Rieslingfreak: Taking a diverse approach to a multifaceted grape
David Sly profiles John Hughes of Rieslingfreak, an Australian producer whose wines are some of the most in-demand in the country, even though its broad portfolio is dedicated to one solitary, albeit majestic variety.
The idea of Rieslingfreak seems absurd – an Australian winery that produces only Riesling wines, and up to 19 styles each vintage that focus on various different sites, blends and winemaking techniques.
However, the execution of this grand idea over the past 15 years by husband-and-wife winemaking team John and Belinda Hughes shows a spark of focused genius that has made Rieslingfreak a beacon for quality, innovation and excellence in Australian Riesling.
Scroll down to see notes and scores for eight fabulous Rieslings from Rieslingfreak
A family affair
When Rieslingfreak began in 2009, it had a very simple premise – for John to create a Riesling that best defined his parents’ vineyard at White Hut (John prefers the location’s alternative spelling, White Hutt), just north of Clare in South Australia.
They grow Riesling grapes that were traditionally sold to other producers and then blended into generic wines. John wanted to honour his parents with a wine that spoke specifically of their site and carry a label that clearly acknowledged its provenance.
Today, John takes most of the fruit from the five Riesling blocks, and his parents only tend to sell the fruit that is judged to be below Rieslingfreak standard, which depends on each vintage.
‘It was a pretty straightforward idea, but one Riesling was never going to be enough,’ says John, who was given the nickname ‘Riesling Freak’ during his university years, as a nod to his obsession.
‘I had so many ideas in my head, and so many styles of Riesling that I adore. I wanted to make them all, and I couldn’t see any good reason why not.’
So Rieslingfreak has grown, and grown, to now produce more than 144,000 bottles – not only to satisfy John and Belinda’s fascination with Riesling, but also to meet growing consumer demand that escalated after the 2017 Rieslingfreak No. 3 (from Huighes’ White Hut vineyard) won five trophies at the 2017 Sydney Royal Wine Show, including Best Wine of Show.
‘Riesling is a grape that allows – and deserves – many different types of expression,’ says John. ‘So that’s what we’ve done over many vintages, and every style deserves its place.’
Laser focus
John’s journey to realise this moment has been complicated. Born with mild cerebral palsy, which affects his coordination, mobility and speech, John has patiently and diligently set his mind to pursue winemaking with the astute precision that Riesling demands.
After completing a degree in wine marketing at the University of Adelaide, he worked as a technical analyst at the Australian Wine Research Institute for a decade, also travelling through regions in France and Italy to expand his knowledge before returning to the Barossa to work as production winemaker with the renowned Chris Ringland at North Barossa Vintners.
Only then, with considerable knowledge and experience to his credit, did he take the plunge to make his first wine under the Rieslingfreak label.
‘Growing up on an old Riesling vineyard at Penwortham in the Clare Valley and having my old man’s cellar full of aged Rieslings from throughout the world started my appreciation of the Riesling grape at a young age,’ recalls John.
‘Once my parents moved to White Hut in 1998, a big vineyard with five different Riesling sites, each with a different soil profile, I realised this was the resource I could use to start exploring all those different Riesling styles.’
In pursuit of a broad palette
He has a very capable ally in Belinda, whose relationship with John flourished at the annual International Riesling Challenge in Canberra, due to their shared infatuation with Riesling.
In 2021, after almost 15 years of making white wines for Grant Burge in the Barossa, Belinda joined John at Rieslingfreak, and now their great challenge is to see who gets to work with their favourite vineyard sites from across the Clare Valley and Eden Valley, vineyards which are both family and privately owned, each offering particular and distinctive characteristics.
This has seen them explore a variety of styles, far beyond the expected bone-dry Australian expression of Riesling. They make sparkling Riesling, a fortified, several sub-regional expressions with bottle age, and two regional blends designed specifically as export labels to appease growing US and UK interest – No. 33, featuring a meld of North Clare and Polish Hill River fruit, and No. 44, featuring three Eden Valley sites.
John’s personal favourites are the No. 5 Off Dry Riesling and the German-inspired No. 8 Schatzkammer (modelled on a Kabinett style), which show off his masterful judgement to balance sugar and acid in rich, textural styles that pursue a distinctive Rieslingfreak personality rather than simply mimic German benchmarks.
These two were presented during a special tasting which celebrated the July 2024 opening of a new cellar door just outside Tanunda in the Barossa Valley.
An occasion fit for the Queen of grapes
The bespoke tasting room has been designed as a temple devoted to Riesling, with its lofty cathedral ceiling and towering glass windows allowing maximum daylight to best examine the fragile colours of Riesling in the glass.
Imbedded green glass shards from broken Riesling bottles add a dazzling emerald sparkle to the polished concrete floor. Crucially, this large space with four spacious long table settings can accommodate growing demand for Rieslingfreak’s tutored tasting sessions.
John used the occasion to present a decade of the best Rielsingfreak wines, to study their endurance and staying power after time in the cellar. The array of wines tasted was extraordinary, led by a 10-year vertical of No. 2 Polish Hill River Riesling.
