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I was fortunate enough to cut my teeth on some of Australia’s Big Reds. The first wines I remember tasting were from my dad’s collection of Barossa Shiraz or it could have also been Coonawarra or Margaret River Cabernet. We were kind of spoilt from a young age in my family when it came to wine, and we didn’t really have an appreciation for the magic we were allowed to play with. Then I got a little bit older and one day, still a number of years ago now, Dad decided to throw a curve ball and it kind of changed it all for me. That was the first time I had a Clare Valley Riesling, crisp refreshing fruit, balanced with acid. It opened my eyes and showed me how big the world of wine was. There was really no stopping after that. Now, wine magician John Hughes, also fell in love with Riesling at a young age. His friends at university called him the Riesling Freak a nickname he earned from his practice of bringing bottles of Riesling from his parents’ cellar for his friends to enjoy. John’s love of wine developed, and it was only a matter of time before he left his mark on an industry he loves. John says he learned the secret of adapting to the elements during the time he spent under wine superstar Chris Ringland. Then John bundled up all the secrets and the tricks he learned and embarked on his own journey - a project entitled dedicated to Riesling. Entirely. Thus, John launched Rieslingfreak. Fast forward to today and John Hughes and the Rieslingfreak brand are really synonymous with and are the national benchmarks for Riesling, one of the trust noble varieties. John’s wine making gives expression to his universal love of Riesling, from Germany to Clare, and the South Australian Riesling scene is his playground. John Hughes was kind enough to join me for a chat where he shared some of that passion with me. A massive thanks to John for joining me. 

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