The Original Basket Rangers
Phillip and Mary Broderick moved to Basket Range in 1980 and planted the first vineyard on their property — 2 hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. They were not winemakers; they were growers, selling fruit to other producers for decades. But in 2014, their sons Louis and Sholto convinced them to start making wine under their own label. The result was Basket Range Wine — the first wine to carry the name of the valley that would become Australia's natural wine capital. Today, the family farms 10 hectares across two properties in Basket Range, all managed organically. Louis is the winemaker, Sholto manages the vineyards, and Phillip and Mary still live on the property, tending the land they have called home for over four decades. The wines are estate-focused — everything comes from their own vineyards — and made with a light touch: whole-bunch ferments, neutral oak, minimal sulfur, and a focus on freshness and drinkability. The Brodericks are not the loudest voices in Basket Range, but they are the foundation. Without them, there would be no Basket Range wine movement. They were here first.
Pioneers of the Valley
Phillip and Mary Broderick moved to Basket Range in 1980 — long before the valley became synonymous with natural wine. They purchased a property in the Adelaide Hills and planted 2 hectares of vines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. At the time, Basket Range was a quiet pocket of the Hills, known for its cherry orchards and stringybark forests, not for wine. The Brodericks were not winemakers; they were growers. For decades, they sold their fruit to other producers, content to farm the land and raise their family in the valley they loved.
Their sons, Louis and Sholto, grew up among the vines. Louis developed an interest in winemaking; Sholto in viticulture. As the natural wine movement began to take hold in Basket Range — led by Anton van Klopper, James Erskine, Tom Shobbrook, and Sam Hughes — the Broderick brothers saw an opportunity. In 2014, they convinced their parents to start making wine under their own label. The name was obvious: Basket Range Wine. It was the first wine to carry the name of the valley, and it established the Brodericks as the original "Basket Rangers" — the family that had been here since before the movement began.
The transition from growers to winemakers was natural. The Brodericks had always farmed with care — organic practices, no synthetic chemicals, a deep respect for the land. Making wine was simply the next step in their relationship with the vineyard. Louis took the lead in the cellar, Sholto in the vineyard, and Phillip and Mary continued to tend the land they had nurtured for over three decades. The first vintages were small, experimental, and deeply personal — wines that reflected the family's history in the valley and their commitment to honest farming.
"We were here before the movement started. This is our home. The wine is just an extension of that."
— The Broderick Family
Two Properties, Ten Hectares & Organic Farming
Basket Range Wine farms 10 hectares across two properties in the Basket Range valley, both managed organically. The original property — planted in 1980 — is the heart of the operation: 2 hectares of mature vines on the slopes above the Onkaparinga River, surrounded by stringybark eucalyptus forest. The soil is a mix of red clay, ironstone, and sandy loam over sandstone bedrock — classic Adelaide Hills terroir, but with the unique microclimate of the Basket Range pocket, where cool mornings and warm afternoons create wines of freshness and ripeness in equal measure.
The second property was acquired later and adds diversity to the portfolio. Together, the two sites grow Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and small amounts of other varieties. The farming is organic — no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilisers. Cover crops grow between the vines, providing biodiversity and soil health. The vineyard is dry-grown in parts, relying on the region's reliable winter rainfall and the deep water table that the Adelaide Hills is known for.
Sholto Broderick manages the vineyards with a focus on vine health and fruit quality. The vines are hand-pruned, hand-picked, and tended with the same care that Phillip and Mary established four decades ago. The vineyard is not just a source of fruit; it is a living ecosystem — home to native birds, insects, and the occasional kangaroo. The Brodericks believe that healthy vines produce healthy wine, and they farm accordingly.
The heart of the operation. 2 hectares of mature Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Red clay, ironstone, and sandy loam over sandstone. Surrounded by stringybark eucalyptus forest. Cool mornings, warm afternoons — the unique Basket Range microclimate.
Adds diversity to the portfolio. Additional hectares under vine, expanding the range and volume. Same organic farming practices, same commitment to soil health and biodiversity. Together with the original property, the two sites give the Brodericks control over their entire production.
