Meet the makers

Joseph ‘Fedele’ (from the Latin fides, meaning faith) and Charles ‘Caruso’ (Italian word used since the middle ages for ‘boy’, ‘lad’…hence, ‘Faithful Child’) have a long history in agriculture stemming back hundreds of years to Italy.  

We are farmers through and through who constantly debate what’s on the family lunch or dinner table, including what wine suits best. To be perfectly honest, it can best be described as a relentless, inter generational passion (some say personality disorder), that can at times, drive us to the edge of our own experience (some call this education!). We like to describe these often spritely, gastronomical and viniferous discussions as ‘creative exchanges’ because only good comes out of them. These conversations deeply inspire us to strive for better techniques, outcomes and ultimately, a better product. As a university professor once told me many years ago, “Show me your library Joe, and I’ll tell you when you died.” To stop learning is to stop creating…“Ancora imparo”… “I am still learning”, a wise person once said (often attributed to Michelangelo).

Respect for the land, family and tradition are the inspiration for creating this small, hand picked batch of Shiraz that unapologetically reflects place.

Our wives suggested we post an authentic, unadulterated photo that captures our no frills approach to winemaking.  We showed them, a pregnant pause ensued, even a raised eyebrow, dare we say.  Before the next breath was drawn we said, ‘It’s going in because we just want to keep it real!’.

Our photograph clearly won’t win awards, but the point is that in essence, we are a couple of ordinary, ‘young at heart’ blokes who are extremely passionate about the effort and process, required to produce a high end product, that is accessible to all. We’re also open to having a good old fashioned chat with you about anything pertaining to the food and wine world.