The name Karra Yerta is derived from the local Aboriginal language, ‘karra' the name for the majestic red gum trees, and ‘yerta' meaning country or ground. The landscape has changed little (other than the patches of vineyard) since the ancestors of James and Marie Linke arrived in SA in 1847. Both James and Marie originally hail from Angaston, but moved to the Flaxmans Valley in 1985, and in '87 purchased one of the old stone cottages in the Argent-Town region. Marie's ancestors were some of the largest land holders in the Flaxmans Valley region in the late 1800's, and many decades later, donated a significant portion to the community. This is now known as the Kaiser Stuhl Conservation Park.
James has spent fifteen years reviving the largely abandoned 1 ha vineyard, which provides most of their grapes; plantings now include over eighty-year old semillon, frontignac and riesling, and fifty year-old shiraz. While most of the grapes were previously sold, they indulged in home winemaking for many years, but have now moved into commercial winemaking on a micro scale. Aside from the production from this special old windswept vineyard, they also source tiny parcels of fruit from the High Eden and Moppa/Kalimna regions.
Karra Yerta was established in 2006 and produces between 350 and 400 cases annually.
For more information please visit http://karrayertawines.blogspot.com or www.karrayertawines.com.au
"Collective" is a group of small Barossan family wineries. Our ancestors were some of the original settlers of the Barossa Valley in the 1840's.
