Place of She-Oak
Erinn Klein grew up with biodynamics. His parents — Ulrike and Jürgen Klein — founded the Jurlique skin-care brand in 1985 and established a biodynamic herb farm in the Adelaide Hills that was certified by NASAA in 1993. Erinn and his wife Janet met at the University of Adelaide in 2000, studying oenology and viticulture respectively. In 2001, they planted the first vines on the family property. By 2005, they were making wine. Today, Ngeringa is one of Australia's most important biodynamic farms — 75 hectares of land including 5 hectares of vines, 4 hectares of olives and fruit trees, 2 hectares of mixed vegetables, Scottish Highland cattle, sheep, chickens, and a full-time gardener tending commercial biodynamic gardens that supply produce to top Adelaide restaurants. The vineyard was awarded Vineyard of the Year at the 2024 Young Gun of Wine Awards. The cellar door is open Thursday to Sunday. The wines are minimal intervention, spontaneous ferment, no additives except a small amount of sulfur. The name means "place of she-oak" in the Aboriginal language of the Peramangk people — the original custodians of the land. The logo is the shape of Mount Barker summit. The icon is a circle representing the full moon, with a she-oak inside — a reference to biodynamic practice and working with the rhythms of nature. This is not just a winery. This is a way of life.
From the Herb Farm to the Vineyard
Erinn Klein's parents — Ulrike and Jürgen Klein — founded the Jurlique skin-care brand in 1985. Jürgen is a biochemist; Ulrike is a horticulturist. They deliberately sought land to grow herbs that was a Mediterranean climate, and found it in the Adelaide Hills. In the 1990s, they bought a property in the Adelaide Hills to establish what has become an internationally regarded herb farm, providing material for Jurlique's botanical extracts. The farm was managed using biodynamic principles long before Erinn and Janet settled there, and it was certified biodynamic by NASAA way back in 1993 — over 30 years ago.
Erinn and Janet met at the University of Adelaide in 2000, both pursuing studies in wine — Erinn in oenology, Janet in viticulture. "Our shared belief in traditional, non-chemical farming, our inclination to think out of the box and our energy for getting things done have always made us the great team we are," Erinn says. In 2001, the year they purchased their biodynamic farm on Mount Barker in the southern Adelaide Hills, they planted the first vines on the site. The first wine from those vines was released from the 2005 vintage — though the Ngeringa brand was used for a release from McLaren Vale a year prior.
Growing up on the farm, Erinn and his siblings were always hands-on — putting out BD500 (horn manure), making compost with biodynamic preparations, planting, weeding, picking, and helping with livestock. "We grew up without chemicals on the farm or in the house, so when we took over Ngeringa and planted our first vines we had the inherent belief that farming this way was the best way forward," Erinn explains. They also learnt a lot from visiting organic growers in Europe who — 20 years ago — were far ahead of viticultural practices in Australia. The name Ngeringa means "place of she-oak" in the Aboriginal language of the Peramangk people, the original custodians of the region. It refers to their native needle tree — the she-oak.
"I grew up with biodynamics on my parents' Jurlique herb farms. To grow our grapes any other way was unthinkable."
— Erinn Klein
Three Vineyards, One Whole Farm & 1,500 Trees a Year
Ngeringa manages three vineyards across two properties — two kilometres apart — in the Adelaide Hills, around Nairne and Mount Barker. The Summit Vineyard is the flagship: 2 hectares at around 360 metres elevation, planted at a density of 6,600 vines per hectare — dense by Australian standards. The east-to-west orientation ensures less harsh sun exposure, while cool afternoon ocean breezes filter up from across the ocean and Lake Alexandrina, moderating temperatures at key ripening times. The soil is light sandy loam over clay with areas of red ironstone. The Summit is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Fiano, Gamay, and Pink Sémillon — a natural mutation of the Madeira clone with pink-hued skins.
The Iluma Vineyard sits on the northern slope of Mount Barker summit, facing west on lean, textured soil of micaceous schist and ironstone over clay on the Nairne terroir. The majority of Ngeringa's Syrah and Viognier is planted here. The Rufus Vineyard is on the Mount Barker Springs property, on the western slopes — small plantings of Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Syrah, and Aglianico. Rufus is a low-yield vineyard but with very important fruit concentration. Cool evening sea winds blow in from the southern sea over the Murray River, a wonderful natural aid for developing freshness and acidity.
But Ngeringa is more than a vineyard. The 75-hectare farm includes 4 hectares of olives and fruit trees, 2 hectares of mixed vegetables, Scottish Highland cattle, sheep, and chickens. A full-time gardener tends the commercial biodynamic gardens, with produce sold to top restaurants in Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills — Africola, Arkhé, Fishbank, Press, Coriole, and many more. Since 2008, the Kleins have planted up to 1,500 native trees every year, returning clear-felled farmland to native bushland. Over 1,500 endemic plants have been planted, with another 1,000 each winter. The farm is 80% solar sufficient. Biochar is applied to the soil for carbon capture, moisture retention, and microbial health. This is regenerative agriculture in its purest form.
2 hectares at ~360m. Planted 2001–02 at 6,600 vines/ha — dense by Australian standards. East-west orientation. Light sandy loam over clay with red ironstone. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Fiano, Gamay, and Pink Sémillon. Cool afternoon ocean breezes from Lake Alexandrina. Awarded Vineyard of the Year 2024 at Young Gun of Wine Awards.
Northern slope of Mount Barker summit. West-facing on micaceous schist and ironstone over clay. Majority of Syrah and Viognier planted here. Lean, textured soils give wines of freshness and acidity. Cool evening sea winds from the southern sea.
