Peter Lehmann was born in 1930 in the town of Angaston in the Barossa Valley. He was the son of a Lutheran pastor, Franz, and it looked likely that he would follow in his father’s footsteps. However, Franz died suddenly in 1955, and Peter was forced to drop out of school to support his grieving mother. In 1947, Peter began working for the Yalumba winery, under Rudi Kronbgerger, the esteemed riesling maker. In 1959, Peter was offered a contract as winemaker/manager at Saltram, where he stayed for the next 20 years. When a grape surplus threatened the livelihoods of many growers in 1977/78, Peter was given permission by Saltram to work on a ‘side project’, called ‘Masterson’ (named after the gambling Sky Masterson character in ‘Guys and Dolls’, given that what he was doing was seen as a huge gamble), in which he processed fruit from several growers. When Saltram was sold in 1979, Peter established ‘Masterson Wines’. Peter saved growers from financial strife, whilst also moulding his business into a very successful wine company with an outstanding reputation. In 2014, ‘Peter Lehmann Wines’ sold to ‘Casella Family Brands’, which manages labels including ‘Yellow Tail’ and ‘Brand’s Laira’.

Peter Lehmann has a wide variety of wines to suit many budgets. The ‘Layers Adelaide White’ is a blend of Semillon, Muscat, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, with floral, lemon and spicy aromatics over a textural palate with great mouthfeel. The ‘Barossan Shiraz’ is a full-bodied wine with chocolate and coffee undertones and dark fruit fine tannins leaving a glorious aftertaste. If you’re lucky enough to get it, The ‘Stonewell Shiraz’ is Peter Lehmann’s flagship wine and one of Australia’s greatest, with intense depth and structure, featuring sublime aromas and flavours that only get better as it cellars.

For more information on Peter Lehmann and their wines, head to their website.