Paracombe Somerville
Paracombe is home to the Somerville Shiraz vineyard, the oldest producing vines in the Adelaide Hills. The vineyard belongs to Paracombe founders, Paul and Kathy Drogemuller, with the plateau boasting some of the most complex terroir and oldest geology in the world, at 1.7 billion
years. The vines date back to the early 20th century when pioneer James ‘Jas’ Somerville settled in Paracombe. He was a man of vision and fortitude and the first to plant vines in the local district in 1903, making the vines 121 years old.
History saw many vineyards established in South Australia and then subsequently cleared to make way for different ventures. Remarkably, the Somerville vineyard remained. The vines were significant, producing the first vintages of Penfolds Grange and St Henri. Recognising their great significance, Paul and Kathy sourced the fruit from these vines for their Paracombe wine. They initially encountered some setbacks, including horses eating the crops after a gate was left open, and people moonlighting during the night to steal the grapes. The Drogemullers carefully dug up and transplanted these old vines to their own vineyard in 1997 with remarkable success.
Paracombe is the proud custodian of these treasured wines and is committed to continuing the ancestral Somerville tradition and history. The operations manager, Ryan Giles, takes great care of the vineyard and has commenced a layering program to produce new vines alongside the matriarchal vines where needed.
So is the story behind Paracombe Somerville Shiraz. An iconic, super premium limited release wine named in dedication to Jas Somerville and his legacy. This wine pays homage to our nation’s winemaking past and into the future and is proudly enjoyed worldwide. Share in the fruits of history with this extraordinary wine.
