It began with Australian winemakers bringing back the secrets from French cellars in search of the elusive chardonnay, pinot or Bordeaux blend. Then we gave it back to them in spades with the Flying Winemakers who revolutionised the quality of basic to good European vino. And now the Barossa Winemakers are linking up with the French to formalise a new exchange scheme between the Rhone and the Barossa itself. A fortunate young talent currently working in a Barossa winery will be sponsored with an eight week working study tour of the Rhone during the 2000 vintage, while a reciprocal exchange will take place during the 2001 Australian vintage next year. The Barossa Winemakers felt the Rhone was a natural choice for this idea, since it is the traditional home of the grape varieties of shiraz and grenache. Congratulations to Caroline Dunn, the first recipient of the scheme, who is a proven red winemaker at Wolf Blass.
