For the last twenty-five years seminal issues relating to the sale of wine have been sorted via the Australia wine industry. Issues such as: the potential relevance of the 100 point scoring system, establishing delineation of new wine regions, exporting large quantities of wine and the struggle of dealing with the rise and fall of world wine demand (among many other core issues) have all been well sussed via the Australian wine trade.
And through all of this, Two Hands Wines was born, grew and is now flourishing. Founded in 1999, Two Hands Wines has operated as the modern Australian wine market was established, experience explosive growth, crashed and has now begun to grow again. Dedicated to expertly crafted wines form a number of appellations, Two Hands winery is a truly influential winery that we’ve come to love over the years.
Join us in October as we explore the recent history of the Australian wine trade hosted by Two Hands Wines.
The Maturing of the Australian Wine Arena – Back to the Beginning with Michael Twelftree’s Two Hands Wine Brand
Tuesdays 9:00pm – 10:00pm EST / 11:30am - 12:30pm AUS
Twitter hashtag #WineStudio
Week 1: 10/4 Australian Evolution: A History of Modern Wine in Australia
- Australia wine origins
- The Australian wine boom of early 2000s (and crash)
- The recovery of the Australian wine market in the US
- Introduce Michael Twelftree and the Two Hands brand in relation to the above
- How working backwards set Two Hands up for a future
- The significance of each tier:
Picture Series, Garden Series, Flagship Series
Guest: Winemaker Ben Perkins
Discussion Only
Week 2: 10/11 Inside the Brain of the Two Hands Brand
- Introduce winemaker Ben Perkins
- Who the hell is Michael Twelftree?
- How a guy who got into wine late wants to change the elitist attitude that permeates the wine industry
- Relationships – from business contacts, growers, employees and importing company
“You’ve always got to leave something in the deal for the next guy.” Michael’s father, John.
Guest: Winemaker Ben Perkins
Tasting: PICTURE SERIES
Every wine in the Picture Series has its own inspiration, its own take on popular culture, reminding us that wines should be approachable and of course… fun.
Gnarly Dudes 2014 Barossa Valley Shiraz
“Nobody calls me Lebowski. You got the wrong guy. I’m the Dude, man.”
THE BIG LEBOWSKI, 1998
Angels Share 2014 McLaren Vale Shiraz
Sexy Beast 2015 McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon
Week 3: 10/18 The Shiraz Profile - Suddenly Shiraz
With a strong commitment to the philosophy of ‘quality without compromise’, Two Hands Wines uses a strict classification process to ensure that only the best barrels each vintage are deemed worthy of being bottled as a Two Hands product.
Six months after vintage, every barrel in the winery is blind tasted by Michael Twelftree and Winemaker Ben Perkins and given a classification grade associated with its place in the Two Hands portfolio. With this focus on detail, it means only the best barrels make it through and quality is maintained even in the toughest vintages. These barrels become wines in the Flagship Series. Serious wines that represent the very finest selections from each vintage.
-Short history of Shiraz
-Why Shiraz works well in Australia
-Misconceptions about Shiraz (why it is world class)
-Distinctions of Shiraz (Barrel & Vintage to Vintage)
Guest: Winemaker Ben Perkins
Tasting: FLAGSHIP SERIES
Ares 2010 Barossa Valley / McLaren Vale Shiraz
Week 4: 10/25 The Brand and Regionality of the Australian Wine Arena
Fascinated about isolating a wine to its region and wanting to define and showcase the individual characteristics of the best Australian Shiraz growing regions, Proprietor Michael Twelftree has successfully demonstrated regionality within Australian Shiraz for many years with the Garden Series.
Growing Regions:
- Sourcing premium fruit from six of Australia’s premium Shiraz growing regions: Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Langhorne Creek and Heathcote, each wine has its own attributes, particular to that region.
The Diversity of Australian Wine:
-Overcoming the assumption, why do wine regions become best known for one grape and how to overcome this phenomenon?
-Variety focus - we talk a bit individually about Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon and Grenache
Guest: Winemaker Ben Perkins
Tasting: GARDEN SERIES
Bella’s Garden 2014 Barossa Valley Shiraz
Lily’s Garden 2014 McLaren Vale Shiraz
Listen to the True Wine Culture podcast with Michael Twelftree!
Key Twitter handles to follow:
@twohandswine
@willirogers
@ProtocolWine
@winescop
@maryanne366