Elderton Wines

The vineyard was first planted in 1894 on the banks of the North Para River in Nuriootpa by the Scholz family, early German settlers. In 1916 it was purchased by Samuel Elderton Tolley, who named the estate Elderton, built a homestead on it and sold the fruit to his family's winery. The vineyard became derelict in the early years of the vine pull, around 1975. After time working in Saudi Arabia, Neil and Lorraine Ashmead moved to the Barossa when Lorraine's father identified the homestead as a home for the family; the Ashmead family purchased the property in 1980, the homestead came with the surrounding 29 hectares of old vines at no cost, and restoration of the vineyard began. The first wine was made under the Elderton label in 1982 with the help of Peter Lehmann, Jim Irvine was hired as contract winemaker in 1983, and the first vintage of Command Shiraz followed in 1984. In 1993 Elderton's 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards. The first vintage of Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 1998, and in 2002 Elderton purchased Citrus Cellars and built its own winemaking facility. The second generation, brothers Cameron and Allister Ashmead, took the reins of the business in 2003 and set out to buy vineyards in other sub appellations of the Barossa: Craneford in Eden Valley was purchased in 2007, a vineyard on the northeast corner of Greenock in 2010 and a fourth vineyard, at Mengler Hill, in 2023. In 2017 the cellar door moved from a small cottage on Tanunda Road into the family homestead, and in 2021 the family launched Small Victories Wine Co. In 2024 a new entity, Ashmead Family Vintners, became the overarching business responsible for winemaking and marketing across the family's wine and vineyard interests.

• 1894: vineyard planted at Nuriootpa by the Scholz family; 1916: bought by Samuel Elderton Tolley, who named it Elderton.
• 1980: purchased by the Ashmead family; 1982: first wine under the Elderton label; 1984: first vintage of Command Shiraz.
• 1993: the 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards.
• 2003: Cameron and Allister Ashmead took the reins; vineyards bought at Craneford (2007), Greenock (2010) and Mengler Hill (2023).
• 2024: Ashmead Family Vintners became the overarching business for the family's winemaking and marketing.

Allister Ashmead and Cameron Ashmead are co-managing directors, Allister responsible for marketing and sales and Cameron for business development. They run Elderton alongside their wives, Jules and Rebecca; Lorraine Ashmead is retired. Jules Ashmead has overseen both viticulture and winemaking as Head of Production since July 2019; she comes from a family with five generations of winemaking history at Campbells Wines in Rutherglen. Rebecca Ashmead is export and production manager, Brock Harrison is winemaker, Conrad Pohlinger is viticulturist and Peter Wild is vineyard manager. Richard Langford was recruited as winemaker in 2003, and Brock Harrison joined in 2019.

• Co-managing directors: Allister Ashmead (marketing and sales) and Cameron Ashmead (business development).
• Head of Production, winemaking and viticulture: Jules Ashmead, since July 2019.
• Winemaker: Brock Harrison, since 2019; viticulturist: Conrad Pohlinger; vineyard manager: Peter Wild; export and production manager: Rebecca Ashmead.

The family's four vineyards lie in different parts of the Barossa. Nuriootpa, the original estate on the banks of the North Para River, sits at 275 metres on alluvial river silt over red and brown clays with limestone beneath; it is planted to Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and grows the fruit for Command Shiraz and Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon. The Ashmead Cabernet comes from vines planted in 1944 in alluvial silt near the North Para River, a block that was almost removed in 1997 to make way for higher-yielding vines. The Greenock vineyard, first planted by the Helbig family in 1915 and bought by the Ashmeads after vintage 2010, sits in its own small valley on the northeast corner of Greenock, bordering the Moppa sub appellation, at 330 to 350 metres; its soils are free draining and rich in ironstone, changing to very sandy loam at lower points, and it grows Shiraz, Grenache, Carignan, Mataro and Cinsault. Craneford, planted by the Obst family in 1990 and bought in 2007, lies just south of the township of Craneford in the Eden Valley ranges at 390 to 425 metres, on shallow loamy sand over granite bedrock, and grows Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Chardonnay. Mengler Hill, first planted over 100 years ago by the Pohlner family and bought from the Matchoss family in 2023, sits at around 500 metres, one of the highest vineyards in the Barossa, on shallow, skeletal grey sandy loam with quartz gravel over weathered rock and yellow clay-based soils; it grows Shiraz, Grenache, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Viognier, and receives 50% more rainfall than the family's Barossa Valley floor vineyards. As of April 2024, Nuriootpa covered 27 hectares, Greenock 25 hectares and Craneford 15 hectares. The vineyard team works toward low yields, low irrigation and minimal inputs.

