Jacob's Creek

The story of Jacob's Creek begins with a Bavarian immigrant and a small creek in South Australia. In 1847, Johann Gramp purchased land at Rowland Flat in the Barossa Valley and planted what is considered the region's first commercial vineyard on the banks of Jacob's Creek. The creek itself had been named after William Jacob, an assistant surveyor who mapped the Barossa region in 1839 and later settled near its banks. Gramp's first vintage in 1850 produced approximately 12 dozen bottles of hock-style white wine from a single small oak barrel. His son Gustav Gramp later relocated the winery to Rowland Flat in 1877, and the family enterprise, known as Gramp and Sons, grew steadily over the following century under successive generations. Johann's great-grandson Colin Gramp modernised operations in the 1950s, including developing the iconic Steingarten Riesling vineyard in Eden Valley in 1962. The winery was known as Orlando Wines for much of the 20th century, and the Jacob's Creek brand name was not applied to a commercial release until 1976, when a 1973-vintage Shiraz Cabernet Malbec was launched under that label, honouring the site of Johann Gramp's original vineyard.

• Johann Gramp arrived in South Australia in 1837 and planted his first Barossa vines in 1847; his first vintage was made in 1850
• The creek was named after William Jacob, assistant surveyor who mapped the Barossa in 1839 and settled near the waterway
• Gustav Gramp (son of Johann) relocated the winery to its current Rowland Flat site in 1877
• The Jacob's Creek commercial label launched in 1976 with a 1973-vintage Shiraz Cabernet Malbec, named after the historic vineyard site

For most of the 20th century, Jacob's Creek was produced under the umbrella of Orlando Wines, a company with deep Barossa roots. In 1989, the French drinks giant Pernod Ricard acquired Orlando Wines along with its Jacob's Creek label. The following year, Pernod Ricard also purchased the Hunter Valley winery Wyndham Estate, and the two operations merged to form the Orlando Wyndham Group. Over subsequent decades, Pernod Ricard restructured its Australian wine operations, eventually operating under the name Pernod Ricard Winemakers. In July 2024, Pernod Ricard announced the sale of its international wine portfolio, including Jacob's Creek, to Australian Wine Holdco Limited (AWL), a consortium of institutional investors that also owned Accolade Wines. The transaction closed on 30 April 2025, and the combined business was rebranded as Vinarchy. Jacob's Creek was identified by Vinarchy's CEO as one of the three cornerstone brands (alongside Hardys and Campo Viejo) with the most global recognition. Orlando Wines won the Maurice O'Shea Award in 1994, the first time the prestigious Australian wine industry prize had been awarded to a wine company rather than an individual.

• Orlando Wines was acquired by Pernod Ricard in 1989, placing Jacob's Creek under French corporate ownership for over 35 years
• Pernod Ricard merged its wine operations with Accolade Wines, and the sale to Vinarchy formally closed on 30 April 2025
• Vinarchy, formed in 2025, is a global wine company with annual net sales exceeding AUD 1.5 billion
• Jacob's Creek is identified as one of Vinarchy's three priority global brands alongside Hardys and Campo Viejo

Jacob's Creek offers one of the most extensive portfolios of any Australian wine brand, spanning entry-level everyday wines through to premium and heritage expressions. The Classic range forms the commercial backbone of the brand, featuring varietal wines and blends designed for immediate drinking, including a Shiraz Cabernet blend, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. The Reserve range, introduced in 2000, steps up in quality and features single-varietal wines from Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling sourced from premium South Australian regions. The Double Barrel range uses a proprietary technique in which wines are first matured in traditional wine barrels then finished in aged whiskey barrels, adding additional layers of complexity and smoother texture. At the top of the range sit Heritage wines including the celebrated Steingarten Riesling from Eden Valley, the Johann Shiraz Cabernet, and the Centenary Hill Barossa Shiraz. The company also produces a broad range of sparkling wines made from Champagne varieties (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), Sauvignon Blanc, and Glera (Prosecco), as well as a Moscato. Grapes are drawn from both estate vineyards and contracted growers across the Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Coonawarra, and Adelaide Hills.

