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CELLAR DOOR family affair Twelve of the country's prominent family wineries banded together last year and formed Australia's First Families of Wine, to demonstrate their passion and commitment to producing Australian wines of genuine character. Here are five. STORY WINSOR DOBBIN JIM BARRY The late Jim Barry was a pioneer of the Australian wine industry and the first qualified winemaker to work in the Clare Valley of South Australia. The Barry family has now been making wines for over 60 years with third-generation winemakers continuing a heritage begun by Jim Barry and his wife Nancy in 1959. Their son, Peter Barry, took over from his father as managing director and his sons, Sam and Tom, who also run the Clos Clare vineyard, work alongside him. Jim Barry 2010 Florita Riesling $40 The Barry family has built a huge reputation for the quality of its rieslings, particularly the cellar-worthy individual vineyard wine The Florita, which is made in a classic dry Clare style and designed for cellaring for a decade or so. This is a beautifully aromatic wine with plenty of citrus and melon flavours on the palate. Drink with ceviche. Jim Barry 2004 The Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon $90 This wine is named after a region of the Clare that was settled back in 1853 and consisted of 15 mud huts and a Catholic chapel (it has long been deserted). Jim Barry planted cabernet vines on the Benbournie Road in the 1960s and they yield the fruit for this dark, intense, concentrated and mature red, which has classic cabernet blackcurrant, mint and sage characters alongside mellowing tannins. This is a wine of structure and length, which is released when ready to drink. Drink with roast beef. CAMPBELLS The Campbell family of northeast Victoria are this year celebrating their 140th anniversary of winemaking. They are known for producing some of Australia's best muscats and topaques. The business was founded by Scottish immigrant John Campbell and successive generations have bounced back after the phylloxera vine disease destroyed the Rutherglen vineyards and fourth-generation brothers Malcolm – the viticulturist, and Colin – the winemaker, today head the business working alongside several fifth generation family members. Campbells NV Classic Rutherglen Topaque $42 Topaque is the new name for tokay – but the quality of this beautiful fortified wine never wavers. This is only the second of four levels of topaques (and muscats) produced by the Campbell family – behind the Isabella Rare and the Grand – but it is a really lovely, warming drink with softness and intensity on a luscious palate which is both raisiny and malty with nutty rancio hints. Drink with petits fours. Campbells 2009 Bobbie Burns Shiraz $25 Bobbie Burns Shiraz has been the Campbell family's best-selling wine for four decades. The grapes for this wine had to be picked early because of drought conditions but the end result is a lovely wine with nice balance, which is temptingly easy to drink. This is a wine with soft tannins which will potentially last for a decade or two. Drink with roast lamb. travel&living 23