• Nuriootpa: 275 metres; alluvial river silt over red and brown clays with limestone; the 1894 Command vineyard and the 1944 Ashmead Cabernet block.
• Greenock: 330 to 350 metres; ironstone-rich soils changing to sandy loam; first planted by the Helbig family in 1915.
• Craneford (Eden Valley): 390 to 425 metres; shallow loamy sand over granite bedrock; planted by the Obst family in 1990.
• Mengler Hill: around 500 metres; skeletal grey sandy loam with quartz gravel; 50% more rainfall than the Barossa Valley floor vineyards.

The range is arranged in tiers. Elite Single Vineyards comprises Command Shiraz, Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon, Helbig 1915 Shiraz and Sixfold Shiraz. Exceptional Sites comprises the Neil Ashmead Grand Tourer Shiraz, Ode to Lorraine, Ashmead Family Reserve Shiraz, Wellington Grenache and Winifred Grenache. Estate Family Vineyards comprises the Barossa Shiraz, Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Merlot, Barossa GSM, Eden Valley Riesling, Eden Valley Chardonnay, Eden Valley Field Blend and Duke of Wellington Old Vine Shiraz VP. The E-Series, which draws on fruit bought from select growers, comprises E Series Shiraz, E Series Chardonnay and Barossa Bullet Shiraz. Command Shiraz comes from the Nuriootpa vines planted in 1894, and its first vintage was 1984. Helbig 1915 Shiraz comes from the oldest block at Greenock, planted by the Helbig family in 1915; its maiden 2013 release was called Fifteen. Ode to Lorraine, a Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot blend first made from the 1992 vintage, was renamed from CSM from the 2002 vintage in honour of co-founder Lorraine Ashmead. The Neil Ashmead Grand Tourer Shiraz, first released from the 2008 vintage, is named in honour of co-founder Neil Ashmead. Small Victories Wine Co, launched in 2021, explores different wine styles, varieties and regions; its range includes a Shiraz, a Sangiovese, a Rosé, a Pinot Gris and Blended Fields.

• Elite Single Vineyards: Command Shiraz, Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon, Helbig 1915 Shiraz, Sixfold Shiraz.
• Exceptional Sites: Neil Ashmead Grand Tourer Shiraz, Ode to Lorraine, Ashmead Family Reserve Shiraz, Wellington Grenache, Winifred Grenache.
• Estate Family Vineyards: Barossa Shiraz, Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Merlot, Barossa GSM, Eden Valley Riesling, Eden Valley Chardonnay, Eden Valley Field Blend, Duke of Wellington Old Vine Shiraz VP.
• E-Series: E Series Shiraz, E Series Chardonnay, Barossa Bullet Shiraz; Small Victories Wine Co launched in 2021.

In the Command vineyard, clay content increases from the North Para River on the western side to the cellar door at the eastern end, with a corresponding decrease in vigour, so the Command fruit is harvested in several picks. Parcels are fermented separately in open cement vats using heading boards and pump-overs for 7 to 14 days, and a portion is held on skins for an extended time in closed tulip fermenters; the wines are pressed to oak for malolactic fermentation and maturation before barrel selection for the final blend. The 2023 Command Shiraz spent 23 months in new French and American oak puncheons. Elderton introduced French oak alongside American oak in 1996 and reduced fermentation temperatures in 2010.

