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Description
A producer with a single-minded varietal focus is a rarity in Australian wine, John Hughes is one of those rarities.
Try his wonderful Rieslings in this pack!
- 2025 Rieslingfreak No. 2 Polish Hill River Riesling
- 2025 Rieslingfreak No. 3 Clare Valley Riesling
- 2025 Rieslingfreak No. 4 Eden Valley Riesling
- 2025 Rieslingfreak No. 5 Clare Valley Off Dry Riesling
- 2024 Rieslingfreak No. 11 Mosaik Eden Valley Riesling
- 2025 Rieslingfreak No.12 Flaxman Valley Riesling
2025 Rieslingfreak No. 2 Polish Hill River Riesling
Sourced from a single block in the celebrated Polish Hill River subregion, this is elite Australian Riesling at its most precise and pure.
The 2025 No. 2 comes from the Jaeschke family vineyard, planted on grey-brown loam over sandy limestone and shale - a site John and Belinda Hughes consider among their very best. The 2025 vintage, despite a frost that slashed yields by over 70%, has delivered fruit of remarkable intensity and expression.
Expect a nose alive with fresh green apple, jasmine, pomelo, and hints of passionflower and lime. The palate is crisp and silky, with a talc-like minerality lending a slippery texture beneath Granny Smith apple and yuzu flavours.
That classic iron bar of acidity provides a spine of electric length, finishing clean and pure. A benchmark Riesling from this renowned subregion and sadly in very limited supply this year so don't hesitate.
96 points
"A shimmery, lightweight and ultra-pure riesling of high perfume, substantial minerality and wonderful delicacy... Don't expect power, but relax into the strikingly mouth-watering and refreshing nature of this light, fine-boned wine. Drink in its vigorous youth."
- Mike Bennie (Halliday Wine Companion)
2025 Rieslingfreak No. 3 Clare Valley Riesling
The Rieslingfreak No. 3 is John Hughes' outstanding value Clare Valley Riesling.
The Clare Valley is John's home and this wine hails from the family vineyard at White Hutt. The 2025 vintage tells a story of resilience. A year marked by the driest conditions on record and searing heat produced smaller yields but fruit of extraordinary quality. This wine captures the generosity and power of Riesling in the Clare Valley while showing a delicacy rarely seen in such a warm, dry year.
The nose is very enticing, offering Pink Lady apples, Meyer lemon, guava, and fresh nectarine. The palate bursts with zesty citrus, think lemon and blood orange, alongside sweet apple, mango, and passionfruit. A tight, crisp acidity carries these flavours to a long, zesty finish.
An absolute bargain and a must-have for lovers of Australian Riesling, delicious now or destined for the cellar.
95 points
"Linear and focused, with a long, mineral-edged finish."
- Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)
2025 Rieslingfreak No. 4 Eden Valley Riesling
John Hughes’ deep love of Riesling shines through once again in this superb Eden Valley release.
The 2025 No. 4 is sourced from selected vineyards across the southern ranges of Eden Valley, including the High Eden subregion of Flaxman Valley and sites near Angaston and Springton. In a year defined by record dry conditions, searing heat, and a challenging frost event, these sites yielded fruit of stunning purity and intensity.
Made in a dry style, this Riesling captures Eden Valley at its finest: elegance, perfume, and slate-like minerality. The bouquet leaps with fresh lime, passionfruit, and rosewater, layered with fennel seed, star anise, and a hint of rain on warm slate. The palate is finely structured, bursting with lime juice and elderflower, drawn long by the vintage’s hallmark crisp acidity.
Another deadset bargain for any Riesling lover from John & Belinda Hughes.
97 points
"The palate is sharp and focused... The finish is both electric and precise. Excellent."
- Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)
2025 Rieslingfreak No. 5 Clare Valley Off Dry Riesling
Few off-dry styles in Australia are executed with the precision and drinkability of this Rieslingfreak gem.
The 2025 No. 5 comes from the family’s White Hutt vineyard in the Clare Valley, where grey clay over limestone soils and east-west plantings delivered fruit of striking elegance and juicy natural acidity. A challenging vintage, defined by heat, drought, and frost, has give John and Belinda Hughes a wine with bold flavours and thrilling acidity - perfectly suited to this more ‘Germanic’ expression of the Clare Valley.
The nose is beautiful on release, with aromas of red apple, sweet orange, mandarin, almond blossom, and peony. On the palate, juicy apple and nectarine are lifted by sherbet-like acidity. The natural sweetness adds richness to the mid-palate, while crisp acidity drives a clean, linear finish.
A superb match for spicy dishes, or simply delicious on its own.
95 points
"Very stylish young, half-dry riesling which will have a brilliant future."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
2024 Rieslingfreak No. 11 Mosaik Eden Valley Riesling
John Hughes has a knack for pushing Riesling into fresh, exciting territory and his No. 11 “Mosaik” proves it once again.
This is Eden Valley purity with a twist: pristine fruit fermented wild and aged for a year on lees in mostly old French oak, with just a touch of new oak for extra spice and structure. It gives you a Riesling that’s layered, textural and seriously delicious.
The nose is packed with aromas of nutmeg, baked cheesecake and chargrilled pineapple, with hints of dried rose petals and salt-rimmed lime. The palate is creamy, rich and spicy, full of candied citrus and crystallised ginger, yet it finishes with that trademark crisp acidity that keeps everything in check.
Whether you’re a Riesling diehard or just dipping your toes in, this is a brilliant, conversation-starting wine. Pair it with fragrant Thai dishes, creamy cheeses or just enjoy it solo. This cuvee exclusive to Different Drop so you won't find it anywhere else and trust us, it's not to be missed.
2025 Rieslingfreak No.12 Flaxman Valley Riesling
Originally created to mark John Hughes being named Barossa’s Winemaker of the Year, the No. 12 has quickly become one of the standouts in the Rieslingfreak line-up - a beautiful expression of High Eden Riesling.
Sourced from three small family vineyards in Flaxman Valley, this is everything you want in a crisp, dry white: delicate, racy, and seriously moreish. The 2025 vintage threw everything at the vine, including heat, drought and frost - but what’s ended up in the bottle is pure class.
There’s a gorgeous perfume of kaffir lime, rosewater, and that earthy, slatey thing you get when rain hits hot stone. The palate is super fine and satiny, with bright flavours of gooseberry, yuzu, finger lime and quince, all wrapped around a crackling line of acidity.
Fresh, focused and outrageously good value - this should be at the top of your list if you’re into crisp, dry whites.
96 points
" Long and focused, with persistence and purity. This will age for decades."
- Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)
Customer Reviews
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