Australia · Barossa Valley

Sigurd Wines

South Australian wines shaped by cross-region sourcing, earlier-picked fruit and a cellar that moves between stainless steel, old oak and large foudres.

The producer

Dan Piwko-Graham launched Sigurd in 2012 after studying enology and viticulture and working vintages from Central Otago to Barolo. Now a family venture with Marta, Sigurd draws fruit from Barossa, Riverland, Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley, allowing grape and vineyard source to lead each bottle.

Earlier picking, native yeasts, selective whole-bunch work and no fining or filtration keep acidity, perfume and texture in view. The range runs from raspberry-and-savoury Grenache to a six-variety red with cherry, spice and fine-grained tannin, then to Clare Valley Chenin Blanc with lemon, quince, lees richness and a chalky dry finish.

Known for

Grenache-led reds, multi-variety red blends and Clare Valley Chenin Blanc.

Notable facts

The story

A birthday behind the name

Sigurd takes its name from Dan Piwko-Graham’s great-grandfather, Sigurd Thorwaldsen Gran. Gran left Norway for Australia in 1914, then was sent back to Europe to fight in the First World War before returning to South Australia’s Riverland. In his thirties, Dan discovered that he and Gran shared the same birthday: 6 February, exactly 90 years apart. The label had already taken the family name, but the date connected it to a particular life: a Norwegian arrival in Australia, a wartime journey back to Europe, and a return to the Riverland where Gran settled.

From the atlas

Sigurd Wines

At A Glance

Sigurd Wines is Dan Piwko-Graham’s South Australian label, launched in 2012 and expanded into a family venture when Marta joined in 2020. Its bottles draw on fruit from Barossa, Riverland, Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley, so grape and source shape the range more than a single estate address.

Earlier-picked fruit, native yeasts, selective whole-bunch work and no fining or filtration keep the wines vivid in texture and aroma. Stainless steel, old oak barrels and large foudres then alter the weight, tannin and finish from bottle to bottle.

The Producer

Dan Piwko-Graham studied enology and viticulture at Charles Sturt University before working vintages in Central Otago, Canada, Portugal, Hermitage and Barolo. He launched Sigurd in 2012, joined RedHeads Wines in 2014, and left in 2017 to give the label his full attention; the result is a South Australian range that moves between single-variety wines and blends rather than following one fixed formula.

Marta joined in 2020 and runs business development, partnerships, exports, marketing, finance, design, logistics and operations. That division leaves Dan with the winemaking lead, while the bottles carry a broader family project than the solo label he began.

Place

Sigurd is associated with the Barossa but works across several South Australian growing areas. Barossa, Riverland, Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley each enter the sourcing picture, allowing a Grenache-led red, a six-grape blend and Clare Valley Chenin Blanc to sit naturally in the same range.

That spread matters in the glass. A Clare Valley Chenin can bring lemon, quince and firm acidity, while the Grenache and red blend make room for red fruit, darker berry fruit, spice and tannin. The label is therefore best understood through the origin stated on each bottle rather than through a single regional shorthand.

Soil And Site

The clearest documented site detail is a long-term leased plot in southern Barossa, where Dan trialled farming without sprays, cultivation or mowing while reducing water use. It is a vineyard experiment, not a producer-wide organic or biodynamic claim, and its consequence is a closer focus on how one block can be tended with fewer interventions.

For the 2024 Chenin Blanc, the fruit comes from an organically farmed Clare Valley vineyard more than 60 years old. Old vines and Clare Valley fruit meet natural fermentation and lees ageing in a wine whose lemon and golden-apple fruit is carried by chalky texture rather than simple softness.

Story

Sigurd began after Dan’s training and a run of vintages abroad, then became his full-time work in 2017. Those stops included places known for very different grapes and cellar traditions, and Sigurd’s range reflects that breadth through a Barossa-centred Grenache, a blend built from six red varieties, and a Chenin Blanc handled through lees, oak and stainless steel.

