Agricola Vintners: A stake has been planted

Written By Campbell Mattinson
Callum Powell's Agricola Vintners is not only one of the Barossa Valley's best shiraz producers, but is important to the reputation of the Barossa and Eden Valley regions.

One of the great joys in my wine life is when I open up the Winefront page and one of Gary (Walsh), Mike (Bennie) or Kasia (Sobiesiak) have really let rip on a set of wines, such was their love for what appeared in the glass(es) before them. There was such a moment yesterday, when Mike Bennie reviewed the 2023 releases of Callum Powell, aka Agricola Vintners. We are watching a star being born here. Callum Powell was raised in the Barossa; he knows the Barossa and Eden lands, and their peoples, as well as any; both his local landscape and the world at large are now quite clearly his oyster. Mike’s been across Callum Powell’s Agricola wines, on The Winefront, since 2019, but these 2023 releases really seem to be landmark stuff. Read these reviews. A stake has been planted.

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of the highly respected The Winefront site.

Mattinson has been an independent wine critic and photo-journalist since 1987. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the prized Best Australian Sports Writing Award.

Mattinson, who is 100% independent, puts a score out of 100 on every wine that he reviews. But what he’d rather do, is tell you the wine’s story.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
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