It’s clear right from arrival that that First Drop wines isn’t your average winery.
Their cellar door in Nuriootpa, a restored barnyard from the 1930’s, stands tall and stands out. Completely white and emblazoned with their slogan Home of the Brave, it’s far from the old stone cottages or open plan glass and concrete buildings you’ve come to expect.
Meeting owners John Retsas and Matt Grant, it’s obvious that they are passionate about making seriously good wines, without taking themselves too seriously. Both with prestigious pedigrees in the business, having mastered the old traditions, they’ve taken a leap into the new world and are blazing a trail to make wines their way, all 21 different kinds of it.
Far from precious about their creations, they don’t mind at all if you spit the wine out, in fact they encouraged it with a wine spitting contest. With red wine spray being projected up to 5 metres, needless to say, wearing white it not recommended.
McFuzzlebutt won, of course…
While it is clear that John and Matt as extremely passionate about what lies in the bottle, they put in just as much care and thought into what’s on the outside.
Each label is a unique work of art with it’s own story to tell. From film noir, soccer players and famous works of art, the layers and complexities within the wine are matched by the tales on the labels.
This desire to tell tales extends to their cellar door. Everywhere you look there’s something unexpected to catch your eye. The old is mixed with new, a vintage cash register, old French doors and regal couches are juxtaposed with comic book art, a spray painted roller door and a giant cow. It makes no sense, yet perfect sense all at once.
Take a seat, grab a wine, take it all in and grab a bite.
With so many Spanish and Italian varieties in their repertoire, it’s only natural that they decided on tapas as their food pairing. With beautiful fresh seafood, cured meats, spring roasted lamb racks and Patatas Bravas amongst the selection, an afternoon eating and drinking at First Drop is an afternoon well spent.
First Drop Wines are located at 30/38 Barossa Valley Way, Nuriootpa. For more information, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.
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