Pedro Ximenez 12+ years Dutschke Barossa Valley

Pedro Ximenez 12+ years PX is a sweet mulled wine that has lain and matured in barrels in the cellar until a decision was made on what the mulled wine should be used for. 12 years later, a decision was reached. The vintages have been blended together to give a delicious old mulled wine with sweetness and richness.

Pedro the grape:
In the early 2000s, the neighboring farm was having difficulty selling its beloved Pedro grapes. Many vineyards no longer made mulled wines. Therefore, they made the decision to slowly graft the old vines over to Shiraz. Wayne Dutschke chose to buy the Pedro grapes from vintage 2005 and 2006.

Dutschke Pedro Ximenez is one of the two main grape varieties grown in the southern wine region of Jerez, Spain, where Sherry is produced. The other main variety is the Palomino. Both grapes are relatively high-yielding white grapes that love to grow in hot, dry conditions. Therefore, they are also perfectly suited to grow in the Barossa, Australia. When the Pedro grape is not mixed with Palomino, it is most often used to make other famous full-bodied and juicy wines.

Wine farm:

Wayne Dutschke's grandfather bought the farm in the early 1930s, only a small part of it was planted with vines. The rest was used for dairy cattle. Today, by far most of the 72 hectares of land is used for wine, and primarily Shiraz. Shiraz accounts for 45 hectares. In addition, Dutschke Wines has Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. At first the grapes were sold on to other producers, but in the 1990s they decided to keep some of the grapes themselves. Since then, their own production of wine grew to the level it is today. In 1998 they changed their name from WillowBend to Dutschke Wines.

Barossa Valley:

The Barossa is located in South Australia. The Barossa Valley is the most famous wine region in Australia. The area got its name after a big battle was fought between England and France during the war in 1808-1814. Originally, the region was to have been called "Barossa", but as a result of a spelling error, it came to be called "Barossa". Shiraz is not the only red wine variety that does well in the Barossa. So do Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Merlot is a new player in the fields. It has done excellently, and the best can compare with Pomerol in France.