Background of the Veritas Winery

Our mother Franziska and father, Rolf Heinrich, arrived in Australia from Europe (Austria and Hungary respectively) in 1950 as part of the large influx of post war immigration to Australia. As payment for their assistance to Australia, they worked with the South Australian railways for three years. During that time they met Elmore Schulz, a train driver and a grape grower in the Barossa Valley, and namesake to neighbouring Barossa Valley Estate's E&E Shiraz. In 1953 while picking grapes in the Barossa, the couple met Langmeil Road winemakers Chris Vohrer and Wilhelm Abel. This meeting proved to set their future. In 1954 they worked a vintage in this winery, and then purchased the business in 1955, renaming it "Veritas", taken from the Latin quote "In Vino Veritas" - in wine there is truth.

Development of the Modern Wine Styles and Awards

Later came the realization of the great riches of the Barossa Valley in old vine Shiraz, Mataro and Grenache. Experiments at Veritas and a number of other, mostly small Barossa wineries followed and, through the 1980's, led to the release of many exciting old vine varietal blends. Semillon is considered the premium white variety of the Barossa, and Rolf's daughter Christa Deans holds an esteemed position as the producer of benchmark Barossa Semillons. Riesling is also considered superior in the Australian wine industry, and the style is softer and more floral from the neighbouring Eden Valley than the seriously steely Rieslings from Europe.

Veritas slowly gained recognition and in 1996 and 1997 was awarded the Trophy for Best Small Producer at the Barossa Wine Show and the Trophy for the Best Barossa Shiraz. In 2002 Veritas again won the Trophy for the Best Small Producer. More recently Veritas has been awarded twice in 2002 and 2003 the Trophy for the Best Semillon at the Barossa Wine Show. In 2002 Veritas were the makers of the top three pointed semillons at the Barossa Show and included the gold medal and trophy winning wine.

Wine Styles - White and Red and Fortified

Veritas make white wines from fruit sourced from the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. The varieties used are Riesling, Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Red varieties made at the winery come from the Barossa region, encompassing the Barossa and Eden Valleys, and small outlying areas. Varieties include Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Malbec, and Grenache.

Wines are made under contract for other small growers and we also provide wood storage for small wineries.