Winemaker Notes
Smallfry is a partnership in business and life between Suzi Hilder and Wayne Ahrens, viticulturists bitten by the winemaking bug. That they are also foodies drives their winemaking down a certain path: native yeast ferments, zero to minimal adjustment, old oak, and a soft hand in the cellar allowing the vineyard to speak. Their style is food-friendly, European-influenced (Wayne spent part of his youth in Spain), with an eye to balance and subtlety.
Wayne and Suzi own two very special vineyards, one in Eden Valley and the other in Barossa’s Vine Vale subregion in the valley floor. The Eden Valley vineyard has been established 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. In other words… the vines are OLD, some dating back to the 1850s!
Winemaking at Smallfry is 100% certified biodynamic, with the biggest point of difference between them and the majority of the Barossa winemaking community being a reliance on wild yeast to conduct the primary alcoholic ferment.
The Barossa Zone encompasses the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. Some of the oldest vines in Australia can be found here.
Barossa Valley of course is the most important and famous wine growing region in all of Australia where 140+ year-old, dry-farmed Shiraz vines still produce inky, purple and dense juice for some of Australia's best wines.
In the cooler, wetter Eden Valley sub-region, the Hill of Grace vineyard is home to famous Shiraz vines from the 1800s but the region produces also some of Australia’s very best and age-worthy Rieslings.
Indigenous to the Jura region of France, Trousseau is an intensely hued red wine grape that can make powerful wines with aging potential. Parentage analysis shows that it is related to Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Savagnin. Though no one is certain how or why, Trousseau made a long journey west across France and the Iberian Peninsula well over 200 years ago to take a second home under the alias, Bastardo, in Portugal. It is also permitted in the production of Port. Somm Secret—Trousseau also goes by the names, Maturana Tinta, Merenzao and Verdejo Negro.