He also shone a light on his flagship wine, Rieslingfreak No. 1 (also known as Grounds of Grandeur Riesling), featuring hand-picked grapes from the best four rows of his parents’ White Hut vineyard, chilled for two days, then whole-bunch pressed, fermented with wild yeast and stored for 20 months in a bespoke 1,500-litre oak cask before bottling.
It now stands as an Australian benchmark with its AU$110 (£56) price tag – and the current-release (2020 vintage) shows its pedigree proudly, amplifying richness, complex textural quality, a meld of savoury and sharp citrus notes, and extraordinary length.
John is as complex as the wines he makes. An enthusiastic and fastidious cook, he entered Australia MasterChef in 2011, only to withhold a dish from the judges because it failed to meet his own exacting standards. He’s generous to a fault, yet unyielding in his assessment of excellence.
And while he’s uncomfortable if any fuss is made of his disability, he is a champion of disability support, having founded the Kicking Goals Scholarship programme that provides mentorship and educational funding for young people living with a disability.
‘I’m quite happy being the Rieslingfreak,’ he offers with a gentle smile. ‘And I’m delighted to be presenting a very different story about the diversity of fine Australian Riesling.’
David Sly’s pick of Rieslingfreak:
Related articles
- Expert’s Choice: US Riesling
- The sommelier suggests… Riesling by Melody Wong
- German dry Riesling: Panel tasting results
Rieslingfreak, No. 10 Zenit Riesling, South Australia, Australia, 2024
A blend of the best parcels from the vintage resulted in a combination of 65% Flaxman Valley fruit and 35% from the Hughes family’s White Hutt vineyard. The sum of these parts is something sensational, as though the typical Clare citrus characteristics have been supercharged with increased mid-palate drive and the extended persistence of long, lingering flavours. It’s surprisingly supple, presenting a different texture to either of its source components. Make haste to obtain this masterpiece in blending – only 200 dozen were produced.
2024
Rieslingfreak
Rieslingfreak, No. 12 Flaxman Valley Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
This is a new vineyard source for Rieslingfreak, although winemaker Belinda Hughes did make wine with grapes from this site in the High Eden during her previous job at Grant Burge. It’s clear to see why the Hughes’ coveted this fruit. It produces a long, clean flavour line of luscious, sexy lime syrup that rolls languidly on a gentle acid tide. Maintains great length, with flavour running all the way along an extended palate, right through to a distinctive lick of slate to sharpen the concluding note.
2024
RieslingfreakEden Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 2 Riesling, Clare Valley, Polish Hill River Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
This vintage’s star of the Rieslingfreak sub-regional expressions shows off the distinctive mineral traces typical of Polish Hill River vineyards, which provide a sturdy backbone to rich and generous lime and lemon flavours. It opens with a seductive bouquet of fresh green apple and jasmine, before the influence of fine chalky tannins defines the shape of a curvy mid-palate that shows a long citrus core gripped with a trace of honeysuckle, with an irresistible smack of minerality at the conclusion.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 3 Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Coming from the Hughes family’s White Hutt vineyard (which also supplies fruit for Rieslingfreak No.1, No. 10 and No. 50), this proudly displays the supremely crisp lemon entry that defines the best characteristics of north Clare Riesling. With less than 1g/L of residual sugar, its bone-dry flavours have extraordinary concentration, yet are refined and cleanly drawn. The long 2024 vintage has ensured a solid spine of acid that never breaks stride through a lengthy, persistent palate, all the way to a pleasing lick of sharp grapefruit at the end.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 5 Off Dry Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Winemaker John Hughes insists that off-dry Riesling must have good acid and not just concentrate on its sugar profile, and the acid here ensures a clean streak that shapes the deft perfume and focused entry. A fleshy mid-palate texture rolls seductively, adding verve and energy to an assertive flavour profile that promotes a luscious, sexy mouthfeel. This careful exercise in balance drinks dry, with its 13g/L of residual sugar merely adding a lick of fruit sweetness to brace the palate.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 8 Schatzkammer Riesling, Clare Valley, Polish Hill River Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Abundant natural acidity in grapes from the 2024 vintage serves the Schatzkammer Riesling style perfectly. This wine follows the German Kabinett model, with grapes picked early and alcohol kept low, although the flavour intensity is ramped up high, thanks to careful development of residual sugar to balance the high acid profile. The resulting sweet aromas of tropical fruits – led by custard apple and passionfruit – sprinkled with nutmeg, carries through to a luscious palate that is balanced by firm acid and bracing minerality. An even-tempered model that celebrates rich Riesling texture.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 4 Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Soft floral aromas of white blossom and rosewater are repeated in a genteel entry before the tension tightens through a long mid-palate line that's defined by lime over lemon flavours. Minerality plays a key role, gently shaping the flavour profile, although the key feature is an extraordinary concentration of acid that carries the tender yet persistent flavours in an effortless manner.
