The Liebichwein barrel shed has collected many oak casks of various sizes that house liquid gold. Ron and Janet Liebich are proud to continue the great tradition of ageing and blending fortified wines. Only a few decades ago, Muscat and Tawny used to dominate the Barossa wine scene.
Liebichwein host an annual consumer fortified wine judging competition to celebrate these classic styles and engage with our passionate customer base who manage their own barrels. Previous competition entries have included super-syrupy rare tawny, rare sweet Tokay-like flavours and quite young Tawny blends. All wines entered will get a professional evaluation by Ron and an experienced judging panel including his daughter Briony, an experienced sensory analyst and qualified wine educator. Entrants will receive tasting notes and feedback for each wine entered.
Wine Entry Information
Entries are open Australia-wide as long as a 200mL wine sample can be sent without spilling a precious drop. All entries must be received by 4th September 2023 for judging (entry fee $10 per wine). Entries can be dropped off at Liebichwein during cellar door hours or posted to the winery in a well-sealed clean glass bottle/jar with secure packaging.
Competition Results 2023
Thanks to all entrants from across Australia, some so keen they sent us multiple samples. All wines were of consistent quality with a few jumping out to claim top Gold medals. The top prize winner took home a dipstick trophy with personalised engraving. Congratulations to Allan Gadd!
It’s wonderful to see such passion for maturing fortifieds in our wine loving community.
TEMPT is a red blend that was released a few times in the history of Liebichwein when the fruit was available. The wine is a unique blend of Tempranillo, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Tempranillo and Petit Verdot grapes have been planted on the Liebich property since 2000. The fruit grows in heavy red/black soils on the southern foothills of the Barossa Ranges. The Petit Verdot and Tempranillo vines are some of the oldest in the Barossa Valley region. Merlot came from mature vines over 20 years old.
Traditional techniques of hand plunging, basket-pressing and bottling without fining or filtration, all help to preserve the essence of fruit. All Liebich reds are vegan-friendly due to no fining. Older vintages are very low in sulfites as any initial sulfur dioxide has been used up over an extended time in bottle.
These wines were bottled under screwcap to immortalise the magnificent flavours beyond the life span of cork. Only small batches were made from select vintages over the years. Less than 2 dozen of each vintage remain from a stash of bottles that have been stored in cellar conditions.
All Vintages Produced: 2004, 2014
TEMPT Vintage 2004 – 73% Tempranillo, 15% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, Oak maturation of 8 months in French and Hungarian oak.
Deep, dark red with a brick red tinge. A wholly tempting fruit-driven style with pronounced raspberry and mulberry aromas. Berry, oak and mushroom flavours entwine with the soft fine tannins. A well balanced wine with great length. 13.7 % alc/vol
TEMPT Vintage 2014 – 44% Petit Verdot, 38% Merlot, 18% Tempranillo, Oak maturation for 18 months in seasoned French oak
Deep, dark red with a brick red tinge. A wholly tempting blend. Petit Verdot provides attractive berry fruits, Merlot rounds out the smooth body and a splash of Tempranillo adds depth and lengthens the palate. 14.5 % alc/vol
What happens as red wine ages in the bottle? The ageing of red wine in bottle can be affected by many factors including the type of seal used. At Liebichwein we have chosen to use both screwcap and cork for our reds and often do comparative tastings with fascinating outcomes.
Here are a few ways in which cork and screwcaps differ for wine:
Oxygen exposure – The key difference between screwcaps and corks is the amount of oxygen exposure that the wine receives during ageing. Cork seals allow a little bit of oxygen into the bottle over time, while screwcaps are a much more airtight seal. So wines under cork with slightly more oxygen ingress will tend to age faster. Tannins become softer, acidity mellows, and flavour complexity develops faster for reds under cork.
Consistency – It’s true that screwcaps are so popular now as they are more consistent than cork, which can vary in quality and consistency. Wines with screwcap are less likely to be affected by issues such as cork taint or oxidation, which can affect the wine’s flavour and aroma.
Ageability – The long-term ageability of wine with screwcap vs cork seals is still widely debated among wine experts. While some believe that screwcap-sealed wines may not age as well as cork-sealed wines, others argue that screwcaps can provide a more consistent ageing environment, which can lead to more predictable aging patterns.
