Peter Lehmann

Meet the Producer

Peter Lehmann established his namesake winery in 1979, driven in large part by a desire to support Barossa growers during a crippling grape oversupply at the time. The wine from the first vintage in 1980 was called ‘The Futures’ in a nod to the commitment Peter made to paying the growers once he had sold the wine. This arrangement was sealed with a handshake and Peter’s word was his bond. True to his promise, when the money started coming in, Peter made sure to pay his growers first.

This pivotal act, and leap of faith, is widely credited with saving a significant portion of the Barossa’s historic vineyards. Led by Peter, the Barossa community pulled together, not just to make great wine but to preserve the future of the land and the Barossa region, forging a legacy of quality and regional stewardship. Today these longstanding relationships with the same community of family growers gives the Peter Lehmann winemakers unrivalled access to the very best grapes across the length and breadth of the Barossa.

Peter Lehmann passed away in 2013 at age 82, with his wife Margaret, a key partner in shaping the business, still active in regional wine advocacy today. In 2014, the Casella Family Brands, acquired the winery, returning it to private family control and recommitting to the original grower-centric vision, with John Caselle making a promise to Margaret Lehmann that he would continue to honour her husband Peter’s famous handshake that had secured the livelihoods of so many growers decades before.

Today the wines are steered by head winemaker, and native Barossan Brett Schutz and team, who continue the tradition of crafting terroir-driven wines from grapes sourced across their Barossa family of growers to make the Peter Lehmann signature wines decades of consumers have come to love.

A Note on Sustainability

Peter Lehmann Wines collaborate with 79 growers across 16 regions of the Barossa Valley. Their winery, vineyards, and grower network are proudly certified under the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) program, with a commitment to reducing environmental impact, preserving land, and supporting local communities.

Their on-site practices include full water recycling (becoming South Australia’s first private company on the Drinking Water Providers registry), stringent soil conservation with minimal chemical use (no insecticides used in over 20 years), and vineyard water-efficiency measures like native plantings, fencing waterways, mulch, and moisture monitoring. They also champion regional biodiversity and reducing waste through their Wildlife 4 Wine program, where over 2,500 native trees and shrubs have been planted and microbat huts installed. Alongside this they collaborate with Landscape SA to monitor and conserve native species. Soil biodiversity is further supported across their grower network by a ‘hands-off’ approach with inter-row plantings, native grasses, and minimal chemical use. Waste management aims for full recycling—from vineyards to consumer packaging—in alignment with APCO’s 2025 targets.