Rewriting the rules

Working as a sommelier in top restaurants, Andrew poured a lot of great wines. But he found himself wanting to see more wines that told a story – that he could engage his customers with. So, when he helped launch the La Petite Mort label, that was his priority.

“The most important thing about what we’re doing here is that we’re not just making good wine, we’re making wines that have something to say,” says Andrew.

Andrew’s based in Queensland’s Granite Belt wine region. In a state famous for sunshine and beaches, it has a surprisingly cool climate thanks to its spot high in the hills. And it’s become a haven for experimental wines and alternative varieties – which suits Andrew just fine.

“Out here in the Granite Belt, we’re on the frontier of winemaking in Australia, figuratively and geographically,” says Andrew. “I think that gives us a lot of freedom to play around and break rules without the preconceptions that some of the more established regions face.”

Don’t expect a straightforward Chardonnay or Shiraz from La Petite Mort – these are experimental wines made in small batches, using a variety of techniques, including fermenting white wines with grape skins to produce complex, orange-hued wines.

“For the way we make wine, there are no rules,” says Andrew. “We have a very clean slate in an emerging region like the Granite Belt. People don’t have expectations.”

One of La Petite Mort’s best-known wines is Saperavi, a red grape originally from Georgia. It’s fermented in traditional terracotta vessels called ‘qvevri’ that are buried underground. 

“It’s 8,500 years’ worth of wine culture and wine history that we are re-evaluating and re-imagining in a very modern Australian context,” says Andrew.

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