Red Wines

A tale as old as time, women in wine baby! Matilde Poggi’s first harvest, on her family-owned 15th-century farmhouse, happened in 1984. She worked tirelessly at a time when large, quantity-driven firms and cooperatives dominated local production. Rather than following the masses, Matilde chose to concentrate on quality, revamping her vineyards to better express the area’s native grapes. Today, she is one of Italy’s most respected producers, and, in 2013 was elected President of the Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti (Italian Federation of Independent Grape Growers or FIVI). More recently, she became the first Italian and first female president of the European equivalent, the European Confederation of Independent Winegrowers (CEVI).

Matilde has three daughters, to whom she’d like to pass on Le Fraghe one day (but we’re volunteering in case her girls don’t want it – wanna come?).

Swiss-born couple, Nicky and Gaby, started planting vines in Santa Lucia in the 1970s. Since then, they’ve got the area recognised as a wine region and have been at the forefront of the sustainability movement since before it was really a thing! A pretty pioneering bunch, the Hahn Family!

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 lighthearted 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

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.

They say, quite simply, that they are raising hand crafted wines along with their two daughters. But we think John & Tasha Seccombe are doing so much more than that! They’re raising the profile of forgotten grapes, reflecting on the heritage of a complicated wine producing country and thoughtfully capturing a new narrative of what that could become.

The very first winery in the Southern Hemisphere to farm using biodynamic practices, James and Annie Millton have stayed true to their practice since establishing The Millton Vineyard in 1984. Along their journey, they’ve raised a beautiful family. They’ve passed down their know-how to their children who now play key roles in some of Millton’s more avant-garde collections such as the “Crazy By Nature” which is some of our favourite juice!

Yes! We love feedback! Let us know what you loved, hated or if you want to mix things up and we’ll make sure to adjust for your next case.

Minimus started as the experimental arm of Craft Wine Company. It is where the winemaker can bottle her experiments each year. Some bottles were good enough to be produced every year, others are one offs - and numbered according to which experiment number it is.

This tiny operation, started in 2007 by the spirited Sardinian Antonio Berritta, operates out of the basement of a grocery store. Antonio, his wife Maria Paola and their kids, Serena and Francesco are all involved in the operations of the winery – under the meticulous direction of the grandkids. Antonio’s family has been cultivating olives and vines using traditional methods for generations. This stuff really is in their blood!

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 lighthearted 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

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 lighthearted 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.

The name says it all, really. Stand Alone is the passion project of 2nd generation winemaker, Xander Grier of Stellenbosch’s Villiera. He’s taking the reins and doing his own thing with grapes he loves while holding true to Villiera’s deep commitment to sustainability.

Alice Verburg, middle child to Niels and Penny (who we know from the Saboteur White & Red) works with dad in the cellar at Luddite, adding a bit of fun & feminity to their wines. The culinary school grad, who has a couple of international harvests under her belt already, makes ONE barrel of her own wine every year that typically sells out at the speed of light – before she can even set any aside for herself!

The first generation of three generations of grape growers in sunny McLaren Vale to branch off and start their own wine label. Hither and Yon is the story of two brothers who wanted to see their region grow more varietals that were better suited to their land than what the big wine labels of South Australia were thirsty for.

This tiny operation, started in 2007 by the spirited Sardinian Antonio Berritta, operates out of the basement of a grocery store. Antonio, his wife Maria Paola and their kids, Serena and Francesco are all involved in the operations of the winery – under the meticulous direction of the grandkids. Antonio’s family has been cultivating olives and vines using traditional methods for generations. This stuff really is in their blood!

Cheeky as he is lovely, Sommelier Ewan Mackenzie thieves his way around the Cape Winelands, working with some of the best winemakers in the region to champion varietals that are usually blended away. Small batch to the tune of sometimes just a single barrel, these babies are literally made to pair with all kinds of food.

So much of our approach to wine has been inspired by Pieter Walser and his BLANKbottle wines – where the bottles typically don’t show the varietal to avoid any preconceived ideas about what people think they like and don’t like when it comes to wines. “You can’t judge it by the label; it takes drinking a whole bottle to get to know the wine.” He also designs those labels.

SOUFFLE D'ETOILES
This wine is extra brut, which means it’s really low in sugar - which must mean it’s good for us? Right? So drink up!

COLOMBARD
Talk about hands-on – hand-bottled, hand-corked, hand-labelled and hand-waxed, there’s a lot of our Wine Thief, Ewan’s love (and time) in every stage of this wine.

PINOT GRIS
Excuse us while we go full wine geek here – but there’s a fermentation technique called ‘carbonic maceration’ that’s usually used in the light, fun reds. Hans did that! With this white grapes! Try it! Now!

RODON
Italy isn’t exactly famous for its rosé, but Matilde takes her Chiaretto (chiaro = pale) very seriously. She uses a method called Saignée for this one – which means a portion of the pink juice is poured off from the red wine fermentation, to give a pink wine. This also results in a more concentrated red wine (more concentrated because the remaining fermentation has a higher solid-to-liquid ratio).

RETIREMENT AT 65
Gosh, we love that Pieter believed so much in the fruit from the vineyard. Despite it having been ravaged by birds and/or sheep for many years, Pieter managed to produce his first vintage of this small little block, 65 years after its inception.

FINO
It’s so versatile! Serve it over ice, straight up in a glass, or mix it with your favourite tonic, lemonade, or even bubbles! Cocktail options are endless. Have fun experimenting!