Jim Barry is a legend of Australian wine. He is credited with helping to shape Clare Valley as the benchmark producer of New World Riesling and cemented the region as one of Australia's best. Jim was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, having graduated from the prestigious Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. He founded Jim Barry Wines in 1959 and the company is still a family-owned business today. Jim's son, Peter, became the winery's director in 1985 and Peter's three children run the winery today: Tom, the winemaker; Sam, commercial manager; and Olivia, brand ambassador. 

In 2012, after time in quarantine (much of the Clare is still phylloxera-free), Barry introduced the Greek grape variety Assyrtiko to the Lodge Hill vineyard on the eastern ranges of Clare and later in the Florita vineyard in Watervale on the western ranges. He had imported the vines from Gaia's famous Santorini vineyard. Finding their home in the Clare on shallow soils over bedrock, the vines produce intensely flavoured fruit and characterful wines.