Brad Hickey (aka Brash Higgins).
We visited Brad one sunny afternoon in February 2019 just after a long, lazy lunch at The Cube - the cutting edge winery/restaurant/art gallery of the world famous d’Arenburg Wines where we’d been hosted by the force of nature that is Chester Osborn. Brad wouldn’t mind me saying that he had a hard act to follow…
In this unassuming winery we met an unassuming man who introduced us to some wines that made us stop, think and take notice. Brad’s a former New York Sommelier who moved to McLaren Vale, fell in love and turned his hand to winemaking. Some things are just meant to be.
The stand out wines from his range were fermented and aged in clay amphorae - large clay vessels thrown and fired by a local potter using clay dug from Brad’s own vineyards. Using techniques borrowed from Georgia - the birthplace of ancient winemaking - Brad produces wines that allow the grapes to shine through without adulteration. Wines that almost glimmered in the glass and spoke of a certain purity. I dunno - drink a few amphora wines and you’ll see what I mean.
The clay is porous enough to allow some interaction between wine and oxygen but without any of the flavours that oak tends to impart. I’ve been an amphora junkie ever since - it’s an addiction I’m in no hurry to shake. Thanks Brad!
“It’s no easy thing to carve out a distinct niche in McLaren Vale. Brad’s done it in style with distinctive wines that are jaw-droppingly good!”
The BinTwo take