Manser Wines

Finding a name for ourselves

Our first harvest from the recently purchased Adelaide Hills vineyard in 2015 produced beautiful fruit and a single treasured barrel, kept solely for the family. That year, Phil’s third iteration of his One Mad Moment Shiraz joined the Manser Wines banner. Following an idyllic 2016 season, our first commercial wines were released, including Block 4 (today’s 5 Clones) and a hastily named, hastily labelled Barely Dressed Shiraz. In 2017, we produced our first Dad's Block (today’s Dad’s Cut) named for Bernie, whose quiet devotion to the vineyard reminds us that the best reputations, like the best wines, develop over time.

Growing in confidence

The warm 2018 season produced wines of remarkable depth and elegance, earning growing acclaim from Australian and international critics. Then came 2019, when hail, fierce winds and extreme heat slashed yields in half. We treasured what was left as the remaining fruit ripened beautifully, producing wines of extraordinary concentration and balance. Those two seasons taught us an important lesson: whether the year was generous or unforgiving, the vineyard remained true to itself. We were simply learning how to coax out the best out of it — and people were beginning to notice the results.

Resilience and renewal

The drought and heat of 2020 gave way to timely rain and an exceptional harvest, but the season will be remembered for devastating bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, both of which landed Phil in active service with the army reserve. After those challenges, 2021 felt like a gift. Ideal growing conditions produced beautifully balanced wines and marked another milestone – our first Grenache joining the Manser Wines range. These two vintages reminded us that the hardest times clear the way for new beginnings.

Homecoming

A mild summer and warm, settled autumn allowed the fruit to ripen slowly, developing generous flavour, vibrant aromatics and the natural balance that has become a hallmark of our vineyard. The wines combine richness with freshness, expressing both power and elegance. 

This was the year that Kevin and his family moved into the house by the vineyard, enabling an even more hands on approach to that aspect of the business. 

Patience rewarded

This season demanded patience. A cold, wet spring delayed growth, reduced yields and kept the vineyard on edge for much of the year before a gentle summer and carefully timed harvest brought everything together. The reward was a beautifully restrained expression of the site, with savoury spice, lifted aromatics and a more European sense of structure and elegance. While the estate vineyard produced one of its smallest crops, Manser Wines continued to evolve, welcoming its first Pinot Gris and Rosé alongside an expanding range that reflected our growing confidence as winemakers.

All dressed up.

Another unpredictable season brought heavy spring rains, poor fruit set and a second consecutive year of modest yields before the weather turned dramatically, delivering a long, dry finish to ripening. The result was a striking contrast to the previous vintage —wines of depth, power and remarkable concentration, built around richly expressive fruit and fine structural tannins. 

Nearly a decade after our first harvest, we paused to reflect on how far the journey had taken us. With a clearer sense of who we were, our wines were given a new look, new names (5 Clones and Dad's Cut) and two ranges (Flagship and One Mad Moment) —better telling the stories that had always been there.

The driest season

The driest growing season in more than two decades tested both the vineyard and those tending it. With little rainfall, a compressed harvest and an early finish, the vines produced small berries packed with colour, flavour and natural acidity. The wines are still quietly maturing in barrel, but already promise remarkable concentration and balance. As we wait to see their full character emerge, the wider Manser Wines journey continues, with our Grenache once again earning international recognition among the world's best.

Let sleeping barrels lie.

The season began with concerns that another dry year lay ahead, but a cool, wet spring replenished the vineyard before warm days and cool nights guided a long, unhurried ripening period. A record-late harvest at the end of April gave the fruit exceptional flavour concentration while preserving the freshness and balance that define our site. The wines are still sound asleep in barrel, so we'll let them keep their secrets a little longer—but everything we've seen so far suggests this vintage will be well worth the wait.

The story continues...

Looking back, it's easy to see more than changing weather patterns and different wines. We see family members finding their place in the vineyard, friendships forged over harvests, lessons learned from seasons that tested us, and quiet moments of celebration when everything came together. Every year has shaped the next, and every bottle carries a small part of that story. If you've shared a bottle of Manser Wines with family or friends, then you've already become part of it. Thank you for travelling with us so far. We look forward to sharing the next vintage with you.