Natural Wines

Melissa Nelson is a self-taught winemaker who fell in love with the Bot River region and the camaraderie amongst the winemakers in the region (her grapes grow just down the way from Luddite). Her aim was pretty simple – to make more than they could drink. More than a decade later, that simple aim has led to some simply amazing bubbles!

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Sons of Sugarland forms part of Saga Vineyards - the latest adventure from Reenen Borman, Fritz Schoon, and Henk Kotze —a trio who knows how to turn unexpected vineyard sites into something truly special. We couldn’t write it better than they have themselves: “Halfway between here and nowhere, you’ll turn left into a vineyard that doesn’t look like anything special. Most of the time it isn’t. But sometimes it is. Saga Vineyards is born from these remarkable sites, often in unexpected places, growing fascinating wines that represent not just stories, but epic tales of adventure, persistence and survival.”

Reenen followed his father Jacques Borman’s footsteps into winemaking and has carved his own path with Saga Vineyards, while Fritz juggles business, baking, and family, and Henk keeps the momentum going. Their journey started above a bakery in Stellenbosch with Hawk & Schoon, a boutique wine shop where the first seeds of Saga were planted. Today, their Sons of Sugarland wines stay true to that ethos—whole bunch fermentation, concrete ageing, and nothing else. Just pure, expressive wine that lets the vineyard speak for itself.

Sons of Sugarland forms part of Saga Vineyards - the latest adventure from Reenen Borman, Fritz Schoon, and Henk Kotze —a trio who knows how to turn unexpected vineyard sites into something truly special. We couldn’t write it better than they have themselves: “Halfway between here and nowhere, you’ll turn left into a vineyard that doesn’t look like anything special. Most of the time it isn’t. But sometimes it is. Saga Vineyards is born from these remarkable sites, often in unexpected places, growing fascinating wines that represent not just stories, but epic tales of adventure, persistence and survival.”

Reenen followed his father Jacques Borman’s footsteps into winemaking and has carved his own path with Saga Vineyards, while Fritz juggles business, baking, and family, and Henk keeps the momentum going. Their journey started above a bakery in Stellenbosch with Hawk & Schoon, a boutique wine shop where the first seeds of Saga were planted. Today, their Sons of Sugarland wines stay true to that ethos—whole bunch fermentation, concrete ageing, and nothing else. Just pure, expressive wine that lets the vineyard speak for itself.

Kottabos takes its name from an ancient Greek drinking game, where after a few glasses of wine, friends would fling leftover lees toward targets—because why not? In this case, it's a side project from Reenen Borman of Boschkloof, designed for experimentation beyond his family’s estate. A second-generation winemaker, Reenen has earned a reputation as one of South Africa’s best (casually – he’s been awarded more 99 points by international critics than any other South African winemaker in history, and one of less than 10 to be awarded 100 pts), bringing both technical skill and instinct to Boschkloof’s vineyards. After studying at Elsenburg and gaining hands-on experience in the Rhône Valley, he returned to Stellenbosch to refine the wines that have shaped his name over the years. That dedication was recognised in 2023 when he became a member of the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild—an honour reserved for only around 40 winemakers in South Africa. (Niels at Luddite is also one of the OG members!)

The story of Whistler (“Pfeiffer” means “whistler” in German) starts in 1982 when Martin Pfeiffer, a third-generation grape grower and former head vineyard manager at Penfolds, purchased the Heysen estate. In 1994, he planted cuttings of the famous Kalimna 3C Shiraz from Penfolds’ iconic Grange vineyards, and they released their first wines in 1997. The Pfeiffer family has been growing grapes for four generations, starting with Albert Heinrich in the Riverland region. After Martin and his wife Sally retired in 2020, their son Sam took the reins.

The story of Whistler (“Pfeiffer” means “whistler” in German) starts in 1982 when Martin Pfeiffer, a third-generation grape grower and former head vineyard manager at Penfolds, purchased the Heysen estate. In 1994, he planted cuttings of the famous Kalimna 3C Shiraz from Penfolds’ iconic Grange vineyards, and they released their first wines in 1997. The Pfeiffer family has been growing grapes for four generations, starting with Albert Heinrich in the Riverland region. After Martin and his wife Sally retired in 2020, their son Sam took the reins.

Water is a big deal in Australia, so they’ve decided to add rainwater storage that can hold nearly 50,000 litres. This means Whistler will be completely self-sufficient when it comes to water, without needing to tap into the Murray River.

The project was started in 2013 by husband-and-wife team, Andre Bondar and Selina Kelly, making just 2 wines. In 2014, they bought the historic Rayner Vineyard in McLaren Vale. Andre, with his rich winemaking background, focuses on crafting mid-weight wines that are fragrant, bright, and wonderfully complex. His experience, including a stint in the beautiful Northern Rhône, has really shaped his approach to terroir-driven winemaking. Meanwhile, Selina jumped from a career in law to bring her marketing expertise to the wine world, adding a fun touch to their brand. Together, they create wines that radiate confidence and have an almost magical quality.

A self-proclaimed “licker & sniffer” as a kid, Riley Harrison has always been fascinated with flavours and smells. While he loves the hard work of harvest, he wasn’t so keen on pushing that hard year-round, so being a chef was out. Making wine seemed like a much better idea. He also didn’t love the structure and bounds of corporate winemaking, so he started making super-small batches of wine under his own brand in 2015, growing slowly with the safety net of a paycheck from a day job until things reached critical mass in 2022. Taking the project from a hobby to a grown-up wine business meant he needed to focus his energies solely on “not f*cking this dream up,” – and we sure think he’s done a great f*cking job!

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Blair and Caroline Guthrie are making honest wines, farmed responsibly. Their baby side project (only 600 cases a year) is filled with so much love – their wines are comforting and light-hearted as a Sunday morning dance party in your bathrobe. Beneath that, they are strongly focused on preserving and encouraging the good in the world – environmentally, ethically and everything in between.

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

The story of Ottomani began with four friends who grew up together and turned a dream into reality. Not that far off from us girls at Crushed!

They graduated from the University of Florence with Oenology (that’s the science of wine) degrees and chose to separate for a while to get some exposure working in real wineries. With a few years of experience and some real savoir-faire in their back pockets, the boys came back together and purchased a farm of their own. In 2006, Ottomani was born with indigenous grape preservation and sustainability sowed into its mission statement.