Gentle Folk

Recorded answer text · Google AI Overviews · 1 November 2026

Australia has a thriving natural, low-intervention, and minimal-additives wine movement, anchored heavily in regions like the Adelaide Hills, Basket Range, and McLaren Vale in South Australia.

### Top Natural Wine Producers in Australia

- Lucy Margaux (Lucy M Wines) - Location: Basket Range, Adelaide Hills, South Australia - Winemaker: Anton van Klopper - Style & Philosophy: A pioneer of the Australian natural wine scene since 2007. Wines are made exclusively from organically farmed grapes with zero additions, no sulfur, no filtering, no fining, and wild fermentations in neutral vessels like old barrels and ceramic eggs. - Gentle Folk - Location: Basket Range & Adelaide Hills, South Australia - Winemakers: Gareth and Rainbo Belton - Style & Philosophy: Founded by a former marine scientist, Gentle Folk farms small estate and grower parcels using organic and biodynamic principles. Their minimal-intervention wines focus on crisp regional clarity, single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, skin-contact whites, and whole-bunch reds. - Borachio - Location: McLaren Flat / McLaren Vale & Adelaide Hills, South Australia - Winemakers: Mark Warner and Alicia Basa - Style & Philosophy: Sourcing from cool-climate organic and non-certified organic sites, Borachio crafts playful, high-energy, low-tannin and low-sulfur wines (alongside small-batch vermouths) with zero chemical adjustments or preservatives. - Alpha Box & Dice - Location: McLaren Vale, South Australia - Winemakers: Sam Berketa and team - Style & Philosophy: Known for their ambitious "Alphabet of Wine" project, they lean into progressive, minimal-intervention winemaking with alternative grape varieties and heavy organic/biodynamic vineyard principles.

Natural wine enthusiasts and trade importers highlight the vibrant, unfiltered energy and sense of place driving these Australian producers.“After starting their winemaking work with James Erskine of Jauma, now Alicia and Mark have well and truly built their own reputation with Borachio, sourcing organic grapes from Mount Compass and Mount Torrens in South Australia to finish light, playful...” ![ NOTWASTED]( its beginnings, Gentle Folk has become a benchmark for modern Australian wine, known for clarity, restraint, and a strong connection to place.” ![ Act of Wine](

### Where to Buy Australian Natural Wine Online

- Browse curated natural, pet-nat, and zero-sulfur bottles via NOTWASTED - Natural Wine Online. - Explore cult and lo-fi regional producers via Sometimes Always.

Are you looking for a specific wine style (such as skin-contact orange wine, pet-nat, or chilled red), or a bottle from a particular price range or grape variety?

Recorded answer text · ChatGPT · 8 November 2026

Australia has an extraordinary crop of small, independent wine producers making some of the country's most interesting wines. I'd look beyond the big established names and focus on family-run wineries, owner-operated labels, small-batch producers and winemakers with a strong sense of place.

Here is my shortlist, covering both serious, age-worthy wines and more adventurous, contemporary Australian winemaking.

## My pick of Australia's small wine producers

### 1\. The standout independent producers

!Best New Winery for 2025: Sami-Odi

Sami-Odi - Barossa Valley, SA

Cult-status, tiny-production Shiraz. Beautifully expressive, distinctive and sought after. One of Australia's most interesting small producers.

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!Gentle Folk Wines | Buy Online | Fast Free Delivery

Gentle Folk - Adelaide Hills, SA

Beautifully made Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and alternative varieties. Elegant, thoughtful, cool-climate wines.

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!Meet the Maker - Sam Connew / Stargazer

Stargazer - Tasmania

Samantha Connew makes outstanding Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Particularly worth exploring for precision and finesse.

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!Vinden Wines | NSW Holidays & Accommodation, Things to Do, Attractions and Events

Vinden Wines - Hunter Valley, NSW

Independent, sustainably minded producer making characterful Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz.

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!Patrick Sullivan | 2021 Gippsland Pinot Noir - One Wine

Patrick Sullivan - Gippsland, VIC

Individualistic, minimal-intervention wines. Particularly interesting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and unusual small-batch releases.

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!Dappled Appellation 2024 Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Pack - Yarra Valley Gems

Dappled Wines - Yarra Valley, VIC

A genuinely small operation producing excellent Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah in very limited quantities.

### 2\. More small producers worth discovering

!Natural Wine Shop | Jauma

Jauma - McLaren Vale, SA

James Erskine's distinctive, low-intervention wines. Grenache is particularly worth seeking out.

!Lucy Margaux | MORE Natural Wine

Lucy Margaux - Adelaide Hills, SA

Avant-garde, small-production wines with plenty of personality.

!2022 Yeringberg Cabernets | Nicks Wine Merchants

Yeringberg - Yarra Valley, VIC

Traditional family estate producing exceptionally refined Bordeaux-style reds and Chardonnay.

