December News 2025
Dec 11, 2025
Welcome to the December Edition of Instinctively Curious
As another year draws to a close, things are humming along here in Marananga. The vines are slowing ticking along with a warm summer spell, the calendar is full of end of year catch ups, and the winery fridge is well stocked with Trusty Rusty and Lucky Duck for the festive season. Before we all slip into holiday mode, we wanted to share a few important updates, along with a big thank you for being part of the Two Hands family.
AT CELLAR DOOR
December is officially our busiest time of the year at Cellar Door. If you’re planning a visit in the week of Christmas to New Year, we recommend booking ahead so we can have a spot and a tasting flight ready for you. Bookings can be made via our website or by contacting the team directly, it’s the best way to avoid missing out on your preferred day and time.
On Thursday the 18th of December our team will be taking a well earned break for the Two Hands staff Christmas party. On this day there will be no vineyard experiences available, as the whole crew downs tools to share a few glasses of our favourite wines and enjoy a long lunch with one of our Seppeltsfield Road neighbours, Staguni. Cellar Door will be open this day for tastings and if you need a quick stock up for Christmas.
The Kraehe Nature Trail Is Now Open
After a year of carving, shaping and quietly tending to a new corner of our estate, we’re thrilled to share that the Kraehe Nature Trail is officially complete. Guests can now wander from the top of the Cellar Door along Kraehe House Block vineyard. The path overlooks the Seppeltsfield Road palms and the Marananga church, before looping down to the back of the block to meet our resident Highlanders Cleo and Clementine, plus their new calves born this year Pearl and Calvin. In the New Year we will be adding immersive signage to fill out the experience.
This trail was created for everyone who has fallen in love with our highlanders (and there are many of you!), but also to offer an extra layer of experience for visitors. It’s a chance for families to stretch their legs, and for anyone to take in the quiet beauty of Marananga from a new vantage point. It’s not a long walk, but it’s a lovely one, with vineyard views. We can’t wait for you to enjoy it.
CHRISTMAS TABLE FUN
IN THE VINEYARD
Flowering is now complete across our estate blocks, and the vines are quietly moving into the next phase of the growing season: berry formation. This is when the young berries set and begin to enlarge. Right now they’re roughly the size of a peppercorn, around 4mm across, and with the extra weight the bunches are just starting to lean downward.
Over Christmas, with a bit of warm weather, they’ll grow closer to the size of a pea (around 7mm) before closing up in the bunch. At this stage the berries remain green and hard, we won’t see any softening or that all important shift to purple until well into the new year as sugar levels begin to build.
Over the Christmas and New Year break, Peter will be closely watching the forecast for any potential heatwaves, protecting fruit from excess exposure and carefully managing soil moisture. At this point all signs are pointing toward a later vintage, with current projections suggesting harvest will begin in March.
IN THE WINERY
It’s tasting time again. This week the team has been looking at the newly bottled 2024 Single Vineyard Series. We also tasted the 2021 My Hands and 2024 Invenienda from the Clos block at Holy Grail.
Luke and Morgan were invited down from the office to join (tough job, but someone has to do it), while Peter, Richard and Jett took the opportunity to taste through a series of 2025 barrel samples from Holy Grail and some of our grower blocks. It is still very early days, but there is already plenty of energy and detail showing in these young wines as they start to stretch their legs in oak. Of course, no good tasting line up is complete without the winery mascots. Quinn and Chip managed to sneak into the action as well, normally they are at ground level in our photos, so this time we grabbed a quick shot with them.
WINE OF THE MONTH
2016 THE WOLF
CLARE VALLEY RIESLING
As we count down the final days of 2025, we’re taking a moment to revisit one of our iconic whites: The Wolf, our Watervale Clare Valley Riesling. Made from 2002 through to 2019. It was among the first Rieslings in the valley to transition from cork to screw cap; a bold move back then, but what we all now consider standard practice.
