“No man is an island”, a poem written by John Donne in 1624 and modernised in ‘About a Boy’ with Hugh Grant describing himself as “bloody Ibiza!”. The original poem’s sentiment is echoed by us, Sarah and Lloyd. We are part of a whole, and all the better for it.

Before moving to the Barossa, we holidayed in many wine regions, enjoying elements of them all. Something that really stood out to us in the Barossa was the sense of community, the feeling that everyone was working collectively for the greater good.

Our first couple of years were challenging as we worked to establish ourselves here. From our very first professional relationship, that connection to community formed and we’re now surrounded by friends, mentors and peers.

Many bottles of wine, including ours, state that the winemaker is one person. That’s never the case – there is a team of people behind every wine, and like the credits rolling at the end of a movie, we wanted to highlight everyone that has contributed along the way.

To everyone that has contributed to Genista Wines, we say thank you. To quote John Donne, we are a piece of the continent. Our continent happens to be an island, one that is full of friends and family, with whom we share a glass of wine… and what better wine to drink on an island than rosé?

Credits

Brett and Trina Thompson – Vineyard Mates

After buying the property, the real estate agent passed on a list of contacts we might find useful. We contacted Brett and since 2014 Brett and his team have looked after our vineyard. Initially Vineyard Mates did everything for us, teaching us along the way. As I learned more, we took on more responsibility and worked hand in glove with Vineyard Mates to achieve our goals.

Scott & Dave

While living in Victoria I teed up my first vintage with Schild Estate Wines in 2015. Sarah and I had visited their Cellar Door in Lyndoch many times, thoroughly enjoying their cheese platters and wines. Being the biggest Southern Barossa winery at the time I was keen to see fruit from vineyards that could closely resemble ours. In 2015 we also sold our Shiraz grapes to Schild.

Scott and Dave worked in the Schild cellar all the way through to 2023 when the brand and winery were sold, and the team dispersed. Dave, and the late Chris, worked in the cellar during my first vintage and taught me a lot while I worked there. We found a home there for our barrels of wine and then our full winemaking schedule. Scott and Dave were a breeze to work with and taught us a huge amount over the years.

Jim Barry Wines

Following Vintage 2015, Jim Barry Wines in Clare Valley were looking for a casual cellar hand. While it was a long drive to Clare every day, I appreciated the opportunity being offered, having very little industry experience at that time. 

Through Barry’s I’ve made many friends and connections. Derek, Sarah and Jack rounded out the winemaking team with Tom Barry and I peppered them with questions at every opportunity. Winemaking on a bigger scale yet still very hands-on, I learned a lot about the physical side of winemaking while also beginning to learn the chemistry side with Sarah and then Hayley teaching me basics in the small laboratory. Sarah and Jack went on to create their own wine label or work in the family wine business.

I enjoyed working alongside the cellar hand team at Barry’s, meeting people from all over the world and Barossa carpooling buddies, which made the drive to Clare much more entertaining! Jimmy, now based in the Adelaide Hills makes his own wine and sources a little Grenache from us year to year. Hayley has become one of my closest friends, and for every wine I make I send her the chemical analysis and she tells me all the things I’ve done wrong and how to fix them. Her knowledge of wine chemistry ensures every bottle of Genista is sound.

Wayne & Brenda – Dutschke Wines

Sarah and I knew of Dutschke Wines from my retail liquor work in Victoria, and we had tried to visit their exclusive Cellar Door in the past. With friends coming to town, I took the opportunity to book us in for a private tasting at Dutschke Wines. There I met Nathan and Wayne, and as it turned out they were looking for an extra set of hands in the winery. Seeing an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a small business, the size Sarah and I are keen to grow for ourselves, I started work with Wayne, Brenda and Nathan late in 2016.

We processed our first, second and third vintages under the verandah at Dutschke. From my work with Dutschke I learned about every facet of winemaking and so much more. Making wine is the easy (and fun!) part. Bottling it, marketing it, storing it, distributing it, exporting it and maintaining all of those relationships is so much more.

No longer working full time for Dutschke Wines, Wayne, Brenda and I have found a balance in helping one another to achieve our current goals – theirs to wind down and retire, ours to gear up and take Genista to another level. Moving out of Schild in 2023, Brenda and Wayne offered us a corner in their shed and the facilities we needed to continue making wine during 2023. This rosé and all of our ’22 reds have been made under their roof.

Sophie – Designer

Sarah met Sophie in April 2019 through her “real” job when the local team was hiring a new marketing specialist. Sophie’s graphic skills are second to none and she is incredibly clever at storytelling through design. When she mentioned she could help us with our labels, we jumped at the offer!

Sophie created the labels for ‘Duck, Duck, Cat’, ‘The SG’, and ‘Island Rosé’, as well as redesigning ‘Taking the Mickie’ Shiraz. Each time she manages to decipher Lloyd’s essay-long emails, and capture exactly what we are imagining in our heads. Her eye-catching designs tell the story of Genista Wines and we are incredibly grateful for her support & friendship.

Family & Friends

We wouldn’t be where we are without the support of our friends and family. Mickie is recognised separately on his own wine label because of his enormous contribution over many years. Lloyd’s mum, Kristine, supported, encouraged and ultimately found the money for us to start this project through her work as a mortgage broker.

Sarah’s dad, Wayne, Yuho, and brother, Kai, experienced their first vintage in 2021. Wayne rolled up his shelves to help Lloyd in the winery, shovelling grapes and coopering barrels.

Sarah’s mum, Kaye, and sister, Laura, have chipped in many days of picking grapes due to the (un)fortunate timing of Sarah’s birthday constantly happening mid vintage. We appreciate them coming across for such milestones, but never pass up the opportunity for a bit of contra (free!) family labour in exchange for woodfire pizzas and wine.

Tammy, Daniel and Pete have all offered their advice and suggestions on our wines and labels over the years, with Daniel and Pete also helping to pour the wines and tell the story at various events across the country.