Australia's Baron of Barossa dies

One of Australia's most famous and best loved winemakers, Peter Lehmann, has died, at the age of 82. For almost all wine-loving Australians, Lehmann and his wines were synonymous with the Barossa Valley and he was often dubbed 'the Baron of the Barossa'. His career in wine began in 1947, when he worked with Yalumba as an apprentice winemaker. He left Yalumba in 1960 to join Saltram as their winemaker and manager, forging a reputation for both himself and the company. He was always innovative: some 40 years before it became common practice in South Australia, Lehmann was adding a touch of white wine, such as Muscadelle, to Barossa Shiraz.

Whilst Lehmann will always be linked to his beloved Barossa Shiraz, he turned Barossa Semillon into a very popular style for a period, their flagship named Margaret, in honour of his wife. The Margaret 2008 won Gold at the Decanter World Wine Awards this year.