• Classic range: everyday-drinking varietals and blends, including the flagship Shiraz Cabernet blend made from South Eastern Australia fruit
• Reserve range (launched 2000): single-varietal wines from premium South Australian regions, including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling
• Double Barrel range: wines matured first in traditional oak then finished in aged whiskey barrels for added complexity and smoothness
• Heritage wines: Steingarten Riesling (Eden Valley), Johann Shiraz Cabernet, and Centenary Hill Barossa Shiraz represent the brand's top tier

The Steingarten Riesling is widely regarded as one of Australia's benchmark dry Rieslings and the prestige wine of the Jacob's Creek portfolio. The Steingarten vineyard was first planted in 1962 by Colin Gramp on a steep, rocky site in Eden Valley, and the wine was first vintaged in 1967 under the Orlando label. The name 'Steingarten' translates from German as 'Stone Garden,' a fitting reference to the site's shallow soils over fractured shale and schist rock, which drive the wine's distinctive mineral character. Today, grapes for the Steingarten Riesling are sourced from selected older Riesling blocks within Eden Valley, including the original Steingarten vineyard itself. These east-facing blocks, protected from afternoon sun by surrounding hills, produce grapes with naturally high acidity. The wine is bone dry in style and is celebrated for its intensity of lime, grapefruit, and mineral notes, with the capacity to age gracefully for two decades or more. The Steingarten Riesling was released under the Jacob's Creek label from 2005 onwards, and the wine was awarded the Barossa Trust Mark from 2014, guaranteeing its quality and genuine Barossa origin.

• Steingarten vineyard first planted in 1962 by Colin Gramp in Eden Valley; first vintage made in 1967 under the Orlando label
• Name means 'Stone Garden' in German; vineyards sit on shallow soils over fractured shale and schist rock, producing distinctive minerality
• Released under the Jacob's Creek label from 2005; awarded the Barossa Trust Mark from 2014
• A bone-dry, high-acid style capable of extended cellaring, with characteristic lime, grapefruit, and mineral complexity

Jacob's Creek is one of the most commercially successful wine export brands Australia has ever produced. The brand began exporting to the United Kingdom in 1984 and quickly became the leading Australian wine brand in that market. Today, the portfolio is exported to over 60 countries, and the brand has historically been a market leader in the UK, New Zealand, and Asian markets. Jacob's Creek was named Australian Exporter of the Year in 1993, reflecting its critical role in putting Australian wine on the world map. Approximately 1.7 million glasses of Jacob's Creek wine are consumed daily worldwide. The brand was an early mover in China, and from January 2026, ASC Fine Wines serves as the exclusive importer and distributor of Jacob's Creek in China as part of Vinarchy's strategic reset in the market. The brand also became widely recognised through high-profile sports sponsorships, including as a sponsor of the Australian Open tennis tournament from 2006, and as a sponsor of Wimbledon, underscoring its global cultural visibility.

• First exported to the United Kingdom in 1984; became the leading Australian wine brand in the UK market
• Exported to over 60 countries; approximately 1.7 million glasses consumed globally each day
• Named Australian Exporter of the Year in 1993; won the Maurice O'Shea Award in 1994
• Sponsored the Australian Open from 2006 and has also been associated with Wimbledon, boosting global brand recognition

The Jacob's Creek winery operates at Rowland Flat, a small township in the Barossa Valley situated between Lyndoch and Tanunda in South Australia, approximately 80 kilometres north of Adelaide. The Barossa Valley, known for its warm continental climate, is the heartland for the brand's Shiraz-led red wines, delivering the ripe dark fruit, plum, pepper, and spice characters typical of the region. For the cooler-climate white wines, particularly Riesling, grapes are sourced from the adjacent Eden Valley and from Adelaide Hills, where elevation moderates temperatures and preserves natural acidity. The Coonawarra region of South Australia contributes to some of the brand's Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings. The winemaking philosophy across the portfolio emphasises varietal expression and fruit purity, with oak treatment calibrated to complement rather than dominate. For the Classic and Reserve tiers, the approach is designed to deliver consistent, approachable fruit character. The Cool Harvest sub-range uses night harvesting to maximise retention of tropical aromas and natural acidity. The Visitor's Centre at Rowland Flat, opened in 2002, is one of the leading wine tourism destinations in Australia.

• Winery located at Rowland Flat, Barossa Valley, between Lyndoch and Tanunda, approximately 80 km north of Adelaide
• Barossa Valley fruit drives the Shiraz and Shiraz Cabernet blends; Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills provide cooler-climate whites, especially Riesling
• Coonawarra contributes Cabernet Sauvignon to select ranges; grapes sourced from both estate and contracted growers
• Cool Harvest wines are made from grapes picked at the coolest part of the night to preserve aromatic freshness and natural acidity