Reigniting a family affair

Warren Randall has bought out Kilikanoon. Picture: Tricia Watkinson Source: The Advertiser

SEPPELTSFIELD is back in the hands of a South Australian family for the first time since 1985.

Warren Randall has bought out Kilikanoon Wines' share in Seppeltsfield, taking his family's stake in the 1200 hectare vineyard and winery estate to more than 90 per cent.

Mr Randall said it was a great honour to continue the Seppelt tradition.

"From the Randall family point of view, to own over 90 per cent of what is Australia's iconic wine estate is a good-news story, because it's not corporate, it is a family business," he said.

"It's a statement of belief in the wine industry and its future and having worked for the family in the 1980s, it's a huge privilege and honour to now own what was the jewel in the Seppelt family crown."

The Seppeltsfield Estate is at the heart of the Barossa Valley wine industry.

Joseph Seppelt and his family emigrated to Australia in 1849 and planted their first vineyard in 1851. By the turn of the century, Seppeltsfield was Australia's largest winery, producing more than two million litres a year.

The Seppelt family sold out in 1984 to SA Brewing Holdings and the business passed through the hands of Southcorp Wines, Foster's Group and finally back to private investors in 2007.

Mr Randall said he took inspiration from Joseph Seppelt's son Benno, who was a visionary entrepreneur.

"If I look at the history of the Seppelt ... the mover and the shaker was Joseph's son Benno," he said.

Benno was just 21 when his father died, and had to take the reins of the family business.

One of his masterstrokes was to commemorate the completion of the company's first cellar by selecting a 500-litre barrel of fine port wine to be set aside for 100 years. The tradition has continued to this day, providing the company with its signature brand - the 100-year-old Para Tawny Port.

"It's my desire to have that same level of entrepreneurship back in Seppeltsfield," Mr Randall said.

He said the wine industry had been through tough times, but things appeared to be looking up. There was a lot of interest in the sale of Barossa Valley Estates, which was placed in receivership in January, he said.

"I've got a sense, an instinct, that Barossa Valley Estate will be the trigger that indicates that Australian wine industry is on the rise," he said.

Brand ambassador and lauded cellist Nathan Waks retains a stake in Seppeltsfield, while fellow Barossa Valley identity Carl Lindner has bought a 5 per cent stake.

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