We are now back from our exciting trip to Australia, where we tasted the best wines for you directly at the wineries. Nevertheless, we will still supplement our blog with the latest visits to the winegrower families. We have been working closely with most of the winegrower families for many years. As a company, we have been known for our excellent selection of Australian wine for 35 years. Since the end of January, we have been travelling to the wineries and have already gathered unforgettable experiences. In this blog, we would like to give you an insight into our journey, including many pictures and impressions.
Australia is a country full of wine culture and diverse landscapes that contribute to unique wines. Wine production in Australia has developed rapidly in recent years and now offers a wide range of flavours, from fruity and sweet to deep and complex. The winemakers in Australia are proud of their traditions and attach great importance to sustainability and quality.
Follow us on our journey through the wine country of Australia and experience the fascinating stories of the winegrower families with us. We are ready for the adventures and look forward to sharing them with you!
Â
Your favourite: Woodstock Wine Estate
It was inevitable that we would visit Scott Collett and his family for several reasons:
1. Our daughter Carla works for him, and even without the wine, Scott, and the amazing Wine Estate, that’s reason enough for a visit!
2. Quite a few of Woodstock's wines are among our customers' favourites.
3. Shortly before our Australia trip, we celebrated Scott Collett's birthday in Bangkok and had to check how he was doing ;)
Basically, everything remains the same at Woodstock Wines. We tasted the new vintages and they are excellent. It's truly incredible what first-class wine Scott produces every year. You can really look forward to the new vintages.
If you are not yet familiar with Woodstock Wine Estate, we have already reported extensively on it in this article.
Additionally, you will have the opportunity to meet Scott Collett in person at Expovina in Zurich. We caught him in Australia, and Scott is coming with us to Switzerland to talk shop about wine with you. More information about Expovina in Zurich can be found here, and the Woodstock range here.
Our daughter Carla works for Scott and, of course, we are always very happy to see her again. After all, Australia isn't exactly around the corner.
A new winery: Hobbs - One of Barossa's most magnificent vineyards
We were initially hesitant because the Hobbs family winery only offers absolute top wines in the higher price segment. But after our visit, we were completely thrilled by the exceptional wines, the history, and the pursuit of the best quality.
Greg and Allison, with their family Sean, Bridget, and Jessica, moved to the historic 15-hectare vineyard in 1995, leaving city life behind to start a new life among the vines. Through sustainable farming practices, they manage their vineyard, focusing on preserving the complex balance of the grapes' natural flavors to produce their premium quality wine.
Hobbs has a strong belief in the balance of nature, and they strive to maintain this balance between nature and agriculture through a biodynamic approach to managing their vineyard. They prune each vine by hand and harvest the fruit by hand. Through careful hand-pruning over the years, they have been able to remove deadwood from their old vines and restore their original shape. The result is renewed vitality and the potential for these vines to thrive for another century or more.
They have raised the trellising system in their vineyard to give the grapevines a greater spread. The increased sun exposure and airflow from breezes help minimize disease pressure and improve the ripening process and flavor profiles of the fruit.
The unique soil structure of the Hobbs vineyard allows the old vines to be dry-farmed. They are only irrigated in extreme conditions to maintain the health of the vines.
The cool climate provides long, mild ripening conditions, which results in the typical characteristic flavor and acidity of the fruits.
Â
Hobbs completely won us over as a winery that focuses on sustainable agricultural practices and follows a biodynamic approach to vineyard management. The manual work and attention to detail applied in caring for the vines contribute to the exceptional taste and quality of their wines. The old dry-farmed vines have regained vitality and have the potential to thrive for many more decades. Hobbs' commitment to maintaining the balance of nature and emphasizing the natural flavors of the grapes makes their wines a unique experience for wine lovers.
That's why we've decided to add a few exclusive wines to our range. The following wines convinced us and will soon be available at Wyhus Ryf:
- Shiraz "The Gregor"
- Shiraz 1905 (analogous to the age of the vines)
- Tango Shiraz Viognier
- Thin Lids Shiraz Cabernet
Off to the island to False Cape - Kangaroo Island
No effort is too great for our customers. Although we have a very tight schedule, we wanted to taste the new vintages from False Cape for you to ensure that we can only offer you the best from Down Under. Well, it was not very likely that we would encounter a bad wine at False Cape on Kangaroo Island. The red wines are grown without artificial irrigation to ensure low yields and concentrated aromas. Natural rainfall ensures fewer, but sweeter and denser berries. The vineyard is located in a cool climate that benefits from the nearby southern ocean breeze. The vineyard is completely off-grid and powered by solar panels. Free-range turkeys help control pests, and sheep are used in winter for weed control and improving soil biodiversity. The vineyard is protected with nets every year before harvest to prevent damage from birds. All False Cape wines received a rating of over 90 points from James Halliday in 2022 and they are a 4-star winery. The Captain Cabernet Sauvignon also won the title "Kangaroo Island Red Wine of the Year" in 2018 and received 95 points from James Halliday in 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively. So we were confident of encountering incredible vintages again and were not disappointed!
