A Special Evening: The Launch of Newlands Estate 2 Jacks Pinot Noir

What a special night it was celebrating the launch of our very first Newlands Estate 2 Jacks Pinot Noir!

We held our launch at the beautiful Thorn-Clarke Wines in the Barossa, surrounded by locals, friends and members of the media who came along to celebrate this very special milestone with us.

When we bought our farm in Eden Valley and made the move from Brisbane to the Barossa, we never imagined how quickly our lives would become intertwined with vineyards, grapes and wine. Getting to this point with our first wine has been a huge journey, and being able to share it with our community made the launch even more meaningful.

A highlight of the evening was hearing from Peter Kelly, Chief Winemaker at Thorn-Clarke Wines, who talked us through the story behind our 2 Jacks Pinot Noir and the winemaking process.

Peter described the 2026 vintage as a very challenging year, which made the end result even more special. Our Pinot Noir was traditionally destined to be used as a component in a sparkling wine blend, rather than being made as a still Pinot Noir. But after seeing what the fruit had to offer, Peter and the team were able to create something very special – and, in his words, the wine came out amazingly well.

It was fascinating hearing Peter explain the journey from grape to bottle and what went into making our first 2 Jacks Pinot Noir. Knowing that the wine came from a challenging vintage and fruit that was originally intended for a completely different purpose makes us even prouder of what ended up in the bottle.

The launch also had a little bit of radio excitement! As part of the event, I was interviewed for The Wine Show on BBBfm, a community radio station that celebrates the people, stories and wines of the region. It was a little nerve-wracking stepping in front of the microphone, but it was a wonderful opportunity to talk about our journey from Brisbane to Eden Valley, Newlands Estate and how 2 Jacks came to be.

And of course, no Newlands Estate event would be complete without a taste of Sunél's Kitchen! I was thrilled to provide the catering for the evening, showcasing some of my small-batch condiments alongside the wine. It was a lovely way to bring together two of the things I have been building since moving to the Barossa – our vineyard and my passion for making good food.

Launching our first vintage has been a proud moment for both Derek and me. There has been plenty of hard work, plenty to learn and a few challenges along the way, but seeing that first bottle with the Newlands Estate 2 Jacks label on it made it all worthwhile.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, to Thorn-Clarke Wines for hosting us, to Peter for sharing his knowledge, to BBBfm and The Wine Show, and to everyone who has supported us on this journey.

This is just the beginning for Newlands Estate, and we can't wait to see where the next chapter takes us.

Cheers to 2 Jacks!