From the Soil Upwards
Wayne Ahrens is a fifth-generation Barossa resident. Suzi Hilder is the daughter of well-known Upper Hunter viticulturist Richard Hilder. Both have degrees from Charles Sturt University. Both started as viticulturists — Suzi as a consultant, Wayne with seven vintages as a cellar hand at Orlando Wyndham. Then they caught the winemaking bug. In 2005, Smallfry Wines was born. Today they farm two extraordinary vineyards — an 18-hectare property in Vine Vale, Barossa Valley, with vines dating back to the 1850s, and a 50-hectare hilltop site in Eden Valley, established in 1994. Certified organic and biodynamic since 2014. Regenerative agriculture. 40% of their vines are over 100 years old. They grow 16 varieties, sell fruit to some of Australia's most exciting makers, and produce wines that prove the Barossa can be light, fresh, and alive. "Natural ferments, nil to minimal adjustment, old oak and a soft hand in the cellar that allows the vineyard to speak." This is Smallfry — small batch, big heart.
Viticulturists Bitten by the Bug
Wayne Ahrens grew up in the Barossa — five generations deep. His family has been farming this land since the mid-19th century. He studied at Charles Sturt University, then spent seven vintages as a cellar hand at Orlando Wyndham and other smaller Barossa wineries, learning the trade from the ground up. Suzi Hilder, daughter of respected Upper Hunter viticulturist Richard Hilder and his wife Del (former partners in Pyramid Hill Wines), also studied at CSU. She worked as a consultant viticulturist, travelling vineyards across Australia, advising growers on how to get the best from their land. They were both farmers first. Winemakers second.
In 1994, they established their first vineyard — a 50-hectare property in the higher hills of Eden Valley. They propagated and planted it themselves: Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet, all ungrafted on their own rootstock. Between 1994 and 1998, they built a vineyard from scratch on a softly undulating, breezy hilltop. It was magnificent — but it was not the gravitas of their project. That came in 2007, when they purchased an 18-hectare property in the sandy soils of Vine Vale, Barossa Valley. The vineyard had been owned by the Schliebs family since the 1850s. Ken Schlieb, the last custodian, had tended it for 52 consecutive vintages. When he sold to Wayne and Suzi, it was on a handshake: "We won't change it." They haven't.
The property was degraded when they bought it — in a low productivity spiral, the old vines dying from drought. "To give them a drink seemed a kindness," Wayne said, recalling Alice Feiring's advice at his first Rootstock: "If we needed to irrigate then perhaps we were growing in the wrong place." But 150-year-old vines don't transplant. So they set about regenerating the land. Organic and biodynamic methods were introduced immediately. Soil moisture monitoring validated their practices. They reduced water inputs to just 0.15 megalitres per hectare per year — even through extreme drought. Today, the vineyard thrives. "That it is now still in production and thriving is due in a large part to our ownership," Wayne says. "The place was very degraded."
"Our special site was nurtured by a cantankerous, rigid individual over a long period, which meant the winds of change did not affect our site and much that has been lost elsewhere has been retained. There is an honest stoicism about the place that came from the human element and that we feel honour bound to respect."
— Wayne Ahrens
Two Sites, One Philosophy — Regenerate Everything
Smallfry farms two distinct vineyards across the Barossa and Eden Valley, totalling 27 hectares under vine. The Vine Vale property in the Barossa Valley is the heart of the operation — 18 hectares with 14 hectares under vine, including some of the oldest plantings in Australia. The Eden Valley site is 50 hectares total, with 9.5 hectares under vine, established from scratch by Wayne and Suzi in the mid-1990s. Both are certified organic and biodynamic (ACO), with the winery certified since April 2014. The farming is regenerative — not just sustainable, but actively improving the land.
The Vine Vale vineyard retains the feel of the traditional Barossa "gardens" — random fruit trees interplanted amongst the bush vines. The ancestor vines include Semillon, Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Trousseau, Tinta Amarela, Pedro Ximénez, and Bonvedro. Many are well over a century old; some date to the 1850s. About a third of the vineyard was planted in the 1960s by Ken Schlieb. Newer plantings include Tempranillo, Roussanne, Marsanne, Carignan, and additional Cinsault. The soil is sandy with terra rossa clay underlying — light, free-draining, and perfect for the lighter-weighted, complex styles Smallfry pursues.
"Nature doesn't farm without animals or a diversity of plants," Wayne says. So they integrate diversity into everything. They grow almonds, olives, prunes, apples, pears, quinces, and vegetables. They sell broad beans to the Adelaide Central Market — grown as a cover crop in their young Roussanne. They run a WWOOFing program that has hosted hundreds of people from around the world. Their next challenge is rotational grazing with small-stature sheep. "Our biggest focus is soil health and diversity," Wayne insists. "The cover of soil is paramount but coupled with that of soil biota... Ensuring our practices advance the cause of the beneficial and retard the development of the taxing is what we do." They were selected as one of the top 50 vineyards in Australia.
18-hectare property, 14 hectares under vine. Ancestor vines dating to the 1850s — Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet, Mataro, Cinsault, Semillon. Sandy soils with terra rossa clay. Gully breezes from Menglers Hill moderate summer heat. Traditional Barossa "garden" feel with random fruit trees interplanted. Certified organic/biodynamic. 40% of vines over 100 years old.