No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilisers. Cover crops between vines for biodiversity and soil health. Hand-pruned, hand-picked. Dry-grown in parts, relying on winter rainfall. A living ecosystem — native birds, insects, kangaroos. Healthy vines, healthy wine.
Phillip and Mary planted the vineyard in 1980 and still live on the property. Louis is the winemaker. Sholto manages the vineyards. The family works together, passing knowledge from one generation to the next. This is not a corporate operation; it is a family farm that happens to make exceptional wine.
Estate-Focused, Light Touch & Whole Bunch
Louis Broderick's winemaking is guided by a simple principle: let the vineyard speak. Everything comes from the family's own vineyards — estate-focused, terroir-driven, and deeply connected to the land. The approach is minimal intervention: whole-bunch ferments for the reds, gentle pressing for the whites, neutral oak for ageing, and minimal sulfur at bottling. The goal is not to create a polished, homogenous product but to capture the unique character of each vintage, each variety, and each block of the vineyard.
The reds are made with varying levels of whole-bunch inclusion — from partial to 100% whole bunch, depending on the variety and the vintage. This gives the wines a savoury, spicy complexity that sets them apart from more conventional Adelaide Hills reds. The Pinot Noir is light, aromatic, and deeply expressive of the cool climate. The Cabernet Sauvignon is structured and age-worthy, but with a freshness that is rare for the variety in warmer regions. The Chardonnay is textural and mineral, with a distinct savoury character from the neutral oak.
The winemaking is deliberately low-tech. No fancy gadgets, no additives, no tricks. Just fruit, fermentation, and time. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered where possible, with only a small amount of sulfur added at bottling for stability. The result is a range that feels honest, unpretentious, and deeply satisfying — wines that taste like the place they come from and the people who made them. "We don't try to make trophy wines," Louis says. "We try to make wines that we want to drink — and that our friends want to drink."
The Basket Range Connection
The Brodericks are deeply connected to the Basket Range community. Louis has worked with Anton van Klopper at Lucy Margaux, learning the art of natural winemaking from one of the movement's pioneers. The family shares fruit, knowledge, and equipment with their neighbours — Jauma, Ochota Barrels, Gentle Folk, Commune of Buttons, and the others who have made Basket Range Australia's natural wine capital. But the Brodericks are not followers; they are the foundation. They were here first. They planted the vines that others now tend. They sold fruit to the winemakers who now make the valley famous. And they continue to farm with the same care and commitment that Phillip and Mary established in 1980. Basket Range Wine is not just a label; it is a statement of place, of history, and of family.
Quiet Pioneers, Steadfast Farmers
The Brodericks are not the loudest voices in Basket Range. They do not have the most Instagram followers. They do not make the most experimental wines. But they are the foundation upon which the Basket Range natural wine movement was built. Without the Broderick vineyard — without the fruit that Phillip and Mary grew for decades — there would be no Lucy Margaux, no Jauma, no Ochota Barrels, no Gentle Folk, no Commune of Buttons. The valley's most famous winemakers all started by buying fruit from growers like the Brodericks.
Today, the family continues to farm with the same quiet dedication that has defined them for four decades. Louis makes the wine. Sholto tends the vines. Phillip and Mary live on the property, watching the seasons change, as they have for over forty years. The wines are sold through select retailers, restaurants, and direct from the cellar door — which is open by appointment. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and deeply unpretentious. This is a family farm, not a tourist attraction.
The Brodericks represent something important in Australian wine: the grower who becomes the winemaker. The family that stays. The quiet pioneer who watches others arrive, make noise, and move on — while they remain, tending the same vines, making the same wine, living the same life. Basket Range Wine is a testament to patience, to place, and to the belief that the best wine comes from the best farming — and the best farming comes from the deepest connection to the land.
"We don't try to make trophy wines. We try to make wines that we want to drink — and that our friends want to drink."
— Louis Broderick
The Basket Range Wine Range
Basket Range Wine produces a focused range of estate-grown wines from the family's two properties in Basket Range. The portfolio spans Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot — all made with minimal intervention, whole-bunch ferments for reds, gentle pressing for whites, neutral oak ageing, and minimal sulfur. The wines are honest, unpretentious, and deeply satisfying — a reflection of the family's four-decade connection to the land and their commitment to organic, estate-focused winemaking.