'S'omething special

“Wow, that’s special!” I said, pulling back the glass from my lips having just tasted from one of our barrels in late 2005. 

I pulled the chalk out of my pocket and marked the barrel with the unique symbol that declared it earmarked for something special.

I truly believe, every winery needs a top-of-the-tree, high-calibre wine and so this barrel and a very select few like it would go on to become our very first vintage of the Smidge ‘S’ in 2005. That year it would be nominated for the George Mackay Trophy for Australia’s Best Exported Wine.

Marking the barrels, classifying them has become a process that I truly enjoy but its also critical, especially when it comes to the ‘S’.

When you press each fermenter, you experience a level of quality that is a combination of flavour and structure and then the journey begins…..to start sorting the pieces of the puzzle of where each parcel might end up.

The ‘S’ represents the best barrels of Shiraz, specifically chosen to showcase the best attributes of soil and growing conditions in the different subregions of the Barossa Valley. ‘S’ comes from the word ‘Smitch’, which is the Celtic word that ‘Smidge’ was derived from.

The barrels of wine will mature slightly differently, some remaining fruit driven, while others pick up nuances of oak, then over time complexity builds. Even after the best barrels are identified and marked with their own unique symbol, various blends of each are trialed until the final ‘S’ is created, with some of the original barrels selected missing out at the final cut.

This is one of the reasons why, each bottle of ‘S’ is approximately 4 years in the making, it’s an adventure in patience, persistence and excitement, all for the love of creating a wine that is truly special.

Since 2005, our ‘S’ has grown to become everything that we hold dear, everything that we want Smidge Wines to be. A wine for people from all walks of life who just love and appreciate a bottle of something special and the amazing experience that comes with it.

You might say that the Smidge Wines ‘S’ is a smidge of everything that is Smidge Wines.


Important Note: Each vintage of 'S' is often heavily pre-sold, we try and keep a few dozen aside for sale on the website so everyone has an opportunity to enjoy something 'S'pecial. The latest vintage release, 2016 is no different, with 80% pre-sold. To secure a bottle or two for yourself, please visit the 'S' purchase page.

-Matt