!Hochkirch Wines + Tarrington Vineyards - Naked Bunch

Hochkirch - Henty, VIC

Thoughtful biodynamic wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

!Pooley Wines - Hobart and Beyond

Pooley Wines - Coal River Valley, TAS

Excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. A very good example of Tasmania's quality potential.

!2024 Swinney Grenache - Buy Online | The Wine Collective Marketplace

Swinney - Frankland River, WA

Superb Grenache and Syrah from a remarkable vineyard site. Particularly good for lovers of serious Australian reds.

!GRENACHE MIX 3pack (Free Shipping)

Thistledown Wines - South Australia

Beautifully made Grenache-led wines, often from exceptional old-vine vineyards.

!2018 Domaine A Stoney Vineyard Pinot Noir | Nicks Wine Merchants

Domaine A - Tasmania

A distinctive producer of structured Cabernet Sauvignon and elegant cool-climate wines.

## 3\. Emerging Australian winemakers to watch

These are particularly interesting if you're looking for producers that haven't yet become household names.

- Front Left Wines - Hunter Valley / NSW. Alternative varieties including Sangiovese and Vermentino. - Glover Wines - Hunter Valley. Small-batch, vineyard-focused wines. - Muto Wine - South Australia. An interesting emerging name. - Kerri Greens - Gippsland, Victoria. Beautiful cool-climate wines. - Nacre - Victoria. One to watch among the newer generation.

Young Gun of Wine's 2026 selections are a useful starting point for discovering emerging Australian talent. younggunofwine.comyounggunofwine.com

## 4\. Where I'd concentrate

| Region | Producers I'd prioritise | |--------|--------| | Barossa Valley | Sami-Odi, Standish, Hentley Farm | | Adelaide Hills | Gentle Folk, Lucy Margaux, Ochota Barrels | | McLaren Vale | Jauma, Thistledown, Bekkers | | Yarra Valley | Dappled, Yeringberg, Luke Lambert | | Gippsland | Patrick Sullivan, William Downie | | Hunter Valley | Vinden, Krinklewood, Mount Pleasant | | Tasmania | Stargazer, Pooley, Tolpuddle | | Margaret River | Cloudburst, Si Vintners, Cullen | | Frankland River | Swinney, Brave New Wine |

For further discovery, two particularly useful resources are\:

- Young Gun of Wine - 2026 producers\. - Halliday Wine Companion - 2026 Top 100\.

## My question: what sort of producers are you looking for?

There are two quite different worlds within Australian boutique wine, and I'd approach the recommendations differently.

1\. Preferred wine style

Fine wine - serious, elegant, age-worthy

Natural, minimal-intervention and experimental

Classic regional Australian wines

All styles, provided the quality is exceptional

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2\. What size of producer?

Genuinely tiny, independent producers

Small family-owned wineries with established reputations

Both

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3\. What's the purpose?

Discovering and buying their wines

Restaurant or wine list selection

Visiting cellar doors

Industry research and discovering new talent

[Refine my shortlist]

I can then put together a much more discerning list of perhaps 30-40 producers, including lesser-known names that genuinely deserve attention rather than simply repeating the established Australian wine industry favourites.

Recorded answer text · Perplexity · 8 November 2026

Some of the best Australian natural-wine producers to try are:

- Jauma - McLaren Vale/Adelaide Hills; juicy, vibrant Grenache and Shiraz-based wines with minimal intervention. - Lucy Margaux Vineyards - Adelaide Hills; expressive skin-contact whites, light reds and adventurous small-batch wines. - Patrick Sullivan - Gippsland; elegant, thoughtful wines made from biologically farmed fruit. - Ochota Barrels - Adelaide Hills; benchmark natural wines, especially savoury, spicy reds. - Gentle Folk - Adelaide Hills; fresh, refined Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and pét-nat. - Delinquente Wine Co. - Riverland, South Australia; affordable, fruit-driven wines using distinctive Italian varieties. - Commune of Buttons - Adelaide Hills; raw, expressive Chardonnay and other small-batch wines. - Basket Range - Adelaide Hills; characterful, low-intervention Pinot Noir from a pioneering natural-wine region. - Vino Volta - Swan Valley, Western Australia; experimental Chenin Blanc, Grenache, sparkling and fortified wines. - Vinden - Hunter Valley; classic Semillon and Shiraz alongside amphora and extended-maceration wines. - Brash Higgins - McLaren Vale; natural-leaning Nero d'Avola and skin-contact whites. - Harkham Wine Co. - Hunter Valley; minimal-intervention Shiraz and other distinctive wines.

Best starting picks: Jauma for juicy reds, Gentle Folk for elegant wines, Delinquente for value, Lucy Margaux for adventurous bottles, and Commune of Buttons for expressive Chardonnay.

Natural wine is not a tightly standardized category, so check the individual bottle: practices can include wild-yeast fermentation, no fining or filtration, and little or no added sulphur.