Helen and Grant Burge at Krondorf Winery. Image supplied by O’Rourke PR

Burge Barossa has added the award-winning Krondorf Winery to its growing white winemaking stable.

It marks the third time in its history that Krondorf Winery has found itself in the Burge family’s hands, having first been acquired by a young Grant Burge in 1978, sold to Mildara Blass and repurchased in 1999, again sold to and now acquired from multinational Accolade Wines for an undisclosed sum.

“It’s a very special homecoming,” says Grant Burge.

“I have effectively bought back a significant part of my past, having first acquired Krondorf Winery as a 27-year-old – which, to add to the poignancy, sits alongside our family home in the Barossa.

“Now, at the age of 70, I’m looking forward to both the person and the wine ageing well.”

The purchase will allow Burge Barossa – an integrated wine and tourism services company – to produce and bottle some 178,000 dozen bottles of white wine per annum for its growing contractor base, more than doubling previous output of 60,000 dozen and establishing the winery as a medium-size player in the region.

Burge Barossa has also invested roughly $1 million in a new, soon-to-be-constructed bottling plant and warehouse that will create about ten temporary jobs during the construction phase and another ten fulltime positions once fully operational.

The Krondorf acquisition will create a similar number of permanent positions in the winery and across production, the combined effect being a staff increase from 50 in 2019 to 70 in the near future.

The purchase of Krondorf Winery follows Accolade’s decision some 12 months ago to close the site, after which Burge Barossa initially leased the Krondorf-based facilities to address its pressing need for extra white wine production capacity.

Reflecting on the ‘hat-trick’ of ownership, Grant Burge recalls how he, as an ambitious young winemaker – and an equally aspiring 24-year-old Ian Wilson –bought the label from Dalgety Wine Estates in 1978.

The pair spent the next eight years developing Krondorf Wines to the point where it was well known in the region

Perhaps the most notable achievement during this time came in 1980 when the Krondorf 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon won the coveted Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy.

Now the historic Krondorf Winery facility is back in Grant and Helen Burge’s hands – and together, they can look ahead to another chapter of innovation and growth, which is sure to bring good cheer to both wine lovers and the Barossa’s economy.

Are you a Daily Wine News subscriber? If not, click here to join our mailing list. It’s free!