Roussanne
23rd March 2026
by Susan Papps (Yelland)
When I look back, I often wonder when our journey with Roussanne truly began. This variety has become such an important part of our story and our style. Who would have imagined, sitting in the heart of the Barossa Valley, that a white wine would become so significant to the way we think, make, and feel about wine?
Roussanne has become, for us, a variety of intrigue, indulgence and intent.
In the early days, before we were making wine ourselves, I was fascinated by aged Riesling. I used to drive to Richmond Grove, and the staff were always surprised that I was not there for the current release — I was there for the museum wines, and more specifically, the aged Rieslings. To me, these were gold. The refined Vickory hand behind those wines showed the precision and care of winemaking that allows a wine not only to sing in its youth, but to keep singing for many years to come.
At the beginning of our journey, the two white varieties most firmly established in the Barossa were Riesling and Semillon. These dominated both vineyard plantings and the wines being made. But as we moved into the 2000s, there was a growing curiosity around alternative white varieties. Some of these flourished through consumer interest, winemaker excitement, and the willingness of growers to think differently.
The question became: which varieties truly belong here? Which ones sit naturally in our environment and feel at home in the Barossa Valley?
There were already small pockets of experimental plantings, driven by curious growers and thoughtful winemakers. But over the last five years, it has felt like a real shift has taken place. These wines are no longer experiments. They are being sought out — by consumers who are falling in love with white wines in a new way, and by winemakers driven to create styles beyond what has traditionally defined Australian, and especially Barossa, white wine.
We use the word texture again and again, and perhaps it risks becoming overused, but it remains relevant. It speaks to the way people are now experiencing white wine differently. White wine is no longer seen as simply crisp, floral, fruity or aromatic. It can be layered, creamy, savoury, intoxicating and deeply thoughtful. It can carry shape, length and intent.
What does a textured white wine offer a consumer?
It opens a window onto a different idea of white wine. It shows that white wine does not have to be one-dimensional. It can stop you in your tracks.
I have always believed that a white wine can do that even more than a red. Once you have made both, you understand just how demanding white winemaking can be — the pace is faster, the decisions come quickly, and oak handling must be exact. Precision matters at every stage.
When I think of the wines that have truly stayed with me, many of them have been whites.
We were already walking this path with Roussanne when we decided to take a family trip to Beechworth. I emailed Rick at Giaconda on the chance that we might be able to visit, and what followed became one of those unforgettable days that quietly changes your thinking.
To our delight, he said yes. When we arrived, he took our children off in the gator, and in that moment I think we knew we were in for something special. The children’s thoughts shifted immediately from another winery visit to absolute joy.
The hours we spent with Rick — hearing his thoughts, his intention, his philosophy — were truly game changing for us. At that stage, we were still early in our own Roussanne journey, and his Roussanne completely floored us. It took us to that place all great wines do: the place where you feel both humbled and inspired. His approach, his generosity, and the clarity of his thinking left a mark on us that is hard to put into words.
I remember getting back into the car afterwards with our heads absolutely buzzing — full of ambition, excitement and a stronger sense that what we wanted to do felt right in every way. The children, of course, were still talking about the gator ride with Rick, but for Michael and me, something much deeper had shifted.
The Barossa Valley can grow extraordinary white wines. As more winemakers look towards styles with longevity, texture and a capacity to evolve in bottle, I believe the region is entering a fascinating new chapter. The old idea of “gold” in the Barossa may once have been something discovered in 1868, but perhaps today it is something else entirely — perhaps it is these textured, age-worthy white wines.
There is always a revolving door of focus and evolution in every great region, and that is part of what keeps a place alive. While the Barossa is synonymous with Shiraz, and rightly respected for it, I believe it also has the capacity to become a leader in whites such as Riesling, Roussanne and alternate white varieties.
The region is divided into small subregions, each with its own soils, elevation and microclimate. There are places where Riesling thrives beautifully, and there are places where alternate whites feel entirely at home — Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Clairette.
As turbulent as this time may be for the wine industry, there is still light. The light is in what is quietly unfolding — the thoughtful work, the forward thinking, and the sense that something important is developing beneath the surface in the Barossa.
As I look back over the chapters of our own Roussanne journey, I find myself even more intrigued by this remarkable variety today than ever before.
There is a quiet excitement on the horizon for what is still to come.