Hi! Thanks for finding us, and please accept an extremely warm welcome to the CellarHand family.
We’re a new name in this sphere, and one we hope you’ll grow to love on the basis of the wine-growers in our portfolio and the exemplary values that we all share.
CellarHand does in fact have what counts as a fair bit of history in the context of fine wines of the world being showcased here in Australia. The company was founded in 1999 by former sommelier Patrick Walsh and wife Virginia, inspired in part by a wish to introduce Australians to the wines Patrick discovered in Europe as inaugural winner of the Frankland Estate Riesling Scholarship.
Their initial plans met with amused bafflement from the German Trade Commission, but Patrick and Virginia have turned the likes of Dr Loosen, Dönnhoff and Wittmann into household names among the nation’s winelovers.
Patrick says: “We’ve worked hard and had a great time bringing people quality wines of personality and originality, grown by families who express the best of their regions.
“The wine world is endlessly diverse and fascinating, and the choices now available to Australians reflects this – just look at the presence of Hattingley Valley’s English sparkling wines, the amphora-raised Armenian wines of Zorah or Hungarian dry Furmint from the Moric Project.
“Over our 20-plus years, we’re proud to have been leaders and innovators, all the while taking a considered, long-term approach. Time, conviction and honesty are vital factors in making great wine, nurturing true relationships and building a reputation.
“The growers we represent are like family to us, and the same goes for the many members of the trade, media and general public who’ve supported us along the way.”
A handful of top-tier domestic wineries have been in the CellarHand portfolio from the very beginning, and over the years this has grown to what feels like a small but perfectly formed coterie of passionate, like-minded friends from Australia and New Zealand.
The likes of Rheingau producer Georg Breuer and Dr Loosen from the Mosel were early members of a portfolio that now boasts 11 prestigious German estates, as well as an unrivalled selection of Austrian winemakers and a superb crop of French and Piedmontese domaines.
The portfolio has continued to expand along family lines, too, with long-time connections such as G.D. Vajra of Barolo and Jacques Prieur of Burgundy joining the offering in recent times.
We hope that you’ll enjoy exploring the broad range of wines available here, and stand ready to offer any advice you might need as you continue your wine journey.
By way of jumping-off point, read what we have been up to recently here.