Flavour preservation – Screwcap seals are perfect for preserving fresh fruit flavours of young red wines and wines to be consumed in their youth. Research has shown that cork seals may allow more rapid development of tertiary aromas and flavours such as dried/cooked fruits, leather and earthy notes.
In a nutshell, the development of bottled red wine will depend on a range of factors, including the wine style, grape variety, storage conditions, cellaring time, and personal preference. While screwcap seals are commonplace in recent years due to their consistency and effectiveness at preserving fruit flavours, many wine enthusiasts (and winemakers like Ron Liebich) still prefer the traditional cork seal for its perceived ability to enhance ageing potential and develop complex flavour profiles.
From time to time, we offer museum tastings where we can compare the same vintage sealed with cork and screwcap. Get in touch if you’d like to try this for yourself and we’ll dig out some bottles from the Liebichwein cellar.
Our perfect weekend in Barossa Valley begins with driving through the Adelaide Hills. If you’re coming from Adelaide city, take the scenic drive winding along Gorge Road through Cudlee Creek, Kersbrook and Williamstown. If you’re around on a Saturday morning, you can catch delicious locally grown and made produce at the Barossa Farmers Market in Angaston open from 7:30 to 11:30am.
For a feed of traditional German-style food, you can’t go past Apex Bakery in Tanunda (open weekdays and Saturdays). Try the salt sticks, pretzels, streusel cake and our family favourite beinenstich (bee sting cake) – a classic Bavarian cake made with brioche dough, pastry cream or custard, topped with a honey-almond mixture. You can also find Barossa Valley Ice Cream and Browns Barossa Gourmet Donuts to stock up on sweet treats.
Now it’s time to explore delicious drinks amongst the 90 cellar doors and a growing number of breweries and distilleries. Many places now take bookings for paid tastings so book ahead allowing enough time to tantalise your taste buds. Take your pick of places to visit just as long as Liebichwein is on your itinerary.
Drives – Menglers Hill, Steingarten Road through to Trial Hill Road, Seppeltsfield and Greenock for village atmosphere and the famous palm trees that line the roads
Walks – Kaiserstuhl, Steingarten Road. There are many useful maps and information from this walking trails website.
Bike rides – The Mawson Trail goes past our driveway and winds further up Steingarten Road. There is a sealed bike trail going through Rowland Flat into Tanunda. There is a useful Barossa By Bike map available on the Barossa Council website. You’ll find handy facilities next to the Barossa Tourism office in Tanunda for public showers and toilets.
For a drink between meals or after dark, head to local wine bar Z Wines on the main street in Tanunda. You’ll find platters for the whole family and local acoustic entertainment in a comfy atmosphere.
There is plenty to do for families. We recommend the Barossa Adventure Station for a fun playground and picnic areas, Barossa Bowland for bowling and dinosaur minigolf. Don’t forget the wonders of the Whispering Wall part of the dam wall located in the Barossa Reservoir Reservoir known for its unique acoustic effects. Words whispered at one side can be clearly heard on the other, more than 100 metres away. Check out the Play and Go website for detailed family-friendly guides for the Barossa region.
Only one hour by car from Adelaide, Barossa Valley is the perfect weekend escape for wine and food lovers. Check out the Barossa Guidebook for more information.
Delicious sweet and sour Muscat vinegar made from Barossa Muscat fortified wine aged in oak barrels. This vinegar is obtained naturally as wine ages in barrels by “acetobacter”, which transforms the wine alcohol into acetic acid.
Use this vinegar to enhance food flavours. Use in place of red wine and balsamic vinegar to add lovely fruit flavours without adding darker colour to food and dressings. Perfect for a salad, glaze or drizzle over fruit.
Vinegar bottles are in limited stock, and only available at Liebichwein Cellar Door.
Make a Glaze
A sweet sherry style glaze is perfect to accentuate chicken or salmon flavours or use as a sweet dessert glaze on berries or ice cream.
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup Muscat wine vinegar
1 tsp water
Mix sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer to form a thick syrup and remove from heat. Add one teaspoon of water to thin the syrup slightly.
There is plenty to do for families. We recommend the 
