Yes, the winery is located on the other side of the world, but the wines from Two Hands Winery in the Barossa Valley of Australia can be found at your neighborhood Fine Wine & Good Spirits store if you’re residing in Pennsylvania.
Located in Marananga, in South Australia, the winery was founded in 1999 with a goal of crafting the finest possible Shiraz-based wines from growing regions throughout the country. Two Hands aims to showcase the diversity of Australian Shiraz and other varietals by highlighting regional and vineyard characteristics, allowing the fruit to be the primary feature of the wines.
For those who shop for bold red wines, it’s a label that many are likely familiar with already.
The producer recently released what it’s calling its Picture Series, including the following three wines:
Two Hands Angels’ Share Shiraz 2022 – This 100% Shiraz wine comes from McLaren Vale, the birthplace of Australia’s wine industry, from vines up to 41 years old. On the nose, notes of dried herbs, fresh mint, clove, coffee, chocolate, and sauteed plums. In the mouth, the wine shows rich and powerful fruits with generous notes of plum and mulberry, chocolate, mocha, earth, and spice. Soft, supple tannins. Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz 2022 – 100% Shiraz from Barossa Valley, which sees hot summer days, cold winters, and a variety of microclimates. On the nose, lifted and intense aromas of cedar, raspberry, cola, black currant, menthol, and plum. On the palate, an evolution of delicious fruits, plus tannins, and energy.Two Hands Sexy Beast Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale, from vines up to 41 years old. On the nose are notes of clove, Asian spice, lavender, cola, roasted meats, and black current. On the palate, it has a rich and luscious texture, with powerful flavors of dark fruits, leather, eucalyptus, cedar, cassis, and spice. It is one of the wines that Keith Wallace, the founder of the Wine School of Philadelphia, included on the list that appeared in his post on “The Underpriced Gems Hiding in the PA Wine Shops.”
More on the specifics of the wines can be found at the end of the story.
Gnarly Dudes now comes in a 375ml half bottle, which is perfect for picnics or a solo glass at home.Two Hands Winery Facebook
Pierre-Henri Morel, proprietor and GM, took some questions and responded recently with these answers:
Q, Talk about the evolution of Two Hands’ winemaking changes and what prompted them.
A, At Two Hands, we do believe in evolution, not revolution. The main thing that has prompted the change is a combination of observation of consumer behavior for the last few decades and a desire to craft wines that we want to drink ourselves. Our aspiration is to craft great wines of the world with a real sense of place, and we believe that a focus on the purity of the fruit and the place it’s grown can only go hand-in-hand with less oak. Too many wineries are using oak as a flavor enhancement. Oak has been used for the last hundreds of years as an oxidative tool, and that’s what it should be.
Q, Even with the move toward less new oak and the fresher style, will Shiraz maintain its identity as a bold red wine?
A, Bold isn’t synonymous with oak tannins. By focusing on fruit tannins, we bring forward even more Shiraz expression, and we now access nuances in our wines that could only be hidden by an excessive use of oak. So to us, it’s the exact opposite, the wines are bold yet with elegance and precision.
Q, I saw mention of the Picture Series. What is that?
A, The Picture Series is a range of our most popular wines, available in more than 50 countries and on each continent. Every wine in the Picture Series has its own inspiration, with some old school polaroid imagery by friend and photographer Don Brice. The aim is to bring a smile to your face when you pick up the bottle, reminding you that wines should be approachable and, of course, fun. Irreverent and timeless, those labels are now well known to many households.
An overhead shot of Sunset on Seppeltsfield Road and the Adelaide Wine Festival, which Two Hands Winery recently participated in.Two Hands Winery Facebook
Q, I was intrigued by the description on the website of the Holy Grail Vineyard. How much have the vineyards fulfilled their goal?
A, A portion of the Holy Grail vineyards was planted in 2000. Phase two was planted 10 years ago, and yes, we’ve started to get great results, even beginning from stage two.
We spare no effort in soil preparation and planted the best clones from Australia, including an old clone, originally from the hill of Hermitage in northern Rhône. We also manage our irrigation using a cutting-edge technology no one else uses in Australia, which is driving great performance from the vines as we push the hydric stress to high limits.
Q, What are the distinctive characteristics of Barossa and McLaren Vale, and how do soil, elevation, and climate translate into Two Hands’ bold yet nuanced reds?
A, McLaren Vale is near the South Ocean shores, and the maritime influence is paramount to the viticulture. Elevation is therefore lower (150 to 400 ft), and soils are a complex patchwork of sediments, sands, and loamy soils. The wines made are very seductive and approachable. Barossa is inland, north of McLaren Vale, and its climate is more continental with cold winters and summers that can be very hot. We source our fruit only from the western ranges of the Barossa Valley. The landscape is made of rolling hills (between 700 and 1000ft) with very complex soils. Red clay is an important component and can be felt in the wines. Barossa Valley is one of the greatest wine regions for a reason. The wines can take a bit more time to deliver their full potential. Once they are open, the complexity and richness of flavors and aromas are mind-blowing. Our philosophy is to craft them in a very similar way, and by reducing the amount of new oak and the time in oak, our goal is to bring the regionality to the forefront of the wine. We want people to taste and say, “This is a Barossa Valley Shiraz,” and taste the grape and the region rather than the hand of the winemaker.
Q, Certainly, this story is about your Shiraz. But are there a couple of other grapes that either are, or you hope become, important parts of the Two Hands portfolio?
A, Cabernet Sauvignon is already a very important part of what we do, especially from McLaren Vale with Sexy Beast. We also think Grenache and Mourvèdre express themselves extremely well in South Australia, and we certainly continue to work on growing some very special Grenache and Mourvèdre (it’s called Mataro in Australia, but hey—I’m French).
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