Gentle Folk

Gareth and Rainbo Belton have grown the reputation of Gentle Folk to the point where their wines are now among the most in-demand in all of Australian wine. This is a case of gentle folk making gentle wines, but there’s more to it than that: both Gareth and Rainbo are also marine scientists, their (PhD) specialty being marine plants (seaweeds), and there’s a sense to everything that they do that the natural order and way of things is their chief informant. The Adelaide Hills region has been crucial – indeed, the driver – of the Australian 'progressive wine' movement, and Gentle Folk has been a quiet but inspiring ingredient thereof. -CAMPBELL MATTINSON