Bird in Hand
Having grown up next door to Penfold's Magill vineyards, then spending his formative years in McLaren Vale (they make a few good wines down there, you may have heard), Andrew Nugent was very ready to break exciting new ground in the Adelaide Hills when he planted vines in 1997. His skills as a viticulturalist, vineyard manager and winemaker may have been honed in McLaren Vale, but were realised at Bird in Hand.
In his words: "We live and work at the winery. We know the best thing we can do for our community is grow and produce the best wine and olives we can. Our success will be our community’s success. A high tide lifts all the boats in the bay. At Bird in Hand we’ve assembled the best team of people, we’ve painstakingly selected the perfect terroir and we’re well on our way."
Nugent considers Chardonnay and Shiraz as his favorite varieties, but has successfully led the field in other varieties, such as his gold-medal winning Honeysuckle Riesling. With a degree in Applied Science Agriculture, he knew staking vines in the Adelaide Hills allowed for a very versatile range of fruit. His range of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sparkling Pinot, and others are pegging the yummy meters across the board, scoring 90+ with James Halliday with regularity, and picking up a Red 5 Star Winery Rating in the 2011 Wine Companion.
