The 2025 Riesling vintage in South Australia was notable for 2024 being the driest year on record in South Australia, as well as being the third-warmest year since records began in 1838. With little rain to speak of it was clear that the 2025 vintage would demand judicious irrigation and careful management of supplemental water to achieve quality crops. In late September a catastrophic frost annihilated the early spring growth across much of the Clare and Eden Valleys. While initially devastating, the timing of this frost event played into our favour as we watched the  vines bounce back with secondary budburst. The second crop was significantly smaller than the primary, but with limited water supply and no rain in sight, this allowed our growers to curate dense, healthy canopies with remarkable quality fruit from minimal water input.

Grapes were machine harvested at night and the fruit was in the winery by morning – the preferred method for Riesling. Instead of pressing, John uses a spin and drain method to extract the free run juice thus ensuring the berries are handled very gently to maintain the pristine purity of the juice. The juice is then settled for 5 days with solids falling to the bottom of the tank. The clear juice was racked and fermented at around 55 degrees for 10-12 days until reaching the desired sugar level at which point the wine was chilled and sulphured to stop the ferment. The Riesling was then heat and cold stabilized to remove all haze and crystals before being filtered and bottled in June.

Tasting Notes:
The 2025 No.33 is richly imbued with aromas of crisp apple, guava and white peach; with floral top-notes of orange blossom and elderflower. The palate is softly textural and richly flavoured with nectarine, blood orange and passionfruit, while the bright natural acidity draws through to a crisp, clean finish. A wine of immediate appeal and absolute approachability, this wine is poised for ultimate enjoyment on release and complements a variety of cuisines.