Complex and compelling, something to talk about around the table.
Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
About The Wine
Brad Hickey’s love for the weird and wonderful in the world of wine seems to know no bounds. And his ‘ZBO’ (Zibibbo Amphora) is as weird and wonderful as they come.
For those unfamiliar with Zibibbo, it is an ancient member of the muscat family, originating in the Mediterranean which has found a new home in South Australia. The fruit for this is sourced from Ricca Terra Farms in the warm and sunny Riverland. But what really distinguishes this wine is the winemaking behind it: the giant golf ball sized berries are hand-picked and destemmed into 200l clay amphorae eggs where the wine sits on skins for 7 months.
It's a cloudy, unique wine, but incredibly well executed. Mike Bennie gave the 2017 vintage a great write-up calling it, "Complex and compelling, something to talk about around the table." in his 93 point review. And he's dead right, Brad picked a little earlier this year so it's a little tighter than past releases but no less interesting. Interesting and delicious, that’s this ‘ZBO’.
About Brash Higgins
Brash Higgins is the label of winemaking American-turned-honorary-Aussie, Brad Hickey.
In his former life, Hickey was one of America's top sommeliers, working for many years crafting some of New York's finest wine lists. He came to Australia and fell in love with McLaren Vale and local vigneron Nicole Thorpe, with whom he now produces highly characterful, minimalist wines from their much loved Omensetter vineyard.
Hickey's wines are extremely expressive. They fall in two camps - the wines sourced from Omensetter vineyard and those sourced from friends around the Vale and the warm, dry Riverlands.
If you want 'classic' McLaren Vale, or if you want the true avant-garde, it's all available in the Brash Higgins range.

McLaren Vale, SA