November Newsletter 2026 | Instinctively Curious

A thunderstorm rolled through the Barossa to start the month, while our team has been travelling from Brisbane to the Red Centre, sharing Two Hands. Closer to home, we’re getting the caravan ready for an evening beneath the Seppeltsfield Road palms, and there’s something mysterious taking shape ahead of Black Friday. With Christmas edging closer, there’s plenty to catch you up on.

IN CELLAR DOOR

There’s something special about tasting wines side by side. Moving between glasses, returning to a favourite and discovering how differently Shiraz can express itself is exactly what our Down the Garden Path tasting is all about. With the newly released 2023 Garden Series now pouring, it’s a wonderful time to visit Cellar Door.Behind this release is a season that asked a little more of everyone. A cool, wet growing season followed by a mild summer meant ripening moved slowly, testing the patience of our vineyard and winery teams. Picking decisions were made carefully, vineyard by vineyard, with harvest finally finishing on 2 May, the latest in our 26-year history.

From the Barossa to Mendoza

We’re delighted to share that our DTC Manager, Luke Willis, is one of four South Australian wine professionals selected for the Great Wine Capitals Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursary Program. Next year, Luke will travel to Mendoza, Argentina, to explore how wineries connect their environmental sustainability practices and vineyard biodiversity with memorable visitor experiences. He’ll also look at how those experiences build lasting relationships, turning a first visit into an ongoing connection with a winery and its wines. It’s an exciting opportunity to exchange ideas with international peers and bring fresh inspiration back to our own corner of the Barossa. Disclaimer: No actual flights, football matches or wine tastings were required to create this image. AI has done the travelling for now! Stay tuned for next year’s March newsletter, when we’ll have the real photos to prove it actually happened! 🇦🇷🍷⚽

IN THE VINEYARD

Spring certainly knows how to make an entrance. On 2 November, a large thunderstorm rolled through the Barossa, bringing rain, lightning and a dramatic change of scenery across the valley. There’s some interesting science behind a storm’s contribution to the vineyard. The energy released by lightning allows nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere to react, eventually forming nitrates that can reach the soil in rainfall. Nitrate is a form of nitrogen that vine roots can take up, helping support leaf and shoot growth. Of course, the rain itself plays an important part, replenishing soil moisture during this busy period of spring growth. With the vineyards taking on that lush, bright green appearance.

At Holy Grail vineyard, we’ve also reinstalled our sap flow sensors for the growing season, giving the vineyard team a closer look at what’s happening inside the vines. With probes installed directly into selected vines, the sensors track water moving through the vine, helping us understand how water use changes throughout the day and as conditions shift.Alongside soil moisture readings, weather data and time spent walking the rows, this information helps guide when and how much we irrigate. It’s a little extra insight from the vines themselves, supporting careful water use as spring gives way to the warmer months.

IN THE WINERY

It’s a busy week in the winery as Jett and Harry prepare the 2025 Single Vineyard Series for bottling. They’re gently transferring the wines from barrel to tank, a process known as racking. The idea is to leave the lees, or sediment, behind in the barrel without stirring them up. Keeping oxygen exposure to a minimum during the transfer also helps preserve the aromas and flavours that have developed during barrel maturation.Once the barrels for each wine have been brought together in tank, our Chief Winemaker Richard can taste the complete blend, review the final analysis and make any last adjustments before bottling. Then comes the wait. The wines will spend time in bottle before our Wine Club members get the first look in April 2027, ahead of the general release in 2028.

EVENTS

Luke and Elaine are back from Brisbane, where the Good Food & Wine Show gave us another welcome opportunity to catch up with our Queensland friends. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand, tasted through the wines and took a little Two Hands home. Meeting the people who open and enjoy our wines is always a highlight of these weekends.The trip also included a dinner at Black Hide, in Star Casino, bringing more good food, Two Hands wines and conversation to the table. This dinner featured the full lineup from the incredible 2021 Flagship Series and the wines looked spectacular! A particular highlight was the Aerope Grenache matched with Pork & Beef Meatballs, simply exquisite. To everyone who joined us across the trip, thank you for making us feel so welcome.

ON THE ROAD WITH PIERRE-HENRI

Pierre-Henri recently headed to Uluru, where he spent time with some wonderful supporters of our wines. Among the highlights was Sounds of Silence, an outdoor dining experience that begins with canapés and sparkling wine overlooking Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. As the light fades, guests gather around shared tables for dinner beneath the outback sky.It’s a remarkable setting to enjoy a glass of wine, and particularly special to see our Yacca Block featured as part of the experience. Pierre-Henri also hosted two dinners at Arnguli Grill & Restaurant, sharing the wines, the stories behind them and plenty of conversation with guests. Our thanks to their team for their continued support and for making Two Hands part of such memorable experiences.