Â
Visiting Ben Glaetzer & Heartland
John's nephew is already one of the best in his field. His father Colin is John Glaetzer's twin brother and is still the main shareholder of Glaetzer Wines. The grapes are all produced by Adrian Hoffmann, hand-harvested and personally delivered.
Ben Glaetzer is an unrestrained force and the engine behind Glaetzer Wines. After working at Barossa Valley Estate during his school and university holidays, Ben completed his studies in winemaking at the University of Adelaide in South Australia.
After extensive travels through many of the world's wine regions, Ben returned to Barossa and joined the family business. Ben's ability to combine traditional winemaking techniques with a modern flair is reflected in the style of wines under the Glaetzer label. He creates unique, elegant wines with minimal intervention that are considered classics and unmistakably Barossan. Regarding the wines, everything essentially remains the same, but of course, we are bringing home the latest vintages. You can be excited!
Another winery that was co-founded by Ben Glaetzer is Heartland. The story of Heartland began in the late 1990s when Ben was impressed by the outstanding quality of fruit grown in some of South Australia's lesser-known regions, particularly Langhorne Creek.
Together with industry veterans like Scott Collett, Grant Tilbrook, and most recently Nick Keukenmeester, he built Heartland into an award-winning winery.
Today, Heartland sources all its fruit exclusively from Langhorne Creek and produces only red wines.
Â
Â
Â
Next stop: John & Margarete Glaetzer - John's Blend Wines
We have also been friends with John and Margarete for years, and a visit to them was out of the question for us despite our stressful travel schedule. John Glaetzer has been in business since 1974 and is one of Australia's most experienced winemakers. John's Blend continues the tradition John established with Wolf Blass in 1974 - great red wines full of soft, juicy fruit, aged in the finest oak barrels. Of course, we have the new vintages for you! Few other winemakers have experienced his sustained success and awards - more than 3,000 prizes! The secret of John's Blend and Margarete's Shiraz is John Glaetzer's constant pursuit of excellence at every stage of production. Small batches of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the rich alluvial soils of Langhorne Creek and Shiraz from Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale are crushed, fermented, pressed, and blended in oak barrels for maturation. We were able to taste the new vintages for you, and yes... there's not much to say! The wine is simply incredible and once again shows that John's Blend is an exclusive, super-premium label. Carol and Nick Riebke from Lost Penny also came by for a shared meal, and so we had a great time with John and Margarete Glaetzer.
Â
 Carol and Nick Riebke also came for a shared meal - friendship connects!
Â
With old acquaintances: Lost Penny Wines
We are visiting Carol and Nick Riebke from Lost Penny Wines. We have been friends for many years, and Carol has attended Expovina in Zurich four times. During her last visit to Switzerland in autumn 2022, we reported extensively on Lost Penny Wines and conducted a short interview with Carol. Of course, we were very much looking forward to seeing each other again.
Here in the northern Barossa region of Ebenezer, the oldest Shiraz vines were planted in fertile soils more than 100 years ago. Their harvest brought hope and opportunity for past generations, and they have weathered countless seasons.
And it is this rich and structured history that the Riebke family seeks to preserve and further develop. By respecting old traditions, working with the land according to holistic and sustainable principles, while incorporating new knowledge and practices.
For Carol and Nick, producing wine in the Barossa Valley with their own grapes is a natural progression. Carol and Nick grew up amidst the Barossa vines, earning their pocket money in family vineyards.
Carol near Angaston and Nick on the same Ebenezer blocks that today provide the fruit used for Lost Penny Wines. Their combined knowledge, passion, family heritage, and commitment to preserving Barossa winemaking traditions have all flowed into Lost Penny Wines.
In addition to the well-known treasures, two new wines will soon be available in our range.
Soon new in our range: Lost Penny Water Hole Mourvèdre & Rosé Little Mischief
The next generation is already helping out - Eli Riebke.
