Editors Notes

It’s winter in the Barossa, and even though being cold and wet in this changing southern climate is rapidly becoming an aberration, it’s hard not to smile at the rattle of rain on a corrugated iron roof or the grin of a rubber-booted kid in a puddle. After the social largesse of summer, we welcome the hibernation of a comfortable chair by a roaring fire, a good book, music, slow-cooked meals, a modest glass of local red and dreamy conversation with family and friends.

We’ve tried to capture some of that winter soul in this edition, with lots of stories about family – from the expatriate Grooms of Healdsburg, California to the busy Murdock-Murrays of Angaston; from the Waechters of Eden Valley to the Roehrs of Vine Vale and the miracle of Cindy and Darren Francis’s daughter Ava. We’ve also included a couple of recipes from chef Owen Andrews and a review of some of the best local examples of Australia’s very own red wine, Cabernet-Shiraz, just to prove we know where we are. Peter Fuller.