Photos sourced from Riesling Freak.
If you love Riesling to a degree that some would describe as freakish, SA’s very own Riesling Freak has been hard at work building a new bespoke private tasting room in the behemoth wine region, the Barossa Valley (Tanunda).
RieslingFreak was born from an extensive love for the Riesling variety. Established in 2009 by John Hughes – what started as a passion-project and has evolved to an impressive portfolio of 18 different Riesling styles.
“What I love about Riesling is the diversity of the grape. We at Rieslingfreak make dry, sweet, sparkling and fortified Riesling. There are not many grape varieties in the world that allow the diversity of styles, like Riesling. Therefore, I think Riesling accommodates for many different tastes and people’s preference on styles to drink” says owner and winemaker John Hughes.
The winery is deeply immersed in the variety and craft of Rieslings that are reflective of both style and region. They source their delicious wine from some of Australia’s top-producing Riesling regions, including Polish Hill River, Eden Valley, and Clare Valley.
Currently Riesling Freak offers 18 different varieties of Riesling: No.1 Grounds of Grandeur, No.2 Polish Hill River, No.3 Clare Valley, No.4 Eden Valley, No.5 Clare Valley Off Dry, No.6 Clare Valley Aged Release, No.7 Clare Valley Fortified, No.8 Polish Hill River Schatzkammer Riesling, No.9 Clare Valley Sekt, No.10 Zenit Riesling, No.11 “Mosaik”, No.12 Flaxman Valley, No.14 Watervale, No.33 Clare Valley Growers, No.34 Tale of Two Valleys, No.44 Eden Valley Riesling, No.55 Clare Valley Growers Off-Dry, and No.99 Out of the Square. Learn more about their varieties here.
Opening a tasting room in the Barossa Valley, such a competitive wine region, can be a daunting challenge, but John is confident in his incredible products will speak for themselves.
“Being a Riesling-only tasting room, with the Barossa being a red wine dominant region, I think it is going to make it very easy for RieslingFreak to stand out.” says John.
John’s vision for the new tasting room has put mise-en-scene at the forefront of the design process. With every single design detail, curated to create the best experience for Riesling Freaks alike.
“Both Belinda and myself have designed what we believe is a bespoke Riesling Tasting Room. The room has been designed with a lot of thought put into lighting, design and fixtures, providing an environment we believe will best showcase Riesling.” says John
As a Barossa local myself, I was curious about why we locals should be excited about the new RieslingFreak bespoke private tasting room. As John previously stated, the Barossa is a red-dominated region, so this Riesling focus is refreshing for those who are looking to switch things up. As well as this, John’s community focus for this tasting room gives us locals something to look forward to.
“We love locals calling into our Tasting Room, especially later in the afternoon, when there is always time for a glass of Riesling, and a chat about all the wonderful things happening around our local community. We do with RieslingFreak say ‘Reverence of Riesling’, and I am hoping our new Tasting room will give new meaning to this and will become a welcoming place for locals to come and give reverence to Riesling, and celebrate all thing Barossa.” says John.
“Customers should expect a welcoming Tasting Room, that will draw them in, and allow them to explore the diversity of Riesling. They will be invited to take a seat, be shown Riesling from different regions in South Australia, together with the diversity of styles, and hopefully leave feeling educated and have a new appreciation of the Riesling grape.”
“We are all on track to have the door open on July 1. Keep an eye on our socials for events happening in July, and what we are doing to celebrate the new opening.”
“Diverse, inviting, education, community, passion,” John used these five words to describe RieslingFreak as a company.
Celebrate Riesling with your fellow Riesling Freaks. Keep an eye on RieslingFreak’s social media to stay updated on this exciting new tasting room and other thrilling Riesling news.
What: RieslingFreak Bespoke Private Tasting Room, Tanunda
When: 1 July, 2024* (Subject to change)
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