Barrels

A visit to the Granite Belt is not complete without seeing the oldest working barrels in Queensland. These majestic 160-year-old German beer barrels have taken pride of place in the winery since 1971.  They were originally made by coopers in Germany in the 1870’s.

The barrels came to Australia by ship in the early 1900’s filled with German beer and were purchased and used by Penfolds Winery for half a century to store wines. In 1971 Angelo and Mary purchased the barrels and transported them by road to their current location.

Filled with ageing Fine Old Tawny and Liqueur Muscat, they could well be the most photographed in wine country. Every year a percentage of each barrel is blended and bottled for sale at the cellar door. They are topped up with younger material and the blending process continues.