• Command: several picks across the vineyard; open cement vats with heading boards and pump-overs for 7 to 14 days; closed tulip fermenters for extended time on skins.
• French oak introduced alongside American oak in 1996; fermentation temperatures reduced in 2010.

Elderton is a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, with its vineyards and winery certified. A solar panel grid was erected on the winery in September 2010, doubled in size in 2014 and upgraded again in 2019; with 120kW of generation, it reduces the winery's carbon dioxide emissions by at least 55 tonnes a year. The winery is water self-sufficient 11 months of the year through rainwater harvested from its roofs, and its effluent system recycles 100 per cent of the water that passes through it to a quality that can be used on the vineyard. The first phase of native vegetation plantings, in June 2021, established 350 plants at Nuriootpa and Greenock, and lacewings and parasitic wasps have been released into the vineyard to control scale and blister mite without insecticides.

• Vineyards and winery certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.
• 120kW solar system, first installed in September 2010.
• Water self-sufficient 11 months of the year; 100 per cent of effluent water recycled for vineyard use.

The cellar door, at 3-5 Tanunda Road in Nuriootpa, occupies a 1918 classic gentleman's bungalow that was the Ashmead family home, and looks out over the 1894 Command vineyard. It won the Great Wine Capitals of the World Best Regional Wine Tourism Services award in 2019 and 2022. Elderton's 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy in 1993.

• Cellar door in the 1918 family homestead since 2017, overlooking the 1894 Command vineyard.
• Great Wine Capitals of the World Best Regional Wine Tourism Services award, 2019 and 2022.

Cameron Ashmead credits the vineyards beyond Nuriootpa with letting Elderton make wines that are 'a bit more modern – lighter and fresher and more approachable on release, so you don’t have to cellar them for seven years'. For Command, Allister Ashmead puts the goal as to 'make wines which are much more expressive of us and our place'. Jules Ashmead finds distinct tannins at each site: 'deep, silky, long and layered' from Nuriootpa, 'punchier and upfront' from Greenock, and 'slatey, edgy tannins' from Craneford.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://eldertonwines.com.au/, https://eldertonwines.com.au/pages/about-elderton-wines, https://eldertonwines.com.au/pages/cellar-door, https://eldertonwines.com.au/pages/browse-wines, https://eldertonwines.com.au/blogs/news/the-history-of-elderton-wines-and-the-ashmead-family-s-journey-with-wine, https://eldertonwines.com.au/blogs/news/sustainability, https://eldertonwines.com.au/blogs/news/a-bit-more-about-us, https://eldertonwines.com.au/pages/smallvictories, the collection pages https://eldertonwines.com.au/collections/elite-single-vineyards, https://eldertonwines.com.au/collections/exceptional-sites, https://eldertonwines.com.au/collections/estate and https://eldertonwines.com.au/collections/e-series, and the product pages https://eldertonwines.com.au/products/2023-command-shiraz, https://eldertonwines.com.au/products/2022-ashmead-cabernet-sauvignon, https://eldertonwines.com.au/products/2024-ode-to-lorraine, https://eldertonwines.com.au/products/2024-neil-ashmead-grand-tourer-shiraz, https://eldertonwines.com.au/products/2024-helbig-1915-shiraz and https://eldertonwines.com.au/products/2024-barossa-shiraz. Secondary sources: Barossa Australia, https://www.barossa.com/visit/food-drink/elderton-wines-cellar-door/; Wine Australia, https://www.australianwine.com/trade/expo/wineries/elderton-wines-1; Decanter (Sarah Ahmed, last updated 11 April 2024), https://www.decanter.com/premium/elderton-40-years-of-cabernet-and-shiraz-in-the-barossa-valley-468737/. Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.