With an emphasis on crafting bespoke barrels from the ground up, we are the only winery in the Southern Hemisphere to have an operational, on-site winery cooperage. We select the oak which our Head Cooper Kym Venning carefully crafts into barrels, providing the unique flavour, complexity and aroma to our wines.
Our winemakers are in control of this important stage in the winemaking process. The right oak results in an abundance of flavour, ensuring that every last drop has the potential to become something great.
While the beginnings of the Yalumba Cooperage remain a mystery lost in time, coopering has been a proud tradition at the winery for more than a century. Our coopers have been performing and perfecting their craft since around 1890, moving into The Cooperage in the 1990’s.
We import our oak from the best forests in the world. Once seasoned, the oak is delivered into the hands of our Yalumba Coopers to be fashioned into barrels. After being carefully cut and manipulated into shape, our Coopers fire the barrels to toast the wood.
Our Yalumba Coopers employ a long, slow, medium toast, which penetrates deep into the staves. This process results in a delicate toast that provides our winemakers with greater control and consistency, and elevates the natural aromas of the wine.
Take a Cooperage tour and learn about our history, enjoy a unique and rare insight into the craft of barrel making, and finish with a tasting of a selection of fine Barossa wines.