Welcome to Mad March in Marananga
In this month’s newsletter, the first steps of making the 2025 wines are are well underway. We’ll also update you on the latest in the vineyards, where the vines are settling into their post-harvest rest, and share some of our recent wine releases, including the 2020 Ares Shiraz – our wine of the month!
As always, March is a great time to visit us. Our cellar door is buzzing with activity, and we’ve got some special events lined up, including the Barossa Vintage Festival and the 2025 Barossa Wine Auction, where you can secure rare wines like My Hands or Magnum Ares. Plus, there’s always a reason to swing by and taste our latest releases or grab a tee to celebrate 25 years of Two Hands Wines!
IN THE WINERY
It has been a very busy few weeks in the winery as vintage gets close to completion. We expect to have crushed 100% of all our 2025 harvest by the end of March and all our vintage crew have been busy picking, pumping over and moving wine from fermenter to tank.
Generally, we have some seen parcels of fruit a bit down on volume but all in all we are really excited for the wine to come from 2025. For many of those wines we will have to wait a few years, but keep an eye out for the 2025 Trusty Rusty Rosé when it is released later this year.
Harry, Andreas, Theo, Jack, Cam, Antionne, Morgane, Camille, Margaux, Jett & Quinn, Peter & Chip, Richard & Ollie.
Did You Know – When we ferment Grenache we keep the fermenter chilled so that it completes fermentation more slowly. This ensures that the delicate aromatics and flavours of the Grenache are preserved.
Some particular 2025 highlights outside of the Two Hands Shiraz stable include our McLaren Vale Grenache for Yesterday’s Hero, Branson Cabernet Sauvignon (hello 2025 Aphrodite?) and the Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills.
Plenty to get excited about from this year and we can’t wait to be able to share these wines with you!
IN THE VINEYARD
Peter, Lara and Alex have been busy with harvest over the past few weeks and ensuring the winemaking team receives the fruit at its peak. Peter and Richard work harmoniously together to decide the best time and day to pick each block so the winery is prepared and has enough fermenter capacity to process the fruit.
This week we have been picking the final blocks from Holy Grail and have also picked our Shiraz and Grenache from the Eden Valley vineyard. Peter was full of praise for the Yacca Block Shiraz, stating it could be one of the best seasons we have seen from Eden Valley.
IN THE CELLAR DOOR
There are plenty of reasons to visit Two Hands in March and April. With major events such as the Barossa Vintage Festival and AFL Gather Round coming soon there are plenty of great reasons to visit the Barossa! We also have some exclusive member events planned in Sydney for April and will soon announce wine club dinners for Melbourne and Perth, stay tuned for details.
Gather Round Barossa
Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 13
“Come watch your favourite team battle it out on Barossa’s new footy field – Barossa Park. Drive to the Barossa region and experience the best places to dine and sip on iconic South Australian wine. Don’t plan on driving? Adelaide Metro will be operating free bus shuttles and trains from Adelaide to Barossa Park. You’ll be able to Bounce around the Barossa and discover what this world-class wine region has to offer with convenient hop on hop off shuttle busses. With endless things-to-do in the Barossa, make the most out of your Gather Round trip.” Read on >>
Catch the shuttle bus to Maranaga! Are you in Adelaide for Gather Round? There is a free hop-on/hop-off shuttle bus for all Gather Round ticket holders that can drop you off around the Barossa, including right here in Marananga. With the new Marananga School precinct open there are even more reasons to visit our village.
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2025 Barossa Wine Auction
Date: April 4, 2025 Time: 12:00 Duration: 240 mins Venue: Peter Lehmann Wines Price: $195 Age: 18yrs+
An integral part of the Barossa Vintage Festival since 1965, the Barossa Wine Auction has now grown to become Australia’s premier regional wine auction. Enjoy an exciting and vibrant auction atmosphere with a three-course lunch and Barossa wine. We have two limited edition auction lots available, click HERE to view the entire catalogue.
Barossa Vintage Festival
Dates: 23 April 2025 to 27 April 2025
Where tradition meets a seriously good time! The Barossa Vintage Festival is where the best of Barossa comes out to play! It’s a celebration of what we do best, think one-of-a-kind wine and food events, grape stomping competitions, over-flowing markets, and live music in a vineyard ambience. With a program of 85+ events on sale now, visit the official website for all the event details!
