Bec Hardy Wines — Pertaringa, McLaren Vale
Bec Hardy Wines is one of McLaren Vale's most exciting and historically grounded wine producers — a winery that combines a deep connection to the region's pioneering winemaking heritage with a contemporary approach to viticulture and winemaking that is producing wines of exceptional quality, character, and critical acclaim. Through the Pertaringa label, Bec Hardy crafts wines from some of McLaren Vale's most distinguished and historically significant vineyard sites — including vineyards originally planted by Thomas Hardy himself in the 1880s — that are a genuine and authentic expression of one of Australia's greatest wine regions.
Heritage & The Hardy Legacy
The Bec Hardy story is inseparable from one of the most celebrated names in Australian wine history. Thomas Hardy — the founder of what would become one of Australia's largest and most influential wine companies — was a pioneering figure in McLaren Vale viticulture, establishing vineyards in the region in the 1880s that are still producing exceptional fruit today. The Lower Tintara vineyard, originally planted by Thomas Hardy in the 1880s, and the adjacent Picnic Grounds vineyard, also originally owned by Thomas Hardy, are among the most historically significant vineyard sites in McLaren Vale — living connections to the region's pioneering winemaking past that continue to produce fruit of extraordinary character and quality.
Bec Hardy — a descendant of Thomas Hardy and a winemaker of considerable talent and ambition in her own right — has built the Pertaringa label around these historic sites and a small number of other distinguished McLaren Vale vineyards, producing wines that honour the Hardy legacy while expressing her own contemporary vision for what McLaren Vale wine can be. The result is a range of wines that are deeply rooted in history but entirely of the present — wines of genuine depth, complexity, and regional authenticity.
The Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia
McLaren Vale is one of Australia's most celebrated and distinctive wine regions — a compact, diverse, and extraordinarily beautiful area on the Fleurieu Peninsula, approximately 40 kilometres south of Adelaide, bounded by the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east and the Gulf St Vincent to the west. The region's Mediterranean climate — warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters — is moderated by the cooling influence of afternoon sea breezes from the Gulf St Vincent and the proximity of the Southern Ocean, preventing the extreme heat events that can affect less fortunate sites and allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly while retaining natural acidity and aromatic complexity.
McLaren Vale's soils are among the most diverse and geologically fascinating of any Australian wine region — a complex mosaic of ancient soil types that spans hundreds of millions of years of geological history and contributes directly to the extraordinary diversity of wine styles produced across the region. The Pertaringa vineyards draw on two of McLaren Vale's most distinctive and celebrated soil types:
Maslin Sands — ancient sandy loam soils of extraordinary age, formed from marine sediments deposited 34 to 56 million years ago during the Eocene epoch, when much of the McLaren Vale region was covered by a shallow sea. These ancient, free-draining soils produce wines of remarkable elegance, finesse, and mineral character — the sandy texture encourages deep root development, and the ancient marine origin of the soils imparts a distinctive mineral quality to the wines grown above them. The Lower Tintara, Picnic Grounds, and Tintookie vineyards are all situated on Maslin Sands.
Holocene Sand Dunes — younger sandy loam soils formed approximately 11,700 years ago from ancient coastal sand dunes at the Warraminga Park vineyard in Blewitt Springs. These soils, at the higher and cooler elevation of the Blewitt Springs subregion, produce Shiraz of exceptional elegance, complexity, and minerality — a distinctly different character from the richer, more full-bodied Shirazes of the warmer valley floor sites.
Our Range
Pertaringa Over the Top Shiraz — McLaren Vale — A single vineyard Shiraz from the Warraminga Park vineyard on Kays Road, Blewitt Springs — situated on ancient Holocene sand dune soils at the higher, cooler elevation of the Blewitt Springs subregion. Small batch open 3-tonne fermenters, 9 days on skins, pressed directly to oak for malolactic fermentation, 15 months in new and aged French oak puncheons and hogsheads, no fining and minimal filtration. Elegant and complex aromas of cherries and plums with spice and the distinctive minerality of the ancient sandy loam soils. Rich and seductive palate with cherry and plum fruit, mineral precision, and a lingering finish of elegance and length. A single vineyard Shiraz of genuine distinction.
Pertaringa Undercover Shiraz — McLaren Vale — A blend of three distinguished McLaren Vale vineyards — Lower Tintara (originally planted by Thomas Hardy in the 1880s), Picnic Grounds (adjacent to Lower Tintara, also originally owned by Thomas Hardy), and Warraminga (Blewitt Springs, younger vine Shiraz) — all on ancient Maslin Sands soils of 34–56 million years of age. Fermented in open and static fermenters, 8 days on skins, 15 months in new and seasoned French oak hogsheads. Intense dark plum aromas with subtle oak spice. Robust and opulent palate with concentrated fruit flavours and smooth, rich tannins. Drinking now to 2035. 94 Points, WineOrbit; 93 Points, Wine Pilot.
Pertaringa Rifle & Hunt Cabernet Sauvignon — McLaren Vale — The flagship Cabernet expression, crafted from McLaren Vale fruit fermented in open 5-tonne stainless steel fermenters with 8 days on skins and matured for 19 months in 20% new French oak hogsheads. A deeply rich and earthy nose with blackcurrants, redcurrants, dried herbs, and subtle spice. Elegant complexity on the palate with luscious berry flavours, precise tannins, and a lingering finish. Outstanding with slow-cooked lamb shanks.
Pertaringa Understudy Cabernet Sauvignon — McLaren Vale — An ‘understudy’ to the Rifle & Hunt in name only — a wine of genuine character and critical acclaim in its own right. Sourced from three vineyards: Picnic Ground (Thomas Hardy's historic Kays Road site, Maslin Sands), Leslie block (Osmond family, outside McLaren Flat, deep Holocene alluvial clay), and Tintookie (Blewitt Springs, Maslin Sands). A fragrant varietal bouquet of cassis and spice on the nose. Rich blackcurrant flavours with structured tannins, elegance, and length on the palate. 94 Points, WineOrbit.
How to Enjoy Bec Hardy Pertaringa Wines
All Pertaringa wines are best served at 16–18°C in a generous red wine glass. The Undercover Shiraz and Understudy Cabernet are approachable upon release and benefit from 20–30 minutes of breathing. The Over the Top Shiraz and Rifle & Hunt Cabernet reward decanting for 30–60 minutes and have the structure and fruit concentration to develop further in the cellar over five to ten years. All four wines are outstanding partners for the table — the Shirazes with slow-roasted lamb, duck, and hearty red meat dishes; the Cabernets with slow-cooked lamb shanks, beef fillet, and aged hard cheeses.
Explore our full Bec Hardy Pertaringa range below and discover why these McLaren Vale wines — rooted in Thomas Hardy's pioneering 1880s vineyards and crafted from some of the region's most ancient and distinctive soils — are producing some of the most exciting and critically acclaimed wines in South Australia.
