Saltram, a celebrated history
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Saltram is one of Australia’s oldest and most revered wineries. Across its more than 160 years, the historical homestead Mamre Brook has welcomed some of Australia’s most celebrated winemakers. Each winemaking team has contributed to the advancement of the wines, and has ensured that this iconic winery has remained at the forefront of the contemporary wine landscape.
While Saltram remains current and relevant to Australia’s wine story, it inarguably retains one foot in the past. There is a stoic, enduring presence that can be felt within each bottle that represents the legacy and foundation first laid by William Salter and that has been continued by each of his predecessors.
Know where you’re from, know where you’re going
Born in Exeter, England, William Salter (1804-1871), tried his hand at farming and then chemistry before accepting an offer from London merchants King & Co. as an agent in England’s new southern colony. With his wife and three children, the Salters arrived in South Australia aboard the Caroline in December of 1839; sadly, his wife Anne died two months later.
The Salters quickly joined other new arrivals as expansions began into (what was for them) new territory. Land that was originally occupied by the Ngadjuri, Peramangk and Kaurna Aboriginal tribal groups was surveyed and offered up for sale under its new name, Barossa Valley. In 1844 William Salter was one of the first European migrants to purchase a plot in this fertile, well-watered, agrarian landscape.
Wine didn’t start flowing immediately, however. William reared cattle, then found greater success with sheep. He was elected treasurer of the first Angaston District Council, was deacon of the Angaston Congregational Church, and he even discovered and opened a copper mine on his property – he was a busy man.
Then in 1959, when his son Edward was of 22 years of age, William established the firm W Salter & Son, with their first endeavour being to clear and plant 10 acres of Shiraz. Three years later they reaped what they sowed and bottled the first vintage of what is arguably the most appropriately named wine in all of wine history – Saltram’s No 1. Shiraz was born.
Saltram stretches beyond the seas
Following the passing of William Salter in 1871, Edward took complete control of W Salter & Son and set it on the path to world-wide recognition. He employed Alfred Birks, who would go on to establish AP Birks winery (Wendouree) in Clare, and the two men soon saw their wines flourishing in New Zealand.
Saltram wines then won a medal at the 1876 Philadelphia International Exhibition, and shortly after Thomas Hardy purchased all of Edward’s wine determined to create a demand for it in London. By 1891, the size of the vintage had grown to 182,000 litres, with three-quarters destined for export markets.
Famous wines meet famous names
It’s hard to tell Saltram’s story without sounding like a ‘name-dropper’. The reality is, however, that a staggering number of Australia’s most celebrated wine personalities have come into contact with Saltram over its 160 years.
Edward’s son Leslie had been educated at Roseworthy College and became a close friend of Ronald Martin (Stonyfell Wines), who went on to buy a third share of W Salter & Son in 1920.
Having worked in the winemaking team since 1917, Fred Ludlow took over as Head Winemaker in 1938 and remained in this position until he retired in 1953. A young Bryan Dolan graduated from Roseworthy College in 1949 and was later appointed manager at Saltram. In 1960, Dolan was succeeded by the legendary Peter Lehmann, who set to work lightening the traditional styles, encouraging the planting of Cabernet and introducing more refined winemaking techniques.
Through the later decades of the 20th century, Saltram is described as somewhat losing its way. This all changed however when Nigel Dolan, who was the son of Bryan Dolan and who was born in Mamre Brook House, was appointed Head Winemaker in 1992.
Having undertaken his first vintage with Saltram as a cellar-hand in 1979, Nigel understood the legacy that stood behind him. He purposefully took Saltram back to its roots, focusing on the Barossa, as well as the grapes and styles that the winery’s former renown were built upon. His efforts did not go unnoticed and he was named South Australian Red Winemaker of the Year in 1996 and Barossa Winemaker of the Year in 2000. Nigel’s stewardship set the stage for a new era of Saltram that understood its place in the past, present and future of Australian winemaking.
The esteemed Shavaughn Wells then took the reins in 2008, having already been a member of the winemaking team for a number of vintages. It was during her tenure that many of Saltram’s most loved wines joined the stable. Shavaughn oversaw the release of a 1959 Vintage Rare Tawny as well as the first vintage of The Journal Shiraz; crafted from centenarian Barossa Shiraz vines. She also introduced the first estate grown wines, sourced from unique vineyards that surround the Saltram Estate in the heart of the Barossa Valley.
2017 saw Alex MacKenzie step into the leadership position as 10th Head Winemaker at Saltram. Alex was already very familiar with the winery, having worked alongside Nigel Dolan 16 years prior, and this understanding has assured the quality and consistency of the wines.
While Wynns Coonawarra Estate and Penfolds command justified spotlights upon Coonawarra’s world stage, there is a third collection of wines that stand with equal merit.
Celebrated and grateful
A winery does not become iconic simply because of its age, nor does a winemaker gain notoriety simply because of the winery. This idea rings no truer than at Saltram, where each celebrated winemaker would attest to the gratitude they feel for having been given the opportunity.
It’s this level of respect that has ensured Saltram’s place amongst Australia’s most revered wineries, and why its own history books have so many chapters yet to fill.