Bird in Hand began in 1997 when our founders Andrew and Susie Nugent happened upon a run-down dairy farm in the emerging Adelaide Hills wine region of south Australia.
Wine is a catalyst for pleasure of all sorts that forms the philosophical foundation of Bird in Hand. Here, wine is not a thing, a mere object of desire that is bought, consumed and forgotten. It is many things. It is the land of the Adelaide Hills of Southern Australia. It is the love of its founder, Andrew Nugent, and the family of support around him.
It is grape vines that began a world away and yet express themselves so particularly in the soil of Bird in Hand’s rolling lands. It is the inspiration for The Gallery, the winery’s farm-to-table restaurant, and the art that hangs on its walls. It is the texture and feel of a fine piece of cloth, cut, sewn, and crafted into something beautiful. It is the raison d’etre behind Cellar Door, an old barrel cellar converted into a space for swirling and sipping, contemplating art, or drinking in the countryside views from its patio. It is the inspiration for the Bird in Hand Foundation, which works toward gender and racial equality and community support for the underprivileged.
We’ve found that life is good, but that wine makes it even better. And vice versa. It’s why we wake up every day and breathe the same air as our vines. We walk the fields and soak up the abundant South Australian sun. We stoop down and scoop up the soil of the Adelaide Hills and let it sift through our fingers, just to experience its distinctive texture one more time. There is nothing like it on earth.
Here, from the land we love, we create cool-climate wines with a global reach, each its own special tribute to pleasure. We like to think we’re giving the world a taste of the good life. The world seems to agree and reward us well.
