15/07/2026
This one is a bit special. Life is shaped by moments and people. My late father-in-law was one of them. For those who knew Warrick he was tough, but fair, kind but also restrained. He was the fella who truly got me interested in w**e. Many a claret was had over the dining table at the Station over the years, always with a story or two and generally followed by rock music in the lounge.
There was one particular afternoon I’ll never forget. We were in his Ute, up the back of the vineyard talking all things water, a topic he knew well. We were in the throes of buying this place, sun going down looking from a high point on the vineyard out across the Ballandean township through to Ballandean Station with the hills of Sundown in the distance. I’ll never forget this day.
Always, after a bottle or two of red, Warrick would end up with a little ‘w**e smile’ in the corner of his mouth, a sure sign of a good night. This w**e, The W**e Smile is a nod to you mate. The label captures the hills of Sundown National Park sparking a memory for me of an afternoon with a truly great fella who positively shaped my little family’s life. Will be popping this w**e online today via the website and available at the Cellar Door. $5 from every bottle sold I will donate to cancer research, something that touches us all, and sadly took this great man from us.
Cheers to you Warrick or as our kids called him, Waggy. Forever the brightest star in the sky at dusk and always in all of our hearts. Samantha Freeman