2024
RieslingfreakEden Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 99 Out of the Square Riesling, South Australia, Australia, 2023
This is the third time John and Belinda Hughes have explored unusual ideas to create different 'Out of the Square' small-batch Riesling experiments, with the 2023 model built around oak usage. Having purchased a new 1,500-litre French oak foudre, they filled it with a blend of 80% Watervale and 20% Flaxman Valley Riesling. After three months’ maturation, the resulting wine has beguiling complexity in both its flavours and aromas, especially the feisty pull and push of savoury and sweet notes – lemon curd, marzipan, coconut, wild herbs, brioche, with baking spices and a spark of flint. The great curiosity is a creamy mid-palate texture, riding on the tension between silky tannins and a taut acid line.
2023
Rieslingfreak
Rieslingfreak, No. 10 Zenit Riesling, South Australia, Australia, 2024
A blend of the best parcels from the vintage resulted in a combination of 65% Flaxman Valley fruit and 35% from the Hughes family’s White Hutt vineyard. The sum of these parts is something sensational, as though the typical Clare citrus characteristics have been supercharged with increased mid-palate drive and the extended persistence of long, lingering flavours. It’s surprisingly supple, presenting a different texture to either of its source components. Make haste to obtain this masterpiece in blending – only 200 dozen were produced.
2024
Rieslingfreak
Rieslingfreak, No. 12 Flaxman Valley Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
This is a new vineyard source for Rieslingfreak, although winemaker Belinda Hughes did make wine with grapes from this site in the High Eden during her previous job at Grant Burge. It’s clear to see why the Hughes’ coveted this fruit. It produces a long, clean flavour line of luscious, sexy lime syrup that rolls languidly on a gentle acid tide. Maintains great length, with flavour running all the way along an extended palate, right through to a distinctive lick of slate to sharpen the concluding note.
2024
RieslingfreakEden Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 2 Riesling, Clare Valley, Polish Hill River Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
This vintage’s star of the Rieslingfreak sub-regional expressions shows off the distinctive mineral traces typical of Polish Hill River vineyards, which provide a sturdy backbone to rich and generous lime and lemon flavours. It opens with a seductive bouquet of fresh green apple and jasmine, before the influence of fine chalky tannins defines the shape of a curvy mid-palate that shows a long citrus core gripped with a trace of honeysuckle, with an irresistible smack of minerality at the conclusion.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 3 Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Coming from the Hughes family’s White Hutt vineyard (which also supplies fruit for Rieslingfreak No.1, No. 10 and No. 50), this proudly displays the supremely crisp lemon entry that defines the best characteristics of north Clare Riesling. With less than 1g/L of residual sugar, its bone-dry flavours have extraordinary concentration, yet are refined and cleanly drawn. The long 2024 vintage has ensured a solid spine of acid that never breaks stride through a lengthy, persistent palate, all the way to a pleasing lick of sharp grapefruit at the end.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 5 Off Dry Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Winemaker John Hughes insists that off-dry Riesling must have good acid and not just concentrate on its sugar profile, and the acid here ensures a clean streak that shapes the deft perfume and focused entry. A fleshy mid-palate texture rolls seductively, adding verve and energy to an assertive flavour profile that promotes a luscious, sexy mouthfeel. This careful exercise in balance drinks dry, with its 13g/L of residual sugar merely adding a lick of fruit sweetness to brace the palate.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 8 Schatzkammer Riesling, Clare Valley, Polish Hill River Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Abundant natural acidity in grapes from the 2024 vintage serves the Schatzkammer Riesling style perfectly. This wine follows the German Kabinett model, with grapes picked early and alcohol kept low, although the flavour intensity is ramped up high, thanks to careful development of residual sugar to balance the high acid profile. The resulting sweet aromas of tropical fruits – led by custard apple and passionfruit – sprinkled with nutmeg, carries through to a luscious palate that is balanced by firm acid and bracing minerality. An even-tempered model that celebrates rich Riesling texture.
2024
RieslingfreakClare Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 4 Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2024
Soft floral aromas of white blossom and rosewater are repeated in a genteel entry before the tension tightens through a long mid-palate line that's defined by lime over lemon flavours. Minerality plays a key role, gently shaping the flavour profile, although the key feature is an extraordinary concentration of acid that carries the tender yet persistent flavours in an effortless manner.
2024
RieslingfreakEden Valley
Rieslingfreak, No. 99 Out of the Square Riesling, South Australia, Australia, 2023
This is the third time John and Belinda Hughes have explored unusual ideas to create different 'Out of the Square' small-batch Riesling experiments, with the 2023 model built around oak usage. Having purchased a new 1,500-litre French oak foudre, they filled it with a blend of 80% Watervale and 20% Flaxman Valley Riesling. After three months’ maturation, the resulting wine has beguiling complexity in both its flavours and aromas, especially the feisty pull and push of savoury and sweet notes – lemon curd, marzipan, coconut, wild herbs, brioche, with baking spices and a spark of flint. The great curiosity is a creamy mid-palate texture, riding on the tension between silky tannins and a taut acid line.
2023
Rieslingfreak