Just before 2026 arrives, we’re releasing the 10 year old 2016 vintage, beautifully settled, gracefully textured, and perfect for drinking over Christmas. Citrus still hums along the edges, while age has added honeyed layers.
SHOP NOW
And in case you’ve ever wondered why a wine called The Wolf whilst it carries a ram on the label… It all comes back to this MT story from the early days:
“If Colombard is the guy in the cheap suit, Sauvignon Blanc the prize fighter who is over after the third round, Chardonnay the snob in the cravat, Semillon the man in the Velcro shoes, Viognier the guy with the good looking sister, Chenin Blanc the fella you never care to remember… then Riesling is the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
EVENTS
WRAPPING UP 2025
Our events calendar for 2025 is now complete, and what a year it has been!
To everyone who joined us at a Wine Club dinner in your city. Stopped past the stand at a Good Food & Wine Show. Meandered through Marananga for Barossa Vintage Festival. Popped by Brutus the caravan or the Defender at a street festival, or brought friends along to introduce them to Two Hands… Thank you! Your support, stories and enthusiasm are what make these events so memorable for Luke, Morgan, Vanessa & Elaine to be part of.
We’ll be back on the road again next year, with more Wine Club dinners in new locations, plus a full run of Good Food & Wine Shows in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Keep an eye on your inbox and our Events page early in the new year.
SHIPPING CUT-OFFS FOR CHRISTMAS
Orders placed after this time will still be shipped after our Christmas closure, which is the week starting the 5th of January. If in doubt, a visit to Cellar Door or a gift voucher is always a safe back up plan.
WHAT ARE TEAM THW DRINKING AT THE MOMENT? X-MAS EDITION
2019 “Lucky Duck” Blanc de Noir
Adelaide Hills Sparkling
Our festive fizz of choice this year is the 2019 Lucky Duck Blanc de Noir. Bound to be the biggest hit next week at our staff lunch with the weather set to soar to 37 degrees!
A sparkling made from 100% Pinot Noir, with five years on lees to build texture and complexity. In the glass it shows a very pale salmon hue, with a fine, persistent bead. The nose is all biscuity notes, sourdough and Biscoff, wrapped around nectarine, mandarin blossom, frangipani and a hint of candy apple. On the palate, you’ll find a savoury, almost umami depth, a salty dry finish and enough richness to handle more serious food pairings.
Christmas Table Pairings:
That extra weight and structure from Pinot Noir makes Lucky Duck a brilliant match for festive dishes:
- Roast game birds (chicken, quail, spatchcock or turkey) where the savoury depth of the meat ties beautifully into the broader fruit profile of the wine.
- Pork, from a classic roast loin with plenty of crackling to glazed pork belly. The salt and fat are met by the wine’s bright acidity, while the rounded mid-palate enhances the richness.
- Summer beetroot dishes, roasted beetroot salad with goat’s cheese, or beetroot carpaccio, is a real sweet spot for Blanc de Noir styles.
New Year’s Eve Cheese & Nibbles:
For a New Year’s platter, lean into richer, savoury elements that can stand up to the complexity of the wine:
- A cheese selection with soft and creamy styles (triple cream brie, camembert) alongside nutty, semi-hard cheeses.
- Cured meats like prosciutto, jamón or bresaola for a salty, savoury counterpoint.
- Seafood: smoked salmon, trout or even oysters for a luxurious touch.
- Warm nibbles like garlic butter mushrooms, arancini, or even a spoonful of creamy mac and cheese all delicious with the wine’s biscuity, savoury notes.
However you pour it, Lucky Duck is made for celebrations as the countdown begins.
THANK YOU & HOLIDAY WISHES
From all of us at Two Hands, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season spent with good company, great food and a glass (or two... pun intended) of our wines. Thank you for sharing our 25th year with us. We can’t wait to bring you along for the next chapter.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, we’ll see you in 2026! 🥂