50-hectare property, 9.5 hectares under vine. Propagated and planted by Wayne and Suzi themselves. Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet on ungrafted rootstock. Softly undulating, breezy hilltop site. Gravels and quartz over clay. Higher altitude, cooler climate — perfect for aromatic whites and elegant reds. The site that started it all.
Certified organic/biodynamic since 2014 (ACO). Long rest from tractor traffic — eight months of the year, no machines pass. Soil moisture monitoring reduced irrigation to 0.15 ML/ha/year. Cover crops, composts, biodynamic preparations. Integration of animals, diverse plantings, and polyculture. "Healthy soil grows healthy vines that produce balanced grapes that make the best-quality wine."
Smallfry sells grapes to some of South Australia's most exciting producers: Frederick Stevenson, Les Fruits, Ad Lib, Rasa, and Sierra Reid. The vineyard is a resource for the broader natural wine community — proof that great farming benefits everyone. "Give back as we had benefitted" is their mission statement.
Natural Ferments, Soft Hands & Old Oak
Smallfry's philosophy is deceptively simple: "Natural ferments, nil to minimal adjustment, old oak and a soft hand in the cellar that allows the vineyard to speak." Wayne and Suzi are viticulturists first — they believe that 90% of winemaking happens in the vineyard. The cellar work is about getting out of the way. Wild yeast fermentation. Minimal sulfur — only when necessary. No fining, no filtration. Old oak only. A soft hand.
But simplicity does not mean lack of rigour. Every decision is informed by deep viticultural knowledge and a scientific understanding of soil, vine, and climate. They use indigenous yeasts because they believe wild fermentation gives the wine more flavour complexity — "the yeast's fermentation allows the wine to get more flavour characteristics." They pick for freshness and acidity, not power and extraction. Their reds are lighter, more aromatic, more savoury than typical Barossa fare. Their whites are textured, mineral, and alive.
The wines lean towards freshness and nature rather than wood and tannin. Classic styles — Riesling, Cabernet, Shiraz — sit alongside experimental batches: the amber wine Tangerine Dream, the light red Stella Luna, the Riesling-Roussanne blend Isolar, and wines from unidentified heritage vines. "We see ourselves as part of 'New Barossa'," Wayne says. "We have a long and proud history here and sometimes the lessons of the past can be forgotten. The time when Barossa Riesling was celebrated around the nation is in our living memory." They are reimagining what Barossa wine can be — lighter, fresher, more diverse — while honouring the deep history of the place.
The Tangerine Dream Story
Fifteen years ago, the old Semillon and Pedro Ximénez vines at Schlieb's Garden were considered a waste of space. To keep them in the ground, Wayne and Suzi made verjuice and sold it at the local farmer's market. Today, those same vines provide the fruit for Tangerine Dream — Smallfry's most popular wine, an amber/orange wine blend of Semillon, Pedro Ximénez, Riesling, Roussanne and Muscat that has become a touchstone for the Australian natural wine movement. "This sort of story is what will make Australian wine relevant again overseas," Wayne says. From near-oblivion to icon status — a testament to patience, vision, and the belief that old vines have something to say.
Pioneers of the New Barossa
Wayne and Suzi are pioneers — not in the sense of breaking new ground, but in the sense of recovering what was lost. "The majority of what we do is informed by our intuition and training," Wayne says. "I don't see any vineyards out there that look like ours." Their farming contributes to flavour complexity, depth, breadth, acid retention, nutritional density, and flavonoids. "I am convinced that healthy soil grows healthy vines that produce balanced grapes that make the best-quality wine." This is not marketing speak; it is a lived conviction, tested over two decades of regenerative practice.
Climate change is central to everything they do. "As multi-generational farmers, we have a take on things that most people don't," Wayne says. "Our dries are drier, our wets are wetter, our hots are hotter, and our colds are colder. We have suffered severe frost in what was a hitherto safe vineyard." Their response is not to retreat but to adapt. They plant drought-resistant varieties — Cinsault is "going to be the saviour of the Barossa." They plant early-ripening varieties like Trousseau to get use out of equipment before the main vintage. They explore warmer-climate whites — Marsanne, Roussanne, Pedro Ximénez — while remembering that continental varieties like Riesling and Chenin also cope well. "Our job is to plant varieties that we think will cope better in our patch of dirt."
Beyond wine, Smallfry is deeply embedded in community. They contribute financially to Aboriginal Legal Aid and the Australian Conservation Foundation. Their WWOOFing program has educated hundreds of young people from around the world — many of them hospitality professionals experiencing their first vintage. "Give back as we had benefitted" is not just a motto; it is a practice. Wayne and Suzi are building something bigger than a winery. They are building a model for how agriculture can regenerate land, support community, and produce extraordinary wine — all at once.
"Historically, many would have argued that our site is best suited to growing carrots, but the combination of old vines and light soils mean that we are in the box seat to produce lighter weighted complex styles."
— Wayne Ahrens
The Smallfry Range
Smallfry produces around 5,000 dozen bottles annually across a range that spans classic Barossa varieties and experimental, boundary-pushing wines. The portfolio includes Riesling, Shiraz, Cabernet, Grenache, Cinsault, and blends alongside amber wines, light reds, and wines from unidentified heritage vines. All are made with natural ferments, minimal adjustment, old oak, and a soft hand. The focus is always on freshness, purity, and vineyard expression — never on wood, tannin, or power for power's sake.