Fiano | Chardonnay | Grenache | Shiraz

Provenance and pink shirts; a trip down memory lane.

Seen one vineyard, seen them all?  Maybe.  But sometimes, just sometimes, a vineyard proves you wrong.  The Upper Tintara vineyard is one of those, from the moment you cross the threshold, cresting one of the many hills in the Vale and dropping down into the most wonderful amphitheater shaped vineyard.  Driving down the dirt track is like descending memory lane, deep into the memory of the Australian wine industry.  Parked at the bottom you might find a Porsche, a baby blue 1977 Ferrari or a 1954 Austin Healey but most importantly the welcoming smile of Andrew ‘Ox’ Hardy.  Don’t let the cars fool you, there’s nothing pretentious about it.  For Andrew, the Upper Tintara vineyard and the Ox Hardy wines are a unique medley of passion, provenance and family, all jumbled together in the rawest and most rustic way.  It’s a treat.  A bit like falling down the rabbit hole into yesteryear when times were simpler and, call me nostalgic, better.

The Ox Hardy wines are a fairly new name on the scene, but Andrew Hardy is not.  A fifth-generation winemaker and part of the Hardy dynasty, wine runs through Andrew’s veins.  And with almost forty years of experience making wine both at home in Australia and overseas, I can confirm good wine.  Launching in 2019 to the chimes of covid, Ox says it’s been a slow but steady start.  The project was inspired after many years of Ox and his father making beautiful Shiraz from 130 year old vines.  It’s all about the vineyard, showcasing the history but also celebrating its diversity.  Ox planted Fiano ten years ago, owing to its suitability in the warming climate and makes a zippy and fresh expression that’s a delight to drink.  Last year he re-planted Grenache having lost all of the vineyard’s to the big pull in the eighties.  But the heart of the offer is Shiraz.  There’s an estate Shiraz and a cellar release ancestor vine shiraz, sourced from the 130 year old vines but the star of the line up is the Slate Shiraz, made in the locally quarried slate fermenters that were last used in 1923.  Even Ox can’t explain quite what happens but the resulting wine is a wonder and utterly unique in profile.  Just like a Bintang in Bali, it’s best drunk whilst shooting the breeze with Ox alongside the old winery and slate fermenters that were built in the late 1800s, surrounded by red gums and the sound of bird song.  Idyllic doesn’t cut it.

Andrew is charismatic and engaging but it's his enthusiasm for life that is most infectious.  As with many winemakers, humble in his talents, there’s an inevitable risk putting your name on a wine.  But for Andrew the risk was worth it.  For him it's personal.  It’s for his dad, it’s for his children and every detail is representative.  The labels align with one of the old aforementioned cars that were his and his dad’s passion.  The pink Ox Hardy on the label owes to his penchant for pink shirts, inspired by his wife Georgina.  And a wine tasting at his family’s vineyard, with the great man himself, feels like an afternoon spent amongst friends.  I can’t recommend enough booking a tasting and experiencing it all for yourself.

All wine tastings take place in the vineyard. If the heavens open you’ll retreat to Ox Hardy HQ; the old shed.

Time from Adelaide | 1 hour

Wine RRP | $30 - $200

A tasting with Ox, or his son Henry, is $45 per person. 4 people minimum. Book here.