In 1981, the Australian wine industry was in bad shape. Classic old vines, used to make fortified and red wines, were being removed and big companies were pulling out of the industry. Twenty-four year old Geoff Hardy had recently graduated from Roseworthy Agricultural College and had seen how the Californians were grafting old vines over to new varieties such as Chardonnay.
Geoff formed a partnership with Ian Leask who was then managing the Ryecroft vineyards and already had a solid background in viticulture. The Ryecroft vineyards came up for sale and the pair could not resist acquiring the best block - this is how Pertaringa, an Aboriginal name meaning ‘belonging to the hills', was born.
Geoff and Ian's grafted vines, Chardonnay in particular, were an instant success. The Shiraz ironically sold to Hardys, Geoff’s family wine company, to make port and only in exchange for some wine as payment. A far cry from today when Pertaringa’s old Shiraz and Cabernet vines make two of the finest full-bodied reds of the region. Much of the fruit is also highly sought after by many of Australia’s leading wine companies for their award winning wines. The Sauvignon Blanc makes a beautiful and classy white and the Semillon, with the benefit of fermentation in new oak, is a real red wine drinker's white. Each individual Pertaringa wine is made from select parcels of the best fruit from each variety grown in the vineyard.
In 1990, Geoff and Ian won the first 'South Australian Vineyard of the Year' award, a worthy recognition of their combined efforts. In 1997, a cellar door was added to the vineyard complex, making a visit to the vineyard even more rewarding.
In the 2006 season, Ian's son Richard Leask took over the day-to-day management of the vineyard.
Pertaringa's wines have now found their way to Europe, North America and Asia where they have received much recognition. Pertaringa’s Shiraz has been chosen by Qantas to be served in their International Business Class and has also been awarded five stars by London’s famous Decanter Magazine, outscoring other Australian premium Shirazes such as The Eileen Hardy, The Armagh, Grant Burge Meshach and Rosemount Balmoral. In addition, the Wine Spectator from the US and Australian wine writer James Halliday have both given the Pertaringa Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz extremely high scores.
