When Wayne Ahrens and Suzi Hilder bought their Vine Vale property in the Barossa Valley, they did not just acquire a vineyard -- they became stewards of a place shaped by generations of grape growers, including the Schlieb family who had cultivated that same block across 52 consecutive vintages.
Fifth Generation and First Principles
Wayne is from a fifth-generation Barossa family, with roots deep in the valley's winemaking traditions. Suzi is the daughter of noted Upper Hunter viticulturist Richard Hilder, former partner in Pyramid Hill Wines. Together they bring complementary knowledge of vine management and cellar practice. Smallfry is, in every sense, a partnership in business and life.
Vine Vale and Eden Valley
The estate spans two distinct sites. The Vine Vale vineyard sits on the sandy loam soils of the Barossa Valley floor, planted to Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro, Semillon, Pedro Ximenes, Cinsault, and several other varieties. The Eden Valley site, established by Ahrens and Hilder in 1994, provides cool-climate fruit from higher elevation. Together they give the Smallfry range an unusual breadth of texture and temperament.
Certified Organic and Biodynamic
Smallfry achieved full organic and biodynamic certification in April 2014. The vineyards are managed with cover crops, compost, and biological soil amendments. In the cellar, the approach is equally restrained: natural ferments, nil to minimal adjustment, old oak with a soft hand. As Ahrens and Hilder describe it, the goal is simply to allow the vineyard to speak.
Generosity of Fruit, Lightness of Touch
Smallfry's wines are notable for combining the Barossa's characteristic warmth and fruit generosity with a lift and freshness more common to cooler climates. They sell fruit to some of Australia's most respected natural producers -- including Sierra Reid and Rasa -- a testament to the quality of their farming. Their own label captures the same spirit: expressive, honest, and shaped by place above all.