SUNSET ON SEPPELTSFIELD ROAD

The caravan is heading around the block on Friday 20 November, we’ll be joining Sunset on Seppeltsfield Road, as the famous palm-lined stretch becomes the setting for an evening of wine, food, music and community. We’ll have Gnarly Dudes, Sexy Beast, Trusty Rusty, Brave Faces and Lucky Duck along for the ride, giving you plenty to choose from as you settle into a Barossa evening. Grab your ticket via seppeltsfieldroad.com

SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS IS COMING…

Black Friday is getting closer, and the team has something up its sleeve.

We’re keeping the details under wraps for now, but there’s a mysterious offer on its way that you won’t want to miss. Keep an eye on your inbox. A little curiosity could be very well rewarded.

CHRISTMAS, ALL WRAPPED UP

Somehow, we’re already talking about Christmas. If there are wine lovers on your list, now is a good time to get their gifts sorted before the end-of-year rush.We can help with wine, vouchers and those thoughtful finishing touches. Gift notes and gift wrapping are available; simply include your instructions in the order notes at checkout so our team knows what you need.

Christmas delivery order cut-off date is the 17th of December, with the last parcels of the year being collected first thing in the morning on Friday the 18th. Our warehouse team will be taking a well earned break over the festive period and order placed in the interim will resume shipping on the 5th of January.

WINE OF THE MONTH
Max's Garden
Heathcote Shiraz

The orange label on Max’s Garden comes straight from the ground beneath the vines. That colour is a nod to the Cambrian earth of Colbinabbin in Victoria’s Heathcote region, where we’ve sourced fruit from the same grower’s property every vintage since Max’s joined the Garden Series in 2003.

94 Points - Signature Heathcote intensity on show – from the deep, dark purple hues to the wine's equally dark-fruited concentration and poise. It's a meeting of ripe fruit power, aromatic prettiness and a natural, mineral earthiness courtesy of ancient Cambrian soils. Blue fruits, plum, blackberry, gentle toasty oak and peppery spice, anise and chocolate ride long on svelte but juicy tannins. From a cool vintage; a wonderful, elegant wine emerges, lingering long.
- Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion, Published 25 May 2026

Heathcote’s deep, calcium-rich Cambrian soils formed from weathered greenstone. They drain freely while holding enough moisture to sustain the vines through the growing season. Along with the cooling southerly winds, these conditions help produce small berries with concentrated flavour. In the glass, the 2023 Max’s Garden is inky and dark, with clearly defined dark fruit, lifted spice and a rich, earthy texture. There’s an elegance to the way it comes together, with supple tannins and balanced acidity framing the fruit and giving the wine the structure to develop in the cellar.

You’ve read a fair bit about Luke in this month’s newsletter, including a look at his upcoming trip to Mendoza. If you haven’t met him before, here’s your chance to learn more about our Direct-to-Consumer Manager.

Luke is originally from Tassie and began his journey in the wine industry with Moorilla Estate in 1997. He lived and worked in Japan for about 3 years before coming back to Australia and moving to Barossa in 2005 with Rockford Wines, after completing Bachelor of Wine Marketing at University of Adelaide. He is the father of two daughters, he claims are much smarter than him and husband to a patient wife. He spend his weekends playing golf and listening to loud, heavy music. With his best memory, hanging out with Metallica and giving them some great Barossa wine, of course.

Q&A:
You’ve hosted plenty of tastings and dinners this year. Which event was your favourite, and what made it stand out?
There has been a lot of great events this year from Melbourne to Cairns, Canberra to Perth. I enjoy hosting dinners the most and connecting with people, and this year's Melbourne dinner was memorable for having an AFL Hall of Famer there who generously shared his MCG tickets with Morgan and I for a Friday night clash.

What are you most looking forward to discovering in Mendoza on your trip to Argentina next year?
My trip is focused on visitor experiences through the lens of sustainability, so it will be interesting to discover what kind of experiences they offer and how they do it. Also, the great food and wine!

The cellar door is yours and the speakers are turned up. Which band are we listening to and why?
As I write this I'm going to see Iron Maiden tonight, so I think it has to be Maiden - Wasted Years.

You’re introducing someone to Two Hands for the first time. Which wine do you pour?
Most people would pour Gnarly Dudes, its a Two Hands classic, but I would go with Brave Faces. This wine is so food friendly and easy to drink, I love it!

What’s one thing about your job that might surprise people?
That we don't sit around drinking wine all day. Like many jobs, there are days just sitting at your desk working through emails and meetings. But there are very cool moments too when you get to taste the newly blended 2025 Ares off the tasting bench with the winemakers.