Gertie Wines

After working in the Clare Valley for the best part of 2 decades, winemaker Ben Marx wanted to craft 2 wines he really enjoyed drinking. The answer: find the best parcels of fruit in the Clare and make the wines in his spare time, away from his day job at Jim Barry Wines (see separate entry). He is gentle in his approach, bottling wines unfiltered and unfined (occasionally in ceramic vessels) with only minimal additions. You are not likely to find Gertie in a shop, but that is just part of the joy here, reaching out to the maker directly in the hopes of tasting his wine. -KATRINA BUTLER