A Tax Return, Several Hundred Buckets & a Cellar
Little Brunswick Wine Co. is the culmination of Alex Croker and Rob Lundburg's efforts to turn a small tax return and several hundred buckets of grapes into a winery within the tiny five-foot cellar underneath Alex's house in Brunswick, Melbourne. [^233^] Their aim is to shake up the Australian wine industry with community-minded winemaking and sustainable viticulture. [^233^] They are both passionate about the history of winemaking and the land they live on, working with growers firmly rooted in their vineyards to revitalise grape varieties that are less fashionable, showcasing the unique aspects of some of the world's oldest and most distinct soils. [^233^] Alex and Rob reject interventionist techniques in favour of lower yields, more attentive winemaking, and using their surroundings and natural processes to enhance their wines. [^233^] They believe this creates a tension in the glass where the wines express their place and personality with purity. [^233^] Their philosophy is to put people and place above all other aspects of winemaking and viticulture, acknowledging the 65,000-year history of farming and stewardship in Australia by Indigenous Australians. [^233^] They make wine on the lands of the Wurundjeri people with fruit sourced from across the lands of western and central Victoria. [^233^] In 2026, Alex was named a Young Gun of Wine finalist — recognition for a producer who has built an experimental, community-focused label from nothing but passion, buckets, and a Brunswick cellar. [^240^]
From a Sharehouse Cellar to the Grampians
Alex Croker makes wines under two labels that tell two sides of the same story. [^240^] Little Brunswick Wine Co. is the experimental arm — born in a Brunswick sharehouse in 2017, built to play, and populated with alternative varieties, unconventional blends, and a wine community spirit that Croker has always worn openly. [^240^] Alexander Direen, released from 2022, is something else: a more considered, personal statement, its name taken from his soon-to-be married name and anchored to the Heathcote Shiraz country he grew up in. [^240^] Between them, the two labels span a restrained but adventurous corner of the Victorian wine landscape — Central Victorian in soul, untraditional in detail, and unapologetically built to be shared and returned to. [^240^]
The Little Brunswick origin story is pure Melbourne: a tax return, a five-foot cellar under a sharehouse, and a couple of mates with more ambition than equipment. [^233^] Alex and Rob started buying grapes by the bucket from growers across western and central Victoria — Geelong, Sunbury, the Grampians — and making wine in conditions that would make most winemakers wince. But the constraints became the creative engine. Small batches, hand-processing, no room for fancy gear — just buckets, a cellar, and a belief that great wine could come from anywhere if the fruit was right and the hands were careful.
The community aspect was there from the start. Alex and Rob are not just making wine; they are building a community around it. The label is named after the suburb that housed them — Brunswick, Melbourne's inner north, a place of sharehouses, cafes, and creative energy. The wines are made for sharing, for returning to, for drinking with friends rather than collecting in cellars. This is wine as social glue, not commodity. [^233^]
"Little Brunswick is the culmination of Alex and Rob's efforts to turn a small tax return, and several hundred buckets of grapes into a winery within the tiny five-foot cellar underneath Alex's house."
— Garneau Block
Old Soils, Less Fashionable Varieties & Community Growers
Little Brunswick Wine Co. operates as a négociant, sourcing grapes from various vineyards across Western and Central Victoria. [^232^] The growers they work with are firmly rooted in their vineyards, committed to sustainable viticulture, and often farming on some of the world's oldest and most distinct soils. [^233^] The focus is on revitalising less common grape varieties — Greco, Moscato Giallo, Touriga Nacional, Sémillon — and showcasing the unique aspects of sites that larger producers might overlook. [^232^]
The key sites include Geelong for Chardonnay — whole-bunch pressed, fermented in seasoned French oak, developing nutty, citrus, and flinty characteristics. [^232^] Sunbury for Pinot Noir — cool-climate, vibrant red fruit, earthy notes. [^232^] The Grampians for Syrah — three different harvest dates combined to offer brighter and darker fruit characters, white pepper spice, and cardamom pod. [^233^] Each site is chosen for its distinct terroir and its grower's commitment to sustainable, low-intervention farming.
The farming philosophy is clear: lower yields, more attentive viticulture, and a rejection of chemical shortcuts. [^233^] Alex and Rob believe that this creates a tension in the glass — wines that express their place and personality with purity, not polished homogeneity. [^233^] They acknowledge the 65,000-year history of Indigenous stewardship that shaped Australia's soil profiles, and they work with growers who share this respect for the land. [^233^]
Whole-bunch pressed, fermented in seasoned French oak. Nutty, citrus, and flinty characteristics. [^232^] The Geelong region's cool maritime influence and ancient soils give a Chardonnay of surprising depth and minerality — not the buttery style of old, but a precise, textured expression.
Cool-climate Pinot Noir with vibrant red fruit and earthy notes. [^232^] Sunbury's volcanic soils and proximity to Melbourne create a Pinot that is light, aromatic, and deeply expressive — perfect for Little Brunswick's minimal-intervention approach.
