Red Heads

I thought I'd address this one to Jancis. I hope she doesn't mind. It’s just that on the drive to Red Heads, Steve, explaining the modest amount of discipline he is trying to introduce into the traditional RH chaos said: "I tell them, I want it so if Jancis Robinson walks in, unannounced, one day, she'll find it all clean, clear and correct and … she'll be impressed." I don't know if he said that because Jancis has in the past shown interest and support for Red Heads or because that – very dear – lady is famous for being quite hard to impress. Anyway, he said it. So …

Dear Jancis,

I took the opportunity, on an NZ tour, to nip over to Adelaide and spend a day at Red Heads. As you've always shown interest in this little venture I thought I'd update you. Because Red Heads is now ten years old!

It’s not been a smooth ride, but then, if you encourage anarchy you can't expect much else. But it is still there – well, a few hundred yards down the road, still there – and a surprising number of the original cast have survived too. Prospered? Mmm … almost!

You'll recollect the beginnings: our young Flying Winemakers doing the European Vintage, whingeing (they can do that, Aussies) that, back home in Oz, they had no freedom to make the wines they wanted to. Wineries there just kept getting bigger and fewer and being junior winemaker on a big team making a mega-brand was just plain … boring.

'Jut' Lane made just four barrels of his own in his garage. But also had a mate, 'Philbo', who made rather more in a bigger tin shack on Chalk Hill that he'd kitted out for bugger-all with cheap rainwater butts, garden hose, a converted milk chiller, clapped old pumps and casks scavenged from behind Hardy's. They both, however, made wines I bought. But then I needed more.

So we all spent a day looking at any more sheds for sale in McLaren Vale but didn't find any. Then, the man serving coffee said "you can have this place if you want, I've had enough of this, I'm buying a camper and going right round Oz". And so we bought his café for less than A$100,000, I think; 'Red Heads' it was called; on the corner of Kangarilla and Foggo roads.

Kitted out the same grunge-garage way but with the most splendid bar you've ever seen (made from a whole tree!) plus a pinball machine and powerful amps … Red Heads Studio made its first wines in 2002.

It went very well at first, you helped us by liking the wines and they began to sell in Oz, the US, Denmark as well as to us in the UK. Then, well, it started to get a bit out of hand. It grew much too fast. Whilst the Studio Members carried on making their one or two tonne tub wines, much bigger volumes were made in the big, new 'Back Shed' and a rented facility down the road. The tiny Red Heads site was packed tight; it could not expand.

The project was all over the place … of course; still run by anarchists. Suffice to say, one day, it imploded rather expensively. That's uncontrolled growth for you! Though, through it all … the Studio Members still kept on making their tiny volumes.

However, Red Heads looked doomed! The problem was given to Rachel Robinson from Lancashire who had just set up our 'Laithwaites Wine People' direct merchant business in Sydney. Any sane person seeing the huge losses would have shut it down but instead, the tiny but dogged Rachel found a saviour.

His name was Steve Grimley, one of our suppliers, who lived a few hundred yards away and, it seems, had always loved the whole Red Heads ethos and drunk many a beer there with the boys. Steve offered to move the whole operation to a bigger site and "look after it." Steve is very not an anarchist. But he still likes the lifestyle.

So, Red Heads is now on Chalk Hill Road. More sheds than before. New too. Same signs. Plus one in neon over the 'Cellar Door' shed. Wow! The guys take turns opening the shop. When they feel like it. They still refuse to be 'corporate'!!! An unsual tasting room feature is the big glass-fronted fridge full of hams, saussices, salami, black puddings – basically ex-pig in every known format.

This is where Steve's pigs end up. He had a load of huge Berkshires roaming the plot here. Until the problems with the neighbours. E.g. Big pigs cannot be contained and they like grapes. And they also dig big holes. And farmers here machine-harvest in the dark. And … you can guess the rest. So the pigs went. But they return. Wonderfully packaged. And believe me it all tastes bloody wonderful with the wines. Wine kills cholesterol, doesn't it? God, hope so!

Of course, over ten years some studio members dropped by the wayside but the stalwarts remained and then did what we hoped they would; they kitted out sheds of their own and developed their wine offerings further.

Adam 'Hoops' Hooper bought the original Red Heads place from us. He now makes his 'Curio' wines in the old back shed and has let out the original building – as a restaurant again. A good one too.

'Philbo' Christiansen – christened 'The Godfather of Garage' because he invented it, has been hugely successful. He now has a very big smart new shed and contract-makes wines for many growers – and a few wine merchants – as well as his own 'Longwood'.

Andrew Pieri, next door, makes his own Italian styles – eg 'Azzardo' drying grapes on big tin sheets in the manner perfected by his late – very much missed – father.

Nat McMurtrie (no relation, apparently) down on McMurtrie Road has many sheds next to the 'Old Salopian Inn' where he was born. Only one shed is a winery – the rest house Nat's extensive collection of Australiana or junk … depending on you being male or female. The junk is gradually being cleared … but the winery shed is expanding.

'The Doc' doesn't make much wine but then he is the local, hard-working doctor. I only saw him briefly this time; "house calls!" But his wine seems the most popular of all. Also the strongest.

Henry Laithwaite (yes, relation) was there this trip. He produces his Wilson Gunn most years working with his old mentor; Philbo. He was the original barrel monkey at Red Heads (doing the chores) but now with his Bordeaux and UK vineyards to prune it’s hard to get away. Misses the fun. Made up for it Saturday night though!

Then there's King Steve, a very busy winemaker, on a big scale, now, but who really likes to make a small tub or two Red Heads style.

Finally, saving the best till last, is Her Gorgeousness; Jess Hardy. Yes, of that wine dynasty. It used to be 'The Hardy Boys' in the time of her father and uncles, when they still owned the Company. Now I think its 'The Hardy Girls' – she has equally impressive sisters. Jess makes contract wines but also her 't = 0' Red Heads wine. I'm still not sure what it means but the wine is clever, elegant and beautiful. Seriously, it is!

Others who have made wine here … oh, this is getting too long for just a blog. I'll write a book sometime.

Suffice to say we had a great day, today – Saturday. Not too much cellar work. Tasted, took pics, made plans, all the old team came over, Steve lit the Pizza oven, we played some silly game chucking bits of wood at other bits of wood, we overdid the wine and I can't stay awake any lo.................