Black & Ginger pays tribute to Lily with a premium shiraz

Out on one of our motorcycle road trips we always come across interesting winemakers with their own unique stories, reports two-wheeling correspondent Rod Eime. 

Hadyn Black at Black & Ginger in Victoria's Grampians region is just one such character.

Along with wife Lucy and business partner Darcy "Ginger" Naunton, the trio kicked off in 2015 with the purchase of a tonne of shiraz grapes from the Pyrenees, while their own vineyard took shape.

"We started B&G in 2015, with that single tonne of shiraz. At the end of 2016, we bought a rundown vineyard with a rundown house on it," Hadyn tells us as we sit in his rustic wine shed just off the main road and grafted onto Barney’s Bar & Bistro.

But that's just a hint at the real story.

"My mum Lily had recently retired, and so she spent as much time up here as she could, doing everything from helping me clean up the house, strip the horrible wallpaper, repaint, and clean up the garden. Then we’d get stuck into pruning and fixing the vineyard," Hadyn tells us. I can see his throat is getting a bit lumpy. "We managed to only properly prune a couple of rows at the top of the vineyard. We picked our grapes in 2017; most were sold, but we kept all the fruit from the rows Mum helped properly prune for ourselves. 

"Mum and Lucy and a couple of our mates helped pick it, and the fruit was fantastic. It was fermenting away nicely in the winery when I got a call that Mum had very suddenly passed away. So we named the resulting wine 'Lily’s Block' in her honour. We only release the wine under her name when it is good enough, so it is not made every year. The label is pink, an obvious choice given her favourite colour was pink, I also added her signature to the side label."

Lily and Hadyn

As well as Lily's Block, the small-batch wines have been well received, getting some great scores from wine writers and a couple of medals at wine shows.

Find the BLACK & GINGER WINE SHED at:
3447a Ararat-Halls Gap Road, Pomonal, Victoria, 3381

Third generation takes the reins in Mudgee

Jacob and Gina Stein this week officially took ownership of their family's Mudgee winery, continuing 49 years of family ownership and a wine industry history dating back to 1838. 

Robert Stein Wines - known for its high-quality rieslings - has seen the official transfer of ownership to the third-generation custodians. 

The couple, who have been instrumental in the business for over 17 years, now take full ownership of the winery, vineyard, and farm. 

Established in 1976 by Robert ‘Bob’ Stein, the winery is one of New South Wales’ few multi-generational, family-owned wine businesses. 

Upon Bob’s retirement, his son Andrew assumed the role of general manager. Andrew is now stepping down. 

Located nine kilometres north of Mudgee, the property spans 202 hectares and includes a 20-hectare vineyard featuring nine grape varieties, a working farm with livestock and crops, a modern winery, cellar door, restaurant, and the original family homestead.

“Generational succession in a family winery is never without complexity," says Jacob Stein. 

"It's a challenging time for the industry, and our family, including my siblings, wanted to ensure the legacy of our father and grandparents is protected. We are proud of our achievements and are looking forward to a bright future. 

“We’ve found a path forward that strengthens our connection to the Stein heritage and honours the traditions established by previous generations over our 187 years in Australia.”

Jacob, who took on the winemaking and winery operations in 2009 at just 25 years old, has experience in leading wine regions in Australia and Europe, including Rheinhessen and Rheingau in Germany. 

Robert Stein Wines can trace their winemaking history back to 1838, when the Macarthur family brought Johann Stein to Australia with the country’s first cuttings of rhine riesling. 

These vines flourished at Camden Park and, 138 years later, in 1976, Robert ‘Bob’ Stein purchased 75 acres in Mudgee and renewed the Stein passion for viticulture.