In the mid 1800s a Silesian settler, Johann Christian Henschke, arrived at Krondorf in the Barossa Valley with his wife and children. At the time he could not have foreseen that five generations later one of his descendants would find a notebook he wrote his farm accounts in, tucked away in his blacksmiths barn, or that a few years later she and her husband would set up a winery cellar door, restaurant and contemporary art space on his land.

In 2001 Rick Glastonbury produced the first vintage under the Kabminye Wines label, making two whites, a rose and three reds.

Rick and Ingrid opened Kabminye Wines cellar door in early 2003, with Ingrid’s Krondorf Road Cafe serving traditional recipes (the food of her ancestors) in the cellar door with daughter Tullia helping, and daughter Ilona showing contemporary art in peripheral art space upstairs. Some years later Craig Butcher moved down from Queensland to marry Ilona and add his wine expertise to the cellar door. 

Ten years later they have sold the property and are in the process of moving the cellar door to smaller premises in their house just down the road. This is a work in progress, but they hope to open there by the middle of the year. Ingrid would like to continue promoting the traditional food of the Barossa, but that might take a little longer.

Rick has made all the wines at Kabminye with 100% Barossa fruit.  He delights in sourcing rare  traditional grape varieties and constantly innovating wine making styles.  As the quantities are so small, Kabminye Wines are generally available only from the cellar door, except for a few friendly restaurants and bottle shops around the country.

The name Kabminye is an aboriginal word which apparently means ‘Morning Star’.  It was given to the hamlet of Kronsdorf as a result of anti-German feelings during the Second World War, after which the name was changed back to Krondorf.