Another one of the pinnacle, and perhaps foundational events of the Barossa Vintage Festival is the Ziegenmarkt. 

For just one morning, the clock is turned back at Tanunda’s Goat Square as it is reverted to a bustling market with traditional food, produce and wine. 

At the peak of the Ziegenmarkt, two officials in top hats and coats will rise from the crowd and begin a live olde-worlde auction, giving attendees the chance to bid for all kinds of fresh Barossa produce, preserves, pickles and smallgoods. 

However, with such an immense assortment of goods to be auctioned off, just the right vessel is needed to contain the delicious bounty within, which has this year been crafted by volunteers at the Barossa Community Men’s Shed. 

According to Project Officer, Peter Lawrie, when the organisers of the Barossa Vintage Festival contacted the Men’s Shed about making the crates, the team was more than up to the task. 

Constructed from recycled pallets, and finished with the Men’s shed stamp, Peter said it was certainly a group effort from the team, with around eight to 10 people involved in the process, from dismantling the pallets, to machining the timber, to putting the boxes together. 

“We were able to secure them (the pallets) and the blokes pulled them apart, and it takes a fair bit of effort because they have been bolted together, and from that, we have machined the wood down and recycled it…into the boxes for the market,” Peter explained. 

In addition to the Ziegenmarkt crates, the Men’s Shed was also given the opportunity to construct wine boxes, which are to be presented to the Young Ambassadors at the final dinner at the Festival’s conclusion. 

Although these are also made from recycled materials, the final product is a testament to the craftsmanship which has gone into their creation. 

“Once again we’ve used very old timber, recycled, that’s come out of an over 100-year-old cabinet that nobody wanted, but a lady from Keyneton donated it and we’ve been able to use that to make the boxes,” Peter shared. 

While the construction of these crates may seem like a small part of the grand spectacle that the Barossa Vintage Festival will inevitably be, it demonstrates the grass-roots community effort that goes into making the Barossa Vintage Festival the hallmark event that it is. One where the whole community can rightly feel proud of its efforts.

“Everybody contributes, even just pulling the pallets apart, which is you know, it’s a lot of hard work, so one way or another everybody’s had a finger in the pie,” Peter said.

Ziegenmarkt will be held on April 24 from 8.00am to 12.00pm at the Corner of Maria and John Streets, Tanunda.