Western slopes. Small plantings of Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Syrah, and Aglianico. Low yield but very important fruit concentration. Adds Italian variety interest to the Ngeringa range.
75 hectares total. 5ha vines, 4ha olives/fruit, 2ha vegetables. Scottish Highland cattle, sheep, chickens. Commercial biodynamic gardens supplying top restaurants. 1,500 native trees planted annually since 2008. 80% solar sufficient. Biochar for soil health. Full-time gardener. Nutrients recycled between winery, vineyard, and farm.
Minimal Intervention, Spontaneous Ferment & Gentle Hand
In the winery, the Kleins have always had a gentle hand, eschewing any additions bar sulphur and working in a lo-fi manner. Ngeringa is a modern pioneer of the approach in Australia — one of the few attached to the 'natural' movement that has worked with biodynamic fruit from their own property from the very beginning. While others were operating with a natural spirit, many were years off from actually ensuring their primary ingredient — the fruit — was genuinely organic. The keynotes of those early releases were Syrah, a Syrah-Viognier, Chardonnay, a straight Viognier, and a serious take on rosé — unusual for the time. Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, and Sangiovese followed not long after.
The winemaking is deliberately minimal: spontaneous fermentations, no additives besides a small amount of sulfur, gentle handling, and a focus on allowing the vineyard to speak. "Everything we do in and to the vineyard is deliberate, with the intention of maximising the quality of our wine — from closely planted vines, to our organic/biodynamic practices, to our native midrow wallaby grasses and the meticulous shoot thinning and green pruning," Erinn says. The wines are a pure lens into what is happening in the vineyard: minimal intervention, spontaneous fermentations, no additives (besides a small amount of sulfur), and gentle handling create wines of vitality, depth of flavour, and delicacy.
More recently, the Uncultured range has been added to the Ngeringa stable — capturing everything from more brightly forward wines to sulphur-free bottlings, a pét-nat, a naturally fermented cider, and even their estate olive oil. With vine maturity, the Kleins are now also bottling single-site wines — the Summit Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — forming their pinnacle offerings. The rosé is made with thought: handpicked from biodynamic grapes, matured in older barrels for a year, and generally treated with slow care. "These are wines to be enjoyed and savoured — leaving you feeling that all is right with the world."
Vineyard of the Year 2024
In 2024, Ngeringa's Summit Vineyard was awarded Vineyard of the Year at the Young Gun of Wine Awards — a remarkable recognition for a vineyard that has been farmed biodynamically for over three decades. The award celebrates not just the quality of the fruit, but the entire ecosystem that produces it: the dense planting, the native midrow grasses, the companion planting for beneficial insects, the chickens and sheep, the biochar, the compost, the 1,500 trees planted every year. "There is a distinct character that shines regardless of vintages, that we recognise now as our terroir," Erinn says. "It's a flavour profile, a vitality of character that can only be from a vineyard in full health. As the vineyard has matured and the roots have reached deeper levels, that expression has become more complex." The Summit Chardonnay is the great example — a well-structured wine with a strong acid/mineral line, intensity and depth that seem to still be increasing. This is what happens when you farm with patience, conviction, and a deep respect for the land.
Pioneers, Regenerators & Community Builders
Ngeringa is one of Australia's most important biodynamic farms. Not only are the Kleins vintners, they also grow produce that supplies some of the best restaurants in Adelaide. They have always been on the forefront of biodynamic production in Australia, and have undertaken a serious revegetation initiative in the Adelaide Hills. But this all shouldn't distract from the absolute deliciousness of these wines: pure and nuanced, focused yet playful, accessible and complex. As one reviewer put it: "Ngeringa is one of the most important biodynamic farms in Australia."
The Kleins are deeply committed to community. They run community and school days to revegetate the local environment while educating. International backpackers specifically seek them out. Local ecologically-conscious people volunteer. "We are a small, humble operation," says Erinn. "However, our choice of farming inspires like-minded people to be part of what we do." The cellar door — open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm — offers guided tastings and an extensive list of wines by the glass or bottle. The menu features ingredients from their very own farm. "From Vine to Glass" is an immersive vineyard tour and tasting experience that runs every Friday and Sunday morning.
Erinn and Janet are not just winemakers — they are farmers, educators, and stewards of the land. Janet has Scottish heritage and believes in the symbolism of the Scottish Highland cow — with their complete horns connecting them from earth to heaven, as per biodynamic theory. Erinn has ridden his bicycle to Uluru three times as part of Race to the Rock. Janet has completed a research project at Flinders University investigating microplastics along the South Australian coastline. They are a team — in life, in farming, and in wine. "Always young at heart with ever-increasing complexity" is how Erinn would label himself if he were a wine. It is a perfect description of Ngeringa itself.
"We passionately work with the rhythms of nature, allowing the soil, the site, the season and the variety to express themselves in each wine. These are wines to be enjoyed and savoured — leaving you feeling that all is right with the world."
— Erinn & Janet Klein
The Ngeringa Range
Ngeringa produces a wide range of wines across several tiers: the Single Vineyard Summit wines (the pinnacle), the Sheoak range (expressive, approachable), and the Uncultured range (experimental, sulphur-free, pét-nat, cider). The portfolio spans Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Rosé, Fiano, Gamay, Pink Sémillon, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo, Viognier, and Aglianico — all made with minimal intervention, spontaneous fermentation, and a gentle hand. The wines are estate-grown and bottled, meaning everything comes from the farm and is made on-site. This is as close to farm-to-bottle as wine gets.