IN the heart of the Barossa Valley and tucked away along the iconic Seppeltsfield Road, among the rolling vineyards, sits a beautiful winery with a rich family history that goes back four generations.

That winery is Whistler Wines, a family run gem with a flair for laid-back charm and thoughtful sustainability.

Founded by the Pfeiffer family, the roots of Whistler’s (German for Pfeiffer) run deep and go all the way back for four generations. Kelsey and Sam Pfeiffer are the current custodians of the Whistler brand, purchasing the land and the business from Sam’s parents, Martin and Sally, in 2021.

It is an estate winery using organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyard, and minimal intervention in their winemaking.

What makes it even more of a coincidence is that new co-owner of Whistler Wines, Kelsey, grew up in Vancouver and spent many years skiing during her childhood at the resort town of Whistler.

Kelsey and husband Sam met in Brisbane several years ago and lived there for five years before moving to Vancouver where they got married.

The couple decided to move back to South Australia, and now have two young children and live in Tanunda only a few minutes away from Whistler Wines. They are grateful they have been able to continue the family business.

The Pfeiffer grape-growing journey began with Albert Heinrich Pfeiffer, who owned a vineyard in the Riverland region of South Australia.

He would spend many hours in the vines with his son, Hubert, working the vineyard in bare feet with before harvesting the grapes and selling them to local producers.

Hubert Irving Pfeiffer soon followed in his father’s footsteps, moving his family to a vineyard in Loxton.

He enjoyed wandering through the vines with his son, Martin, and training both the vines and his young pupil, just as his father before him.

In 1982, Martin and Sally Pfeiffer purchased Whistler’s Heysen Estate property.

Initially, the land was used for crop and sheep farming, while Martin ran Penfold’s vineyards.

Over the next 15 years, 3000 trees were hand planted by the family, designating the future vineyard blocks.

In 1994, shiraz cuttings from the famous Penfolds ‘Grange’ vineyard (a Kalimna 3C clone) were planted, followed by semillon.

A few years later the first Whistler shiraz off the Heysen Estate vineyard went into bottles, and so the Whistler Wines dream began.

In the early 2000s Whistler Wines gained recognition after winning multiple awards, including Best White Wine in Show for the 2000 Estate Semillon at the Barossa Wine Show, and World’s Top 10 Shiraz, for the 2006 Estate Shiraz, from Winestate Awards, in 2009.

In 2013, the next generation of Pfeiffer’s became involved, and so began the introduction of organic and biodynamic practices at the Heysen Estate vineyards that still remain today.

In 2021, Martin and Sally, retired, and Sam and Kelsey continued the rich family journey by taking over the business.

They continue to farm organically with a focus on producing premium, hand crafted and estate-grown wines.

They also have a focus on soil health, native vegetation and minimal intervention.

Ms Pfeiffer said it was their authenticity that set them apart from others.

“We try not just to have authenticity with our wines, but the experience for the guests as well that visit Whistler,” she said.

“It’s about grabbing a glass of wine and finding a spot under one of the trees and enjoying the views of both native scrub and vineyards. It’s a place to relax.

“The vineyard is run using organic and biodynamic practices, with an emphasis on soil health, native vegetation, and minimal intervention.

“We don’t use synthetic chemicals, we’re about working with nature, not against it. We have a small-scale, handcrafted approach with minimal-intervention winemaking, meaning there are minimal additions to our wines, (and) we live and breathe that ethos.

“The vineyard is its own ecosystem, and we try to respect that as much as possible.”

Ms Pfeiffer said they had good relationships with other winemakers in the Barossa.

“Something the Barossa does well is that there is a lot of collaboration between winemakers which is fantastic,” she said.

“Our winemaker, Michael J Corbett, who has his own brand, Vanguardist Wines, shared a group of his customers with us just last weekend so they could experience two places on their trip.

“Michael has also brought with him his experience from New Zealand and France, and his passion in particular for French wines has been very beneficial.

“He is meticulous to his craft and his depth and breadth of knowledge is masterful. He lives and breathes winemaking, we are very lucky to have him.

“He has also helped out with our vineyard redevelopment and been in every meeting, we greatly value his input.”

As SA deals with drought conditions never seen before, Ms Pfeiffer said the lack of rainfall had affected them as well.

“Our yields have been impacted — we’ve had only half the average winter groundwater this year,” she said.

“Fortunately, we’re part of a water scheme that’s given us access to additional water, which has helped us compensate for the lack of rainfall last winter.

“We also experienced some frost events that affected us to a degree, but that’s farming — so much of it is beyond our control.”

“The great thing about a vintage like this is that you get more concentrated berries with dry conditions.

“In 2023, we had a wet year and higher yields. That’s farming.  We focus on crafting the best wines possible to reflect the character of the vintage.

“We’re also trying to train the vines to be less reliant on water, as part of our commitment to sustainability.”

Ms Pfeiffer said the best-selling wine in their cellar door was their Fruit Tingle – Frizzante, which made up 30 per cent of their sales and “was a real surprise packet”.

“Fruit Tingle is very popular, it’s a spritzy white blend and it’s also a lower alcohol percentage at only 9 per cent,” she said.

“It’s a bit like a cider in that it’s suited to people who enjoy a little sweetness, but it’s not as sweet as a Moscato so it works well for people like myself that drink dry white wine. After long event days it’s my go-to knock-off wine.”

The blend of tradition, innovation and a laid-back charm has put Whistler Wines on the map and makes it the perfect place to pop in and enjoy a glass of their award-winning wine.

Their cellar door is nestled among native bushland and wildlife and is a perfect picnic spot where kids can roam freely on the lawn, and guests can taste the delicious wine.

They also have a build-your-own platter food option, which is filled with authentic local produce. Visit their Cellar Door seven days a week, from 10:30am to 5pm.