grower/winemaker
Shobbrook Wines
Eden Valley, South Australia

Tom Shobbrook has a thing for eggs. It began when he and his buddies decided to see if wine could make itself once it was put in a vessel. It made perfect sense that the vessel should be shaped like an egg. Eggs nurture many forms of new life, so why not wine? They had an idea that an egg’s lack of corners would allow swirling, free-flowing energy to evolve, or in this case to ferment, into something balanced and pleasing.

I first saw Tom in a video called Wild Men of Wine, a compelling depiction of the wine life: South Australian winemakers spending a day with friends and family, enjoying wine and simple but delicious campfire cuisine in beautiful scenery. One of the winemakers wore a T-shirt that said “I love my tractor,” and while the video was very well done, I was sure no stylist had supplied that shirt. The tractor-loving guy turned out to be Tom, and that simple sentiment of a farmer suits him perfectly. 

Tom’s own website shows only his feet walking the vineyard, along with some bottle shots. He and his wild, rule-breaking friends — Anton van Klopper, James Erskine and Sam Hughes (who passed away in 2012) — are part of the growing global movement toward natural, no-manipulation wines. They are easy going, unconventional at times, but definitely serious about vineyards and wine.

When I first met Tom at his family vineyards in Seppeltsfield, I felt as if he were looking inside me to really know me and say hello. I saw him again at the RAW natural wine fair in London, where he was the only producer mingling with his visitors on the opposite side of the table. I asked if he always did that. “Of course,” he said. “How else would I get to know the people tasting my wines?” 

Tom grew up in the family vineyards, but it was working with Sean O’Callaghan at Riecine in Chianti that inspired his appreciation for the grape’s evolution into wine. His palate became accustomed to open and expressive wine, so different from what he had known in Australia. So he returned home with ideas about doing things differently. The equally irreverent “wild guys” found each other, and each of them has gone on to make head-turning, award-winning wines. 

For Tom, his wines reflect the vintage more than the place. No two years are the same. He has to be with the vineyards all the way through in order to know the best time to pick. Then, in the cellar, he gives the grapes a little foot stomp to break a few skins and they are off to the eggs (and a few old barrels). Each year informs the next, an adventure-filled collaboration of man and nature. Tom attributes his success to great mentors and the support of his friends and family. I would add good karma and intuitive wisdom to that list.

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