Barry Morey, Sorrenberg
Sorrenberg founder and winemaker Barry Morey draws wine from an oak cask in his Beechworth cellar. PHOTO: Campbell Mattinson.
Barry Morey and his wife Jan own Sorrenberg, a small vineyard on the outskirts of Beechworth in north-east Victoria. The vines were planted in 1985 and the first vintage was in 1989. Like fellow Beechworth pioneer Rick Kinzbrunner, Barry worked at Brown Brothers, though he started out there as a maintenance man rather than a winemaker. How good is that. His family's winemaking roots trace back centuries to Germany's Mosel; his grandfather, Jacob Barzen, emigrated to work a family vineyard at Dookie, and the Sorrenberg name comes from a small Barzen family vineyard near Reil on the Mosel. Gamay is arguably the estate's most sought-after wine, though the chardonnay, sauvignon blanc semillon and cabernet blend are all among the country's best of their kind, and are all commonly stellar.