UPCOMING EVENTS
APRIL
Sydney Dinner
11th April – 6pm $175 per person
A private dinner at The Wine Library, Woollahra
LEARN MORE >>
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Sydney Cellar Door on the Road
12th April – 12pm & 2pm $75 per person
bibo Wine Bar, 7 Bay St, Double Bay
LEARN MORE >>
AFTERPAY DAY
MARCH 20th-23rd
This weekend is Afterpay Day where users of Afterpay get access to some special offers. You can take advantage of this offer by using coupon code PICTURE10 when buying with Afterpay in our webstore to receive 10% off Picture Series wines w/ $100 minimum spend. Offer valid March 20th-23rd.
2025 VINTAGE TEE’S
For the very first time, we have the winery crew’s 2025 vintage tee available online! Featuring our beloved hairy coo, a Two Hands wine glass and themed around 25 years of making wines, this silver anniversary edition of our vintage tee celebrates 25 years and ‘cow-n-ting’! Available in limited numbers, act fast to get your hands on one.
WINE OF THE MONTH
2020 ARES – Barossa Valley Shiraz
The March wine of the month is our Flagship Shiraz, Ares! We have recently released the 2020 vintage both in Cellar Door and online and this highly rated wine looks superb.
Now available in the new sleek, black packaging, the 2020 Flagship wines are a must for the serious Two Hands collector.
“Deep ruby red in the glass. Blackberry, bitumen, black pepper and cocoa aromas. Dense and powerful on the palate, this sings of Barossa with its ripe blue and purple fruits, ironstone and mocha notes. All that intensity is wrapped up with an all-encompassing net of fine gravelly tannins that ensures tension is held and drives it to a vastly long finish. You could drink it now, but it will highly reward you if you can cellar it for an extended period” – Stuart Knox. The Real Review. Drink between 2025–2045. 97 Points
SCORES & REVIEWS
TWELFTREE WINES
2021 Twelftree Adams Road, McLaren Vale Shiraz – 96 points
“Impressive and rich, yet stylish and graceful, the wine shows dark fruit intensity, smoked game, star anise, liquorice, and cedar characters on the nose. The palate displays excellent concentration and plump mouthfeel, combined with layers of grainy tannins, making it sturdy and structured with a sustained, satisfying finish.
At its best: now to 2040. $60.00 Feb 2025.” – SK
Having studied at the University of Adelaide Jett holds a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology. He has completed 4 vintages here in the Barossa Valley along with travelling the world working for other wineries in Wilamette Valley, Oregon USA, Okanagan, B.C Canada (2) and Central Otago, New Zealand. Raised in the Barossa Valley, on his days off you will find him camping or cooking. His love of food was instilled by his two chef parents.
What is your favourite grape variety?
Well good thing I work at Two Hands, because it’s Shiraz! Growing up in the Barossa surrounded by these centennial vines can only inspire passion to continue the legacy and stewardship of Barossa Shiraz.
Favourite thing about winemaking?
My favourite thing about winemaking is seeing the fruits of my labour when I sit down and enjoy a bottle of wine that I have made. The feeling of a job well done is always rewarding, as well as the challenges that were faced along the way.
12 months on from your last newsletter feature, what’s your favourite Two Hands wine now?
Invenienda, is still a top favourite, but the wine I drink the most would have to be The Boy Riesling. Needless to say, it’s on a heavy rotation at my dinner table.
Seen anything fun aging in barrel recently?
Something fun would have to be a single barrique of 2024 Eden Valley Mataro, watch this space, something exciting is afoot.
Got any comments from 2025 vintage for the readers?
2025! A rollercoaster, the earliest start we have had on record at Two Hands, we expected it to all be over and done with quickly, however, it has settled into a consistent pace. We are expecting to pick the last of our fruit in the next two weeks. A very happy and fun bunch of vintage staff (we’re outnumbered by French at the moment, so lots of croissants on the menu for morning tea).
As for the wines – A defining intensity and power from all the fruit that we are seeing coming through the winery. With a notable increase in quality in components of Sexy Beast, Angels Share and Gnarly Dudes which is filtering all the way to the top of the range. Some very tidy wines to be seen in the next 12-24 months.
Richard Landford, Chief Winemaker & Classical music nerd.
Blasting ABC Classic radio from the winery office for all staff to enjoy!
Follow us on Spotify for staff playlists and the relaxed seasonal playlists we use during your tastings at Cellar Door.