Â
Â
We are visiting a new Wine Estate: Kilikanoon Wines
For weeks we have been traveling through Australia and have had the opportunity to taste new and well-known wines, which we will soon have available for you in our extensive wine selection. We are currently visiting Kilikanoon. The powerful elegance of their wines has truly impressed us and is an ultimate expression of the Clare Valley terroir. The wines are a masterful composition of diverse and unique microclimates that deliver impeccable quality and style every year. We were impressed by the careful site selection and diverse terroir, which enable the Kilikanoon winemaking team to produce vibrant wines with distinct regional and varietal definition. We were able to experience Kilikanoon's philosophy firsthand, which is based on the fascination with terroir by founder Kevin Mitchell and his father Mort. We are thrilled with the quality and taste of Kilikanoon wines. Whether the wines make it into the assortment after the first visit, you will see. As you know, we thoroughly check all our offered wines multiple times, and they are ultimately selected with great care by us.
At home with James Lindner in Barossa Valley | Langmeil
Langmeil is a blend of the cultural beginnings of the Barossa region and a family's modern commitment to producing first-class wine from old vines.
This remarkable place is now a fascinating part of Australia's wine and vine history, and a must-see when visiting the Barossa Valley.
Langmeil is managed by the Lindner family, whose own history in the Barossa spans six generations of farming, food, community, and wine. Langmeil is known for preserving old vines and producing outstanding wines from these prized sites. Last year, James Lindner answered our questions in an exclusive interview for Wyhus Ryf (Read it now, it's worth it!)
At the pinnacle of their winemaking is the Freedom 1843 Shiraz, sourced from arguably the oldest surviving Shiraz vineyard in the world, planted in 1843 in the heart of this historic part of Barossa soil. Seen here with Beat and Sandra.
We're bringing home two new wines from Irvine Wines
When planning our trip through Australia, a visit to Irvine Wines was an absolute must. In 1983, Irvine Wines was founded by a visionary team. The company succeeded in bringing Australian Merlot to the forefront of the world's best wines. Today, under the leadership of a team that combines world-class winemaking and wine culture traditions from the Barossa with an excellent track record of innovation, Irvine is experiencing a renewed strong resurgence.
Irvine Wines is one of the largest private premium grape growers in the Barossa, home to six vineyards spanning over 160 hectares across the most esteemed regions in the Barossa and Eden Valley. These prime regions host some of the world's oldest and finest Shiraz and Riesling plantings. Through the expertise of four generations of the Miles family and an innate understanding and respect for origin, along with an ongoing commitment to excellence, the Irvine legacy will be preserved.
We have tasted various wines for you and, in addition to familiar ones, are bringing two new top-quality wines, the Irvine Old Wine Shiraz and Irvine Barossa Ebenezer Shiraz, back to Switzerland. You can look forward to them!
Visiting Lobethal Road - a 5-star winery
We visited Lobethal Road, specifically Dave and Inga, and tasted the latest wines for you. Lobethal Road is a family-run winery in the northeast of the Adelaide Hills wine region, founded in 1998 by Dave Neyle and Inga Lidums. Lobethal Road produces award-winning white and red wines under the Lobethal Road and Bacchant labels, which you can currently find in a set with us. The vineyards at 475m altitude offer high-quality fruits like Chardonnay, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Graciano, and Roussanne. The winery operates using modern and environmentally friendly practices to highlight the unique characteristics of the site and the cool climate zone of the Hills.
Â
Â
The entire winery and tasting room in Mount Torrens operate self-sufficiently with solar energy and their own water supply. Lobethal Road's wines have received numerous awards and are highly esteemed both in Australia and internationally. In 2020, it was recognized by James Halliday as a 5-star winery and one of the Ten Dark Horses.
Â
In addition to the well-known wines with current vintages, a delicious new white wine will soon be available at Wyhus Ryf: the Roussanne 2021. The grapes were harvested on April 9, 2021, and gently pressed. Fermented in stainless steel and then transferred to used French barriques. The wine completed fermentation in oak barrels, resting on full lees and fine sediment. The barrels were stirred to ensure the sediment remained suspended in the wine, thereby encouraging richness and a beautiful yeast complexity. This resulted in a delicate, floral nose with hints of nectarine, leading to a textured palate with spiced honey, wild herbs, and grapefruit notes.
Â
Psst... Our journey started with a bang!
We're starting our journey with a bang! Right from the beginning, we made a great catch and secured one of the most sought-after wineries in Western Australia. Although we don't want to reveal everything yet, the deal is already sealed. Suspense is part of life, isn't it? Soon we'll report more, but perhaps you can already tell from the pictures which winery is meant? Can you recognize the winery?
Â
Â
Â
Â
