Seppeltsfield DP117 Dry Flor Apera, Barossa Valley

Seppeltsfield DP117 Dry Flor Apera is one of Australia’s most distinctive and historically important fortified styles, a wine that bridges Barossa tradition with a very rare expression of biological ageing. Made in the style of a dry flor sherry, this Apera is aged under a natural layer of flor yeast, a method almost unheard of outside southern Spain and virtually unique in Australia. It is challenging, savoury and deeply compelling.

The wine is named after the historic DP117 cellar at Seppeltsfield, where it is aged in old oak puncheons under flor for extended periods. The Barossa’s warm days and cool nights create conditions that allow flor to form and persist, protecting the wine from oxidation while slowly transforming it. The base wine is fortified to Apera strength, but remains resolutely dry, allowing the flor character to dominate rather than sweetness or spirit.

Seppeltsfield is one of Australia’s most important heritage wineries, founded in the 1850s and internationally renowned for its fortified wines. The DP117 Dry Flor Apera represents the estate’s experimental and intellectual side, drawing on old world techniques while expressing Barossa conditions in a completely different way to traditional tawny styles. It is a wine made for curiosity, not comfort.

Aromatically, it is complex and immediately distinctive. Green almond, chamomile, sourdough bread and sea spray lead the way, followed by notes of dried herbs, bruised apple and subtle nuttiness. There is a saline, savoury edge that gives the wine incredible tension and intrigue.

On the palate, it is bone dry and razor sharp. The texture is light but intensely flavoured, with flavours of almond skin, green olive, citrus peel and yeast driven savoury notes. Acidity is bright and cleansing, and the flor ageing gives the wine a long, persistent finish that feels almost coastal in character. There is no sweetness to soften the edges. This is deliberate, uncompromising and deeply food driven.

This is a wine made for adventurous pairing. It is superb with olives, anchovies, hard cheeses, cured meats, oysters or umami rich dishes where its dryness and salinity shine. It will also continue to evolve in bottle over many years, gaining further complexity without losing its edge.

Seppeltsfield DP117 Dry Flor Apera is not a wine for everyone, but for those who love fino sherry, Jura styles or savoury wines with intellect and tension, it is unforgettable. Rare, challenging and quietly brilliant, it stands as one of the most original fortified wines made in Australia.