| The history of Jacob's
Creek begins with the settlement of South Australia.
Colonel William Light who surveyed the city of Adelaide
in 1836 made his way north east in 1837 to the Barossa
Valley, which he named after a famous English land
victory at Barrossa in the south of Spain.
When William Jacob first surveyed the Barossa Region
in 1839, he and his brother John took up land in the
Hundred of Moorooroo. Moorooroo is derived from an aboriginal
word meaning ‘meeting of two waters’. The
two waters involved were the North Para River and creek,
which fed into it. The latter was called ‘Cowieaurita’
– which took its rise in the high land around
Mount Crawford – and means “yellow-brown
water”, the colour produced from the iron laden
soil.
The creek was later renamed Jacob’s Creek after
William Jacob and the Jacob brothers' small cottages
still stand, overlooking Jacob's Creek.
In 1846 a German immigrant, Johann Gramp, purchased
land further up stream. A year later he planted the
Barossa Valley's first commercial vineyard, on the bank's
of Jacob's Creek.
His first vintage was in 1850, and he continued to
make wine in his small ironstone winery beside Jacob’s
Creek until his death at the age of 84.
On the original site by the creek, which meanders through
the folds of the Barossa Ranges, Johann Gramp’s
cellar still stands, preserving the heritage of what
is now Australia’s most successful wine enterprise.
A major catalyst for this success came in 1976, with
the introduction of a striking Shiraz Cabernet Malbec
from the 1973 vintage. It was named after the site of
Johann Gramp’s first vineyard on the banks of
Jacob’s Creek.
Jacob's Creek's fresh, easy drinking style and excellent
quality has been extremely popular in both Australia,
and around the world.
Jacob's Creek has been the most popular brand in Australia
and Australia's leading export brand for more than a
decade and is widely recognised as spearheading the
country's export growth.
Orlando was rewarded for its international success
in 1993, by being named Australian Exporter of the Year
- a title strongly contested by companies from all industries.
Then, in 1994, Jacob's Creek was honoured with one
of the Australian Wine Industry's most prestigious prizes
- the Maurice O'Shea Award. It was the first time the
award had gone to a wine rather than a person and paid
tribute to the enormous contribution Jacob's Creek has
made to Australian wine exports.
An ongoing commitment to quality has resulted in Jacob's
Creek being a regular winner at wine shows in Australia
and overseas. Over the last three years Jacob's Creek
has been awarded more than 800 medals in wine shows
globally.
More than 80% of Jacob's Creek is now enjoyed in over
60 countries around the world - making it Australia's
most popular wine and Australia's Top Drop.
Yet today you can still walk the historic vineyard
site, marvel at the magnificent River Red Gums that
line the waterway, inspect Johann Gramp’s original
cellar and feel a real sense of place and ‘soul’
for Jacob’s Creek.
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