A Shared Table
“From the beginning I wanted this to be a shared table just as it would be if you invited a group of friends to your home for lunch.”
Robert O’Callaghan
The Stonewaller lunches at Rockford Wines in the Barossa Valley are a quietly enduring tradition, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. Quietly mysterious and intentionally elusive, they are not advertised and they’re not available to the general public. To attend one of these immersive events you must be a member of Rockford’s exclusive, invitation-only Stone Wall Society, which was conceived by the founder of the winery, Robert O’Callaghan, over 25 years ago, as an instinctual way of thanking his most loyal customers. In a newsletter written at the time, he spoke lovingly of how, “A group of outstanding grape growers, a dedicated staff at the winery and a group of equally dedicated wine drinkers together form a formidable Stone Wall to protect all that is good in traditional viticulture and winemaking”. To attend a Stonewaller lunch is to be invited to step behind that wall.
The first time David and I attended a Stone Wall Lunch, we splurged on hiring a driver for the two hour round trip from Adelaide. Dusko dropped us off at 11.30am and, as promised, was dutifully waiting for us to stagger out at 5.15pm to drive us back home. Having ferried guests to and from the winery many times before, he seemed unsurprised to find us a hell of a lot more vivacious than we’d been on the way up! This year we wised up and spent the same amount of cash on two nights accommodation in Tanunda, a charming, historic town nearby, giving ourselves time to linger in the region, rather than dash back to the city.
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Upon entering the rustic, sun-drenched courtyard of the winery, we were greeted by Xanthe, one of Rockford’s many exceptional employees. Bright, warm and encyclopaedic in her knowledge of the estate, she is one of the many shining jewels in the Rockford crown. In fact, everyone at the winery carries a quiet ease and understated charm that makes the experience of visiting all the more welcoming. Of course Xanthe remembered us from last year’s lunch, and whisked us past the original 1850s stone barn — turned cellar-door — where visitors were enjoying wine tastings. Rockford Winery exists because the founder has always believed that the Barossa Valley’s future depended on remembering its past. Reflecting that, the courtyard is enclosed by original 19th-century stone buildings, with newer structures on the estate built by Robert to match that same architectural vernacular. The man is nothing, if not a visionary.
David and I followed Xanthe down a well-trodden path to the winery’s inner sanctum, where we entered another stone building, one of the private tasting rooms affectionately known as The Kennel. Here, we were poured the first of many ceremonial glasses of Rockford’s cult-status sparkling wine. Restraint was not going to be the theme of the afternoon. At once elegant and powerful, the velvety bubbles of the Sparkling Black Shiraz (disgorged in 2019) carried its signature dark fruit and spice across the palate, once again proving itself dangerously moreish.
As the other lunch guests slowly trickled into The Kennel, they were all greeted with their very own glass of Black Shiraz (as well as very civilised top ups for us early birds). Polite introductions unfolded, and small talk quietly drifted around the room. Thank goddess for the pleasant haze of black bubbles! Since it was our second turn around the basket press, everything felt comfortable and familiar. Only the faces of our fellow diners were new. Just like a wedding, a Stonewaller lunch is steeped in ritual; welcome drinks, gentle introductions, a stroll through the garden to the reception hall, place cards, abundant food and wine, and of course speeches!
Before the procession of food started coming out of the kitchen, Xanthe, our host and guide, explained not only the ingredients, but the ethos that stands behind every choice on the estate. Every element carries intention — Robert O’Callaghan’s inspiration and vision guide the principles and philosophy of everything that happens at Rockford. And sustainability is at the centre of it all. The meal itself was deceptively simple, brought to the table family-style for all of us to share. Ingredients come from Rockford’s Krondorf Farm. Olives and olive oil are grown from seed, poultry is raised on-site and vegetables are harvested according to season. The menu changes organically with the harvest; the ingredients served are never dictated by the wine. The wines are selected to complement the food, never the other way around.
This decision places the farm, not the label, at the centre. And behind it all is the hard work and labour of the gardeners who tend to the earth, the chefs who plan around weather and harvest, and the hosts, like Xanthe, who curate not just bottles of wine, but the dining room’s atmosphere. Limiting the number of guests protects the shared table. Asking us to put our phones away protects the moment. It is all structured so that we can be present. Through the courses, through the matched vintages, and through the increasingly lively conversations we share with our fellow diners.
Robert O’Callaghan’s story is inseparable from the Stone Wall Table experience, and we can’t understand lunch without understanding him. He is, after all, the mortar that holds the stone wall together. Robert grew up amongst Barossa’s vines, long before its wineries began chasing grape trends and scaling for export. When industrialisation started transforming the valley, Robert didn’t like what he saw. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, when all the other wineries in the region were discarding their old basket presses, open fermenters and old-school practises, he made the conscious decision to honour and preserve the old Barossa methods. He founded Rockford Winery in 1984 because he believed the Barossa was in danger of forgetting how it used to make wine. He salvaged the discarded equipment. He rescued legacy Shiraz vines that the government was paying growers to uproot. And he embraced basket pressing, which is laborious and expensive, but which produces wines with unmatched texture and depth. His philosophy has always been rooted in sustainability, respect for the land, and loyalty to the people that all make it happen — the staff, the growers and those of us who love his wines. The Stone Wall lunches, the farm-to-table ethos and the carefully tended vines all exist because of choices Robert made over decades. Always guided as much by emotion as by logic, but consistently yielding extraordinary results.
After lunch, we spilled out of the dining room and traipsed into yet another stone building, where familiar servers greeted us and offered even more wine tastings, from the entire Rockford range. Of course we tasted! And of course we bought a shitload of wine! We always do. As the group began to disperse, we said our goodbyes, and some of us hugged each other farewell. While I’m fairly certain that we’ll never see each other again, I think we all left with the sense of having participated in something fleeting, but special.
The Stone Wall Society is not a group built around status or advantage. And there’s certainly no price tag on membership. It’s a community of people who share passion and enthusiasm for the winery’s philosophy, as well as a love for the wines. Being invited to join the Stone Wall Society is an acknowledgement of the part you play in Rockford’s extended story, and membership represents a recognition of your loyalty. The benefits include the opportunity to buy limited release wines when they become available, and, of course, invitations to these amazing lunches.
The Stone Wall Table is not exclusive in the instagram influencer sense. Rather, it is protective — of the land, of traditional wine-making and of our attention. Time slows down when you’re seated at the table; the past and the present merge in stone and terroir. The Stone Wall lunch is more than just a delicious meal shared with like-minded wine enthusiasts. It is a celebration of place, of people and of enduring craft in the age of technology, artificial intelligence and increasing isolation. A few hours spent here are enough to make you understand why Rockford has earned its place in the Barossa, as well as in the hearts of those of us fortunate enough to be welcomed to the table.
