|
Why Smallfry Wines? It’s a big pond out there! Smallfry is our reaction to the increasingly corporate wine industry. We want to stay small, maintain our hands on approach and produce wine that we would like to share with others. As I have come through the system, I’ve been lucky enough to learn from a few exceptional individuals within our local industry. Robert O’Callaghan and Carl Lindner are probably the most prominent in my memory but there are a whole host of people that in one way or another have helped me along in my understanding of how the wine industry works. The essential component is good fruit, and the best fruit invariably comes from small blocks owned by small growers who tend each vine year in year out. These special grapes are then allowed to express themselves in our small batch processing and storage, so that we can produce unique wines to better get to know the subregions of the Barossa. Places like Ebenezer, Stonewell, Vine Vale, Bethany, Light Pass, Lyndoch and Eden Valley, each have their own flavours and styles. Often these are blended, but it makes sense for someone as small as us to be able to put these on the market as individual wines. Lets put it this way, 350kg of grapes goes into one of our fermenters, and is pressed into 1 barrique, 220 odd litres free run and light pressings is about 24 cases of wine. This becomes an individual batch. We can and do bottle these individual batches separately. As we grow we do these little batches more often but the technique remains the same. We have been developing this technique now for a few years and it is sustainable for us to operate this way. We don’t want to grow beyond a certain point. This is our journey and we will do it our own way. Luckily there are a lot of our contempories out there at the moment toiling away on much the same journey as we are. I believe that when we look back on this time 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 local growers and gives its customers something unique. Gives back to the traditions as I have benefited from them. Which above all else is sustainable in that our dealings with all people are fair and honest and don’t burn any bridges. This is were you come in dear punter, we can nurture our vines as much as we want, agonise over this or that oak treatment, patiently wait until wines and ideas reach fruition, all in vain if you guys don’t support us. When these enterprises work the customers have a sense of their ownership of this nebulous thing call a brand. You are as important in the success of this venture as anyone. Hopefully you will join us on the journey, get to know us and the wines and feel the joy of creating and sharing something unique.
Wayne Ahrens
Home | Profile
| Vineyards |
Winemaking | Our Wines |
Cellar Door
|