Three different harvest dates, 20–30% whole bunch, gentle punch-downs twice daily, extended skin contact (7–14 days after cap sink). [^233^] Aged in large-format seasoned French oak and a small amount of second-fill barriques. Bright raspberries, violets, wet alpine herbs, brined olives, and oyster shell. [^233^]
Working with growers committed to sustainable viticulture. Lower yields, attentive farming, no chemical shortcuts. [^233^] The goal is to create wines that express place and personality with purity — not to polish away the edges, but to let the land speak.
Non-Interventionist, Attentive & Pure
Little Brunswick's winemaking is deliberately non-interventionist. Grapes are hand-picked and processed with as little manipulation as possible. [^232^] Fermentation relies on ambient yeasts — no cultured strains, no enzymes, no tricks. [^232^] The strict policy is no fining, no filtration. [^232^] Minimal sulfur is added, typically only at bottling, to ensure stability. [^232^] This is not dogmatic natural wine; it is thoughtful, attentive winemaking that trusts the fruit and the process.
The techniques are chosen to enhance the wine's character without overpowering it. Wines are aged in a variety of vessels — seasoned French oak barrels and stainless steel — selected to suit the variety and the vintage. [^232^] Whole-bunch pressing builds texture and complexity in the whites. Extended lees contact adds depth and savoury notes. [^232^] Extended skin contact for the Syrah — 7–14 days after the cap sinks — integrates tannin, softens the wine, and enhances flavour. [^233^]
Alex and Rob believe that their approach creates a tension in the glass — a living quality that comes from allowing the wine to express its place and personality without being forced into a predetermined style. [^233^] This is wine that is meant to be shared, returned to, and enjoyed in the moment. The names reflect this spirit: "Lock, Stock and Teardrops" (a K.D. Lang reference, because they are deeply in love with the wine), "All Seagulls No Chips" (for people who fight over things that don't matter), "Tidy Town" (a nod to community). [^233^] These are not corporate wine names; they are inside jokes, references, and expressions of the people who made them.
The Two Labels, One Story
Alex Croker's dual-label approach is a rare thing in Australian wine. Little Brunswick Wine Co. is the experimental, playful, community-focused arm — born in a sharehouse cellar, built on buckets and tax returns, populated with alternative varieties and unconventional blends. [^240^] Alexander Direen is the personal, considered statement — anchored to the Heathcote Shiraz country Alex grew up in, made with the same minimal-intervention philosophy but with a more focused, site-specific intent. [^240^] Together, they tell the story of a winemaker who is both restless and rooted — willing to experiment with Moscato Giallo pét-nats and Greco skin-contact wines, but also deeply connected to the land and the community that shaped him. The 2026 Young Gun of Wine finalist recognition is proof that this dual approach works — that a winemaker can be both playful and serious, both experimental and deeply respectful of place. [^240^]
Playful, Rooted, Unapologetically Shared
Little Brunswick Wine Co. is not a polished, corporate operation. It is a sharehouse project that grew into something bigger — but never lost its soul. The identity is defined by community, playfulness, and a deep respect for the land. Alex and Rob acknowledge the Wurundjeri people, on whose land they make their wine, and the 65,000-year history of Indigenous stewardship that shaped Australia's soils. [^233^] They also acknowledge that the distribution of their wines in Canada takes place on Treaty 6 territory, and they donate part of the proceeds from sales to Indspire, a non-profit supporting Indigenous education. [^233^]
The wines are as eclectic as the people who make them. The portfolio spans Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Greco, Moscato Giallo pét-nat, Grenache, Sémillon, Touriga Nacional, and creative blends that push the boundaries of Australian winemaking. [^232^] The packaging is bold, colourful, and unmistakably Melbourne — a reflection of the inner-north creative energy that birthed the label. There is no pretension here, no attempt to mimic European luxury. This is Australian wine, made by Australians, for Australians and anyone else who wants to drink it.
The 2026 Young Gun of Wine finalist nomination is a milestone, but it is not the destination. Alex and Rob are still making wine in that five-foot cellar, still buying grapes by the bucket, still sharing their wine with the community that supported them from the start. "Built to be shared and returned to," as one profile put it. [^240^] This is the essence of Little Brunswick: wine as connection, wine as community, wine as an expression of place and people. Not a product, but a relationship.
"Their philosophy is to put people and place above all other aspects of winemaking and viticulture."
— Garneau Block
The Little Brunswick Range
Little Brunswick Wine Co. produces a diverse, experimental portfolio of négociant wines from across Western and Central Victoria. The range spans Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Greco, Moscato Giallo pét-nat, Grenache, Sémillon, Touriga Nacional, and creative blends — all made with ambient yeasts, no fining, no filtration, and minimal sulfur. [^232^] The names are playful and personal, reflecting the community spirit and creative energy of the Brunswick cellar. Prices are approximate and vary by market.
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Cardwell Cellars: https://cardwellcellars.com/collections/little-brunswick-wine-co
Little Peacock Imports: https://www.little-peacock.com/little-brunswick-wine-co/
Sauced.shop: https://sauced.shop/
Mane Liquor: https://maneliquor.com.au/
Garneau Block: https://www.garneaublock.com/little-brunswick-wine-co-1
Bedford Wines and Spirits (NY): https://bedfordspirits.com/shop/product/little-brunswick-wine-co-shiraz-tiny-town/62b29d945dc6cd0bedd74976
You can also purchase directly from their website: https://www.littlebrunswickwineco.com/