Smallfry Wines is a partnership in business and life between Suzi Hilder and Wayne Ahrens. They were both born into the industry and have various trade and technical qualifications. Also being foodies drives the 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 Euro style, with an eye to balance and subtlety. 

The essential component is great fruit, they 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 was established by us in 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. 

Please rest assured they are the genuine article, hand-made, traditional, bugger all intervention, natural, call it what you want, once you open the bottle you will understand. Most winemakers are practicing minimal intervention techniques these days, allow the vineyard to speak is the ethos and they can only agree. 

The biggest point of difference is here at Smallfry they rely on wild yeast to conduct the primary alcoholic ferment. Why wild yeast? Their belief is that the different flavour profile obtained using wild yeast ferments is primarily due to population dynamics. The ferments can take a day or so to get going, during this time preferment maceration of skins occurs extracting a more fruity flavour profile. No filtration or fining. Minimal sulphides added, only added at bottling