characteristics, it also has the Rockford philosophy at its core - a rich, soft and full flavoured Cabernet with great purity of fruit made using traditional winemaking techniques and attitudes. [#intro]A rich, soft \u0026amp; full-flavoured Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon made using traditional winemaking techniques...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rockford","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53536597606781,"sku":"A19ROCKFORDRIFLECAB","price":75.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/RifleRangeCaberentBt.jpg?v=1731170046"},{"product_id":"rockford-local-growers-semillon","title":"Rockford 'Local Growers' Semillon 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Rockford 'Local Growers' Barossa Valley Semillon is a white wine which faithfully reflects the contribution made by the Sibley and Kalleske families to both Rockford and the Barossa. Their knowledge, tenacity and commitment to the land ensures Semillon (a pioneer Barossa grape variety) has a viable future. Because the fruit is hand-picked the team at Rockford are able to select bunches at different stages of ripeness. The early-picked fruit adds acidity whilst the later-season fruit contributes riper, fruitier components. The wine matured in barrel and the combination of different sized oak casks, when finally blended, come together to create a complex, textured and mouth-filling expression of Semillon. In time this will massage into a slippery yellow wine that just invites itself to lunch! [#intro]A complex, refreshing, textured \u0026amp; mouth-filling expression of Barossa Valley Semillon...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rockford","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55505920328061,"sku":"A22ROCKFORDSEMILLON-1","price":33.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/SemillonBt.jpg?v=1741857076"},{"product_id":"rockford-moppa-springs-grenache-mataro-shiraz","title":"Rockford Moppa Springs Grenache Mataro Shiraz 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eMoppa Springs, Ebenezer and Kalimna are some of the driest areas in the Barossa Valley where green vines grow on one side of the fence and ripened wheat on the other. This hard country is cold, wet and frosty during pruning and then hot, dry and dusty during harvest; the kind of tough conditions that ensure Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz give their best. These varieties and the families who grow them earned the right to represent the Barossa in this blend by surviving for more than 150 years when others could not. At the winery the fruit is forked into the 1880's wooden Bagshaw de-stemmer before fermenting in open slate tanks. The 1890's Robinson Basket Press slowly squeezes the remaining juice from the grapes before the individual components are left to mature in seasoned oak casks. When the final blend comes together, layers of soft, savoury, spicy flavours are emerging and will continue to develop with a handful more years in bottle. [#intro]A soft, savoury \u0026amp; spicy red that clearly shows its Barossan birthright...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rockford","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55509339996541,"sku":"A20ROCKFORDMOPPA-1","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/MoppaSpringsBT.jpg?v=1741895690"},{"product_id":"rockford-rod-spur-shiraz-cabernet","title":"Rockford 'Rod \u0026 Spur' Shiraz Cabernet 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eRockford's 'Rod \u0026amp; Spur' Shiraz Cabernet pays homage to the dedicated growers who endure the cold Barossa winters, meticulously hand-pruning their vines using the traditional rod and spur method. This particular wine marks a nostalgic return to the exceptional Australian reds of the 1950s and 60s, when blends of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon reigned supreme in the premium market. Early Australian winemakers were able to write their own rulebook, free from the confines of the European appellation system. Following Rockford's signature approach, the grapes undergo destemming with the 1880’s Bagshaw machine, open fermentation, and gentle basket pressing. The components are individually aged for two years in a blend of seasoned American and French oak hogsheads, as well as large oak casks. This meticulous aging process allows the tannins to soften, while colours and flavours harmonise before the final bottling under the highest quality cork. Rod \u0026amp; Spur emerges as a robust and potent wine, well-suited to complement hearty flavours. [#intro]A traditional Aussie blend of yesteryear; rich, perfumed \u0026amp; silky with soft, long tannins...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rockford","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55533761134973,"sku":"A20ROCKFORDROD\u0026SPUR-1","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/Rod_SpurBT.jpg?v=1742203864"},{"product_id":"rockford-sparkling-black-shiraz","title":"Rockford Sparkling Black Shiraz","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Rockford Sparkling Black Shiraz uses the time-honoured method of ageing quality Shiraz in oak casks for many years prior to blending and bottle fermentation. The result is softness, depth and complex flavours that are impossible to replicate in young wines. While ready to drink on release this treasure will only continue to improve with further age [#intro]Rockford's Sparkling Black Shiraz has long been regarded as Australia's best...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rockford","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55543193502077,"sku":"NVROCKFORDSPKSHIRAZ","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/SparklingShiraz.jpg?v=1742292888"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/collections\/Rockford_Wines_Logo.jpg?v=1730556836","url":"https:\/\/hic.wine\/collections\/rockford.oembed","provider":"Hic!","version":"1.0","type":"link"}