Rieslingfreak is indeed ‘a freak’, and not simply because of its rarity as an Australian winemaker focused on a single variety. A collection of wines, each given its own number to represent a different style, region or vineyard. The home of the No.14 is a single vineyard at Watervale in the Clare Valley, a region renowned for producing Riesling of richness and elegance. This wine may be enjoyed in its youth, but will also reward long-term cellaring.

Rieslingfreak is the product of winemaker John Hughes obsession with Riesling matched with exceptional winemaking talent which translates into wines of exquisite purity and elegance. His home state of South Australia is blessed with two of the rare places where Riesling truly shines, and John has melded the generous floral aromatics and rich flavour of the Clare Valley with the fine and refreshing acidity of the Eden Valley Riesling to craft this generous, yet complex Riesling. A wine to drink now, but one that will also reward some cellaring.

This wine was always designed to bring new world and old world together. After going to Bordeaux to meet the team at Boutes Barrels, John worked with the Coopers, to design a barrel that would work for Australian Riesling. They designed a 1500L barrel, which has had minimal toasting, resulting in a long barrel, which would act more has a maturation vessel, compared to a barrel which would impart oak into the wine. 2017 Rieslingfreak No.1 is made in a style which is different from any other Rieslingfreak. The wine has been wild fermented in a barrel, where as John normally ferments in stainless steel and with cultured yeast. Rieslingfreak is the inspiration of John Hughes, a man who is very passionate about his rieslings. The first vintage of the brand was in 2009, with a single vineyard Clare Valley Riesling. Since then, the label has expanded to include Eden Valley and Polish Hill River regions. The brand philosophy is to represent the hallmarks of a single region with their iconic winemaking style. Each Rieslingfreak wine is allocated an individual number. This number represents not only the region in which the fruit was grown, but also the style and technical specifications with which the wine is made. Rieslingfreak is about providing consumers with a range of specially crafted rieslings embracing both different regions and styles. It is only released from vintages considered worthy.