Travis Tausend Agori Red Blend 2020

The Agori Red is an 80% Merlot, 18% Pinot Noir, and 2% Shiraz blend sourced from organically farmed vineyards in Hope Forest, at the southern tip of the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. The 2% Shiraz comes from wild vines growing among Sauvignon Blanc rows on the property. The Merlot and Pinot Noir were fermented separately before being blended.

Travis Tausend works strictly zero-zero: no additives of any kind, no added sulphur at any stage, and fermentation with only indigenous yeasts. All production is done by hand using a manual destemmer, a hand-driven press, old barrels, and stainless steel tanks. The result is a wine that is light to medium in body, with fresh crisp acidity, powdery tannins, and a slight natural spritz.

Hope Forest sits at the southern end of the Adelaide Hills GI, one of the coolest microclimates in the region thanks to its elevation and dual cooling winds from the Southern Ocean and the Gulf of St. Vincent. Soils at the Top Range vineyard include ironstone and quartz deposits in loamy clay over a sandstone bedrock, contributing to the wine's lively mineral edge.

Travis Tausend has been immersed in natural wine since 2005 and began making his own wines in 2014. He runs the entire project solo outside of harvest, when friends and family help pick fruit. Ten percent of profits are donated to charity, only solar energy powers the cellar, and all packaging apart from bottles uses recycled materials.