Stuart Bourne, the winemaker of Soul Growers, has been named the 2020 Barossa Winemaker of the Year by the Barons of Barossa.
“Stuart Bourne is one of the great characters of the Barossa. He is a long-term thinker, always putting the region front and centre. Since he arrived, he has embraced everything Barossa, with strong, positive contributions to the wine industry and to the greater Barossa community,” said Louisa Rose, the newly elected Grand Master of the Barons of Barossa.
Barons of Barossa is a wine fraternity dating back to 1975, which brings together members of the wine industry from the Barossa Valley to promote Barossa wine, viticulture, gastronomy, heritage, and the arts.
Each year the Barons of the Barossa recognises a winemaker who has made a significant contribution to the industry, who produces wines that embody the Barossa Valley, and who generously shares their knowledge with others.
Bourne hails from a grape growing family in the Clare Valley, but left to study at the University of Adelaide. After his BSc, Bourne completed an additional degree in oenology. After working in different wine regions across Australia, he returned to the Barossa Valley in 2001.
At Soul Growers, Bourne from the outset wanted to create a winery that was founded on the regional and varietal flavours of the Barossa Valley.
“Some people say that gold medals make a winemaker, but to be recognised by your peers as Barossa winemaker of the year in Australia’s best wine region is truly the greatest accolade a Barossa winemaker can achieve,” said Bourne during his acceptance speech.
As Winemaker of the year, Bourne joins the likes of Tim Smith of Tim Smith Wines, Richard Langford of Elderton, and Ben Radford of Rockford Wines, among many others.
