Rockford

I was born into a family of grape growers and grew up in vineyards and wineries, where I inherited a great respect for the pioneer Australian wine trade. All that I’ve experienced is reflected in the Rockford winemaking principles; Quality winemaking is a skilled craft that consumes a very large part of one’s life, so it must give you joy.  That joy is extended if the maker can sell the wine directly to those who drink it for their pleasure

Robert O'Callaghan - The Founder/Winemaker

My grandparents on both sides and also my parents were grape growers, so my childhood was spent in their vineyards.  My parents moved to North Eastern Victoria where my Father managed a vineyard for Australia’s then largest family winemakers, Seppelts.  In 1965 I followed a natural path and started as a trainee winemaker at Seppelt’s Rutherglen winery.

It was a wonderful apprenticeship in the old, ordered, slow and gentle Australian wine trade.  The wines I drank, the winemakers from previous generations with whom I associated and everything I absorbed in that period had a major influence on the way Rockford is today.  Although I’ve spent all my life in vineyards and wineries, the pleasure I derive from walking through rows of vines or casks filled with wine has not diminished.

In 1971 I purchased an 1850’s stone settler’s cottage and outbuildings on five acres of land in the village of Krondorf, which sits in the shadow of the Barossa Ranges, in the heart of the Barossa Valley.  The courtyard shaped winery which grew from this was built in the same style and from the same materials as the original buildings.

The vintage shed is equipped with plant from the pioneer era – I collected these valuable pieces when they were discarded by other Australian wineries as they modernised.  This allows Rockford to carry on the traditional Australian winemaking techniques, but more importantly the winery is the same scale, age and pace as our growers’ vineyards.

To me the winery is not just a building but a large piece of sculpture with Barossa wine running through its veins, hopefully when you walk into the courtyard you’ll instantly feel a sense of all that it represents.

Rockford wines are made from established Barossa varieties which form an important part of our winemaking heritage, in a style that best reflects the vineyards, the winemaker’s attitude and the climate in which we live.

I have always lived in and feel most comfortable with the warm Mediterranean climate of the Barossa where grapes ripen easily.  My preference is to make the wine by hand with traditional methods, attitudes and equipment to produce elegant but rich, earthy, soft, generous wines that will age - the kind that I drank in my youth.

Because of the way the Barossa Valley was originally settled, the majority of vineyards are owned by over five hundred small, independent grape growers.  Many of these fifth generation mixed farmers have their vineyards broken down into small patches of different varieties, soil types and ages. 
These vineyards are then dispersed across the whole spectrum of Barossa soil, altitude and weather conditions.  The result is an extremely diverse, viticultural, patchwork quilt; with each grower giving their patch its own distinctive character.

During the twenty years prior to establishing Rockford, I worked for several Barossa winemakers.  This allowed me access to many of the finest Barossa growers, so by the time I started Rockford, I knew exactly the kind of wine I wanted to make and precisely which vineyard would give me the grapes I needed.  It also allowed me to continue the established tradition of winemakers building long term partnerships with growers rather than owning their own vineyard. 
Many of the growers have vines that were planted on their own roots, sixty to one hundred years ago.  The partnership not only gives Rockford access to exceptional grapes from ancient vines, but also provides consistency and reliability that is not possible from a single vineyard.

I have a great deal of respect for the accumulated knowledge, skill and long term commitment of my growers.  I never under-estimate the contribution they make to each of my wines.Wine is crafted, not created.  The skill is to capture and enhance the fleeting flavours that grapes give from their variety and extract from the earth, then bottle these as a living record of the vintage they represent.

At Rockford we're committed to keeping the best of the traditional wine trade alive and sharing this with our customers, so drop in on your next visit to the Barossa and spend some time with us...