Farming : Organic | Biodynamic

Winemaking : Hand-Picked Grapes | Native Yeast | Unfined | Unfiltered | Vegan

Region : Barossa Valley, South Australia

Grape : 46% Semillon | 2% Rousanne | 41% Pedro Ximenes | 0.5% Muscat | 10.5% Riesling

Alcohol by Volume : 11.5%

Notes:

With the release of our 8th vintage of this wine I really feel like I am achieving what I want to see from this style. An opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Ken’s vineyard in a way that he and his contemporaries could scarcely imagine while staying true to the roots of winemaking. Tasting the range of orange wines at Rootstock was a seminal moment for me similar to my first experience of wild yeast fermentation back in 2002.  Our place is probably the last to have plantings of Pedro, Semillon and Riesling in the whole Barossa, the majority of these vines saw out the first world war and were too old for call up so this wine gives them a reason for being and a reinvention. Our friend Grant Dickson at Fermentasian describes this wine as layering 101 and compares it (favourably) to Terroir al Limit, I can only commend his superior wine knowledge.

Smallfry wines is a partnership in business and life between Suzi Hilder and Wayne Ahrens. We are viticulturists bitten by the winemaking bug, the chance to turn our own fruit into wine is too good to pass up. That we are also foodies drives our winemaking down a certain path. Natural ferments, nil to minimal adjustment, old oak a soft hand in the cellar allows the vineyard to speak. The style is food friendly, Euro style, with a eye to balance and subtlety.

The essential component is great fruit, we are lucky enough to own two very special vineyards, one in Eden Valley and the other in Vine Vale in the valley floor. The Eden Valley vineyard has been established by us since 1994, while the Vine Vale block has been the Schlieb’s family seat for generations, with the last incumbent putting in 52 vintages before hanging up his snips.

I believe that when we look back on the last few years from some vantage point in the future, we will see that this is a time of great creativity, the emerging young turks will become the seasoned campaigners of the future. The Barossa is in good hands and we want to be a part of that.

As we go forward we hope to develop a brand we can be proud of. A business that takes its part in the fabric of the local community. Supports the Barossa and gives its customers something unique. Gives back to the traditions as we have benefited from them.