2025 Brash Higgins ZBO Zibbibo
2025 Brash Higgins ZBO Zibbibo

2025 Brash Higgins ZBO Zibbibo

92 pts
Brash Higgins |Riverland |Zibibbo
One of the few Zibibbos in Australia made with a clear vision and brilliant execution. It’s out there and enormous fun to drink.
Price:
$42.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Brad Hickey's love for the weird and wonderful in the world of wine seems to know no bounds. And his ZBO (short for Zibibbo) 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 150 days.

It's a cloudy, unique wine, but incredibly well executed.

Zibibbo is an ancient, aromatic white grape from the Muscat family grown in the warmth of the Mediterranean and South Australia. From fruit grown at Bassham Vineyard in the Riverland, chosen for its potential to develop length and complexity from longer skin contact. the wine is reminiscent of something from Alice in Wonderland, where things aren’t always as they seem.

Quasi golf ball sized, bronze fruit parlayed into waiting terracotta amphorae. A wild ferment kicks off with the caps being hand plunged twice daily until the ferment finishes and the skins sink into the wine. The skins, seeds and juice remain covered in situ for six months. A FLOR, or layer of yeast, volunteers itself and covers and helps protect the wine. The ‘free run’ was siphoned off in spring and combined with the pressings. The wine settles before being racked and sent to bottle unfiltered and unfined.

‘A tad diaphanous in appearance, as expected for the long elevage on skins. The wine is dry yet exudes tantalising herbal, spice and stone fruit aromas. Complex nose of apricot, graphite/pencil shavings, cut ginger, lemon myrtle, elderflower, white pepper, IPA hoppy notes, and wild honey leap from the glass. On the palate, the wine has a soft entry but with good grip, an earthy sweet chalk/clay element with notes of pink grapefruit, white pepper, lemon oil, mandarin tea and cinnamon apples.’ – Brad Hickey, Vinitor, Sept 9, 2025.



Additional information
Harvest date: March 7, 2025
Hand Picked
Vineyard: Bassham, Barmera, Riverland
Grower: Bruce Bassham Family
Viticulture: Sustainable
Soil Type: Red loam over limestone
Irrigation: Dry Grown
Altitude: 32 metres above sea level
Planted: 1945
Fermenter type: clay amphorae
Time on skins: 150 days in amphorae
Bottling date: August 22, 2025
Closure: Stelvin +
pH 3.85, TA 5.1 g/l, alc 12%

275 cases

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type Amber
Body Full Bodied
Variety Zibibbo
Country Australia
Region Riverland
Australian State SA
Feature Natural/Lo-Fi
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Alcohol 12%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Screw Cap

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.

Brad Hickey AKA Brash Higgins - McLaren Vale, SA Brash Higgins

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