Marta’s arrival in 2020 changed the working shape of the label. With operations, exports, design and commercial work in her hands, the wines could remain focused on separate parcels, vessels and bottlings instead of collapsing into one generic house style.

Vineyards And Cellar

Sigurd picks fruit earlier, uses native yeasts and works with small portions of whole bunch where appropriate. Earlier harvests preserve acidity, while whole bunch can bring aromatic lift and tannin; together, those choices help explain the crunchy feel of the 2022 Grenache and the grip in the 2023 Red Blend.

The cellar also moves between stainless steel and oak, from 2,500-litre foudres to smaller barriques. Large old wood can let fruit and texture develop without an overt oak flavour, while smaller vessels offer more contact; the Grenache’s progression from old hogsheads to an old foudre is a clear example. The wines are not fined or filtered, and receive a small sulfur addition at bottling, leaving texture and sediment-related character intact rather than stripping the wine for a highly processed finish.

Wines

The range has two useful lanes: varietal wines that foreground a grape and source, and blends that build flavour through combination. The 2022 Grenache is 97% Grenache and 3% Cinsault; old oak gives it time to build texture while wild raspberry, savoury fruit, crunchy acidity and soft, focused tannin keep the body light on its feet.

The 2023 Red Blend layers Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Lagrein and Cabernet Sauvignon. Whole-bunch, carbonic and destemmed open-vat fermentations bring different fruit and tannin shapes into the same wine, producing cherry, forest berry, mulberry, blackberry, cinnamon, star anise and clove over a silky palate with fine-grained grip.

The 2024 Chenin Blanc takes a different route: 100% Clare Valley Chenin, naturally fermented on full lees, through full malolactic fermentation, then aged in oak and stainless steel. Its white flowers, brined citrus, fresh honey and cashew-butter notes make it the range’s richest white in texture, while its acidity keeps the finish dry.

In The Glass

Start with the 2022 Grenache: wild raspberry and savoury red fruit arrive first, then crunchy acidity carries the wine across the palate before soft tannins tighten the finish. The old oak is a textural frame rather than a dominant flavour, so the fruit remains the main impression.

The 2023 Red Blend shifts from cherry and forest berries into blackberry, cinnamon, star anise and clove. Carbonic and whole-bunch components help keep the nose lively, while the six varieties bring more mid-palate weight and a longer, grippier finish than the Grenache.

The 2024 Chenin Blanc opens with lemon, golden apple, quince and white flowers, then becomes broader through lees contact and malolactic fermentation. Brined citrus and focused acidity pull that richness into a chalky, dry finish, making it a white built for a glass at the table rather than a quick aromatic aperitif.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose the 2024 Chenin Blanc. It joins a Clare Valley vineyard more than 60 years old to natural fermentation on full lees, full malolactic fermentation, oak ageing until June 2025 and a final three months in stainless steel. Lemon, golden apple, quince, honey, nutmeg and cashew butter fill out the palate, but brined citrus and chalky acidity keep the body firm and the finish dry. It shows how Sigurd uses a specific grape and vineyard source, then changes its texture through cellar time rather than masking it with oak.

Anecdote

The name Sigurd came from Dan’s great-grandfather, Sigurd Thorwaldsen Gran. Gran left Norway for Australia in 1914, was sent back to Europe to fight in the First World War, and later returned to South Australia’s Riverland. Dan discovered in his thirties that they shared the same birthday: 6 February, exactly 90 years apart. The label already carried his great-grandfather’s name, but the date joined the bottle name to a specific family detail: a Norwegian migrant, a war-time return to Europe, a later life in the Riverland, and a birthday repeated three generations on.

Final Word

Sigurd is worth seeking out for wines that make their building blocks visible: Grenache lifted by acidity, a red blend shaped by several grape varieties and fermentation styles, and Clare Valley Chenin given weight by lees and time in oak. Read the grape and source on the label, then expect the vessel and cellar work to change how that fruit lands on the palate.

Sources

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