Barossa winemaking legend Peter Lehmann died in Adelaide today, aged 82.
Lehmann, who battled kidney disease for some years, died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Friday after being admitted earlier in the week for an operation.
He is survived by his wife Margaret, their two children, two children from his first marriage and a number of grandchildren.
The man who was known as “The Baron of the Barossa” began his winemaking career in 1960, Peter Lehmann Wines CEO Jeff Bond said.
“Peter was a legend in the industry, he really was, and he championed the Barossa,” he said.
“He became one of Australia’s pre-eminent red winemakers.”
Lehmann was a mentor and inspiration to many up-and coming winemakers and a really important character in the Australian wine industry, he added.
While he retired some years ago, Lehmann remained a key figurehead for the company.
“He lived on the site and so was never far away from the winery.”
The company that bears his name posted the news of his death on its website today, along with the following biographical note.
“Peter was born in the Barossa village of Angaston in 1930, the fifth generation of one of Barossa’s pioneering families.
“His father Franz was the local pastor. Peter was only 14 when his father died, and the impact was great. He wanted to leave school, and with his mother’s support and community connections, he secured a role as apprentice winemaker at Yalumba in 1947.
“Over the next 12 years, he gathered skills that saw him evolve into one of Barossa’s most promising red winemakers.
“In 1960, he joined Saltram Wines as Winemaker/manager, forging a reputation as one of the country’s leading red winemakers.
“His true character came to the fore during the wine glut of the late 1970s, when Saltram’s owners told him to buy fewer grapes from the network of growers. Standing by the word he had made to the growers, he refused.
“In 1979, after securing finance through pure faith in his abilities, he established Masterson Barossa Vineyards, named after the legendary gambler Sky Masterson. The gamble paid off, and in1982 the venture stepped up a gear and was renamed Peter Lehmann Wines.
“The fighter stepped up again in 2003, when Peter Lehmann Wines was the subject of a fierce bidding war. Desperate to not let his eponymous business fall into the hands of what he called ‘corporate pillagers’, PL orchestrated a majority sale to the family-owned Hess Group who shared his values and vision for the company.
“But it was his enduring love of the Barossa Valley that set him apart.
“His contribution to the industry as a whole was acknowledged in 2009 with an International Wine Challenge Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Peter Lehmann leaves behind his beloved wife and collaborator Margaret, their sons David and Philip, and Doug and Libby from his first marriage.”
– with AAP
