Winery & Vintage Info
The idea for Two Hands was born in September 1999 when founders Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz sat at a friend’s engagement party and decided it was time to make their own wine and market it on the world stage.
The original aim has always been to make the best possible Shiraz-based wines from prized growing regions throughout Australia. With so much Australian wine being sold around the globe under multi-region labels in a rigid style, the intention was to break the mould and showcase the diversity of Australian Shiraz by highlighting regional and vineyard characteristics by allowing the fruit to be the primary feature of the wines.
By the end of 2004 a state-of-the-art winery was built on the same site, specifically designed for small batch handling. To maximise the individual regional and varietal characteristics and to allow for greater quality control, every parcel of fruit, no matter how small, could be handled separately from crushing through to fermentation and oak maturation. The new winery revolutionised the winemaking capabilities and experimentation flourished, new varietals were tested, new techniques adopted, with a Cellar Door as a perfect outlet for some of the trials to test the market. As production increased, more varied sources of Shiraz from the Western Ranges in the Barossa were added to the mix and broadened the complexity and palate to choose from.
Two Hands Gnarly Dudes is part of the Picture Series has and takes its inspiration from popular culture. With some old school polaroid imagery by friend and photographer Don Brice and a quirky back label descriptor, the aim is to bring a smile to your face when you pick up the bottle, reminding you that wines should be approachable and fun.
