-  CAFE Y HAS CLOSED  -

Hermann “HT” Thumm was born in the old USSR state of Georgia, on 31st December 1913. He escaped the cruel persecutions of the Soviet Communists by fleeing to Persia, then Iraq and eventually arrived in Australia in October 1941 where, due to his German ethnicity, he was interned in an Australian POW camp for a number of years. Here he made good use of the library facility and studied extensively for 3 years. This, together with information he gathered from local grape growers surrounding the camp convinced him that his future lay in the wine industry and the Barossa Valley in particular.  He even announced to his fellow inmates “If I get out of here and can stay in Australia I will have it made before you fellows make up your minds what to do with yourselves”.

 

He arrived in the Barossa in October 1946 and immediately started working in a vineyard. He worked tirelessly and saved all his earnings always searching for the right property to buy and build his winery. Fate would lead him to an abandoned nearby property with a large ruin that over the years had been used as a flour and then a flax mill and finally a winery. It was at the junction of 2 streams and beside a crossing called Paraford.   He called his property “Yaldara” which is an aboriginal name meaning “Sparkling”. Hermann began his life’s work in earnest and immediately set out to restore the ruins, converting one into a home for himself and then planting his vines.

 

In 1950 he married Inge, the daughter of a local Pastor and over the next few years the family increased with the arrival of 2 sons, firstly Robert and then Dieter.

 

Yaldara and its reputation grew rapidly during the 50’s and in 1959 Hermann began to plan for the construction of a grand Chateau which he completed in 1968 and which housed his growing Antique collection. He pioneered the concept of the Cellar Door as we know it today, throwing open the doors of the winery to an enthusiastic Public who were eager to taste the fruit of the vine. As a consequence he built a modest Garden Bistro with a shade cloth roof and hanging pot plants and over the years this was further enlarged and developed to the present day Café Y.

 

Hermann and Inge passed away within a few months of each other in 2009; however they leave behind an extraordinary legacy as true pioneers in the Valley and the wine industry as a whole in Australia. In his autobiography “The Road to Yaldara”, Hermann had Omar Khayyam in mind when he wrote – “The beautiful Barossa Valley reveals itself to the traveller in a pleasant and harmonious light, with its rolling acres of luscious vineyards, neat and picturesque townships and progressive wineries, whose architecture is reminiscent of the Chateaux in the classical wine areas of Europe. It is here that the stately Chateau Yaldara graces the most scenic spot in the Valley, the home of the Great Barossa Wines and I hope it will gracefully weather the passage of time”.

 

As present custodians, McGuigan Wines, together with the owners of Café Y, the Anargyros family pay tribute to the founding father of Yaldara, Hermann “HT” Thumm and welcome visitors to his Home.