It’s official! The 2021 Barossa Wine Auction is the best yet!

With sales reaching just over $333,700 the 2021 Barossa Wine Auction season has beaten all previous records, achieving the highest sales result in the event’s 56-year history.

Much of this success can be attributed to the bold move by Barossa Grape & Wine Association to include, for the first time, a second live event outside Barossa.

On Thursday 29 April, 222 guests were hosted by members of the Barossa wine community and MC Jane Thomson at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney for a live auction and gala dinner. The atmosphere in the auction room, officiated by Langton’s Head of Auctions Tamara Grischy and Andrew Caillard MW, was was electric as bidding wars erupted across the floor. At one point the enthusiasm was so high bidding paddles were snapped! Baron of Barossa and Wine Auctioneer since 1984, Andrew Caillard MW noted it was “the best live auction I have ever presided over. It’s absolutely brilliant to see such support for Barossa. This is going to go down as one of the most memorable wine auctions ever held in Australia.”

BGWA are delighted to announce that proceeds of the auction will support the Barossa community through the following:

• $50,000 donation to the BGWA Well-Being Fund
• $25,000 donation to the Barossa Vintage Festival
• $100,000 directly to wineries through sales
• $2,700 proceeds of the art & wine raffle to the BGWA Well-Being Fund

The BGWA Well-Being Fund has been established to better equip members of our wine and grape-growing community to engage in meaningful conversations and provide active support for people affected by poor mental health. Grants drawn from the fund will help deliver regular, formal mental health First Aid training. The Training will cover areas such as what is mental illness, how to talk about mental health, the importance of self-care and how to support someone with mental health challenges. The BGWA Well-Being Fund, administered by Foundation Barossa received $5,000 in seed funding from the 2019 Barossa Wine Auction. After the record sales, the fund will be able to begin providing grants in the coming months, 2 years ahead of schedule.

The financial results speak for themselves, with bidding totals in Sydney exceeding the top estimates by over $60,000!

Highlights include: (all sales figures include buyer’s premium)

Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Double Magnum 2015 $22,135

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2010 Imperial $11,650

Standish Wine Co The Standish Shiraz Imperial 2003 $6,990

John Duval Wines Entity Shiraz 6 Magnum Collection 2004, 2015, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2017 $3,495

Torbreck The Laird Shiraz Imperial 2013 $15,145

The tremendous success is proof of Barossa’s place in the hearts of Australians as our country’s most prestigious and beloved wine region.

The online auction also reached record success, achieving a clearance rate of 82%, up from an estimate of 70%.

The congratulations for this success must be shared with the entire Barossa wine community. Without their decades of generosity, welcoming spirit and tireless commitment to excellence this would never be possible.

BGWA Chief Executive, James March commented: “The entire Barossa grape and wine community should be wholly encouraged by the fantastic results that were achieved. The atmosphere was electric as the spirited bidding received rounds of spontaneous applause as the hammer fell on each lot. You couldn’t help but feel there was a real sense of confidence in the pedigree of the lots being presented and this flowed through to the prices achieved, which exceeded everyone’s expectations.”

All wines in the 2021 Barossa Wine Auction have been authenticated with the new Seal of Provenance. Powered by Cellr’s innovative use of NFC technology, the purchaser can simply tap the Seal of Provenance with their smartphone to verify each bottle’s provenance from the winery’s own museum collections. Brands can adapt the content provided with each tap, easily updating with new messages and relevant information. BGWA have advised lucky bidders to keep tapping in the coming weeks for a fun (and very shareable) moment.

Part proceeds of the Barossa Wine Auction go to the BGWA Well-Being Fund, supporting mental health first-aid for the Barossa grape-growing and winemaking community. A full statement on the total donation to be made to this fund will be announced in the coming weeks.