Ratings

Lucy Margaux

Bright and catchy labels on a handmade fibre paper, hazy content with flocks of sediment, seemingly atypical grapes for Australia… Even a single bottle of Lucy M stands out on a wine shelf. They produce a wide range of wines with little information available. There is an obvious assumption we can make. These wines are made in the low-intervention style. And as it turns out, Anton Gerrard van Klopper, a man behind Lucy M, is a convinced naturalist.

Before starting his own winery, Anton worked in hospitality for 10 years, where he became interested in wines. He was curious: why did he like some wines more than others. There are many possible reasons, so he headed off to the University of Adelaide to complete a degree in oenology.

For a few years after completing his degree, Anton travelled the world to gain valuable experience by working with other winemakers he respected. He slowly started to form his philosophy. It is typical for low intervention winemakers, but it was the beginning of XXI century. And you could not learn it from Google or university books.

So, in 2002, Anton found a cherry orchard in Peramangk Country in the beautiful Basket Range area of the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. At the time, the Adelaide Hills was renowned as one of Australia’s premier cool-climate regions, with a growing reputation for Chardonnay, Shiraz and sparkling wines. It took some time for this region to become a hub for organic and biodynamic viticulture. And Anton played his part in this quest by convincing others to change the ways of farming.

The most challenging part of natural winemaking is to live with the naysayers who choose recipe over craft.

Anton Gerrard van Klopper

Anton walked a path from renegade to trailblazer for Adelaide Hills, and now he can focus on his craft. Ha, if only it would be so simple. Remember that he worked in hospitality before starting a winery? In 2016 together with Jasper Button from Commune of Buttons, he opened a wine bar in the nearby hamlet of Summertown. The Summertown Aristologist gives Anton the freedom to treat people with wines and foods of his making. It turns out he never gave up on his culinary skills. And now, two of his crafts sing a single song.