Finger Lakes

McLaren Vale

Adelaide Hills

Living Roots is a winery in both the Finger Lakes region of New York and in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Our Aussie family has made wine for six generations, and we’re following in their footsteps making styles we love to drink, with varietal and regional expression, minimal inputs and maximum quality. We source grapes from a number of growers, including both of our families, and each vintage is an opportunity to highlight the regions surrounding our hometowns while exploring new vineyards, varieties, styles, and low input techniques.

United States

Living Roots

Barbera

Blaufrankisch

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cayuga White

Chardonnay

Gewürztraminer

Grenache

Marquette

Nero d'Avola

Petite Sirah

Petit Verdot

Pinot Gris

Pinot Noir

Riesling

Saperavi

Shiraz

Tannat

Traminette

Vidal

Sebastian Hardy, along with his wife Colleen, started Living Roots, a winery melding the best of their hometowns in the Finger Lakes of New York and the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. The Living Roots story can be traced to Thomas Hardy, Seb’s great-great-great grandfather, who immigrated from England and planted some of the first vines in South Australia in 1853. Seb grew up around his dad’s vineyards and went on to pursue winemaking with vintages in Australia, Austria, France, Italy and the US, a degree in Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Adelaide and a six-month exchange at UC Davis. Seb and Colleen met in 2014 and started Living Roots in 2016. They currently split time between South Australia and New York, doing two harvests each year and experimenting with a wide range of varieties and styles that highlight the natural strengths of each region.

Sebastian Hardy

White

Vidal with juicy peach and melon characters into the tropical fruit spectrum, balanced with pretty florals and beeswax. We picked the grapes into early winter after the first snows for a rich and concentrated late-harvest wine, and stopped the ferment early for a naturally semi-sweet style with high-acidity to match.

Finger Lakes Late-Harvest Vidal

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon [53%] and Tannat [47%] from our family's vineyard in Kuitpo. After destemming both, we gave the Cabernet two punch downs per day for more typical extraction and covered up the Tannat for 10 days carbonic maceration to push a brighter fruit spectrum and soft tannins. Vibrant strawberry and cherry characters are balanced with savory herbal notes, supple tannins, and spice on the finish.

Adelaide Hills Cabernet Tannat

100% Riesling juice fermented wild on fresh Cabernet Franc skins before aging in old French oak. Citrus characters and fresh acidity from the Rizza [Aussie slang for Riesling] meet darker fruits and soft tannins from the Cab Franc skins that were previously pressed for Rosé.

Finger Lakes Red Rizza

Riesling is well suited to lower alcohol styles with its racy acidity, fine tannins and good flavor concentration. This one was sourced from several sites in the Finger Lakes and picked early for fresh acidity and lower natural alcohol. White flower aromas, zippy citrus characters and balanced residual sugar make for a refreshing and delicious Rizz [Aussie slang for Riesling].

Finger Lakes Session Rizz

A rich, yet fresh, style of Pinot Gris from a cooler vintage in the Finger Lakes. The wine was fermented naturally in stainless steel and aged on lees for ten months. High-toned aromatics and varietal pear characters are balanced with gingery spice and fresh acidity.

Finger Lakes Pinot Gris

An elegant style from a cooler vintage, with zippy acidity and classic varietal characters. A high percentage of whole berries in the ferment pushed the bright red fruit spectrum, while tannins and peppery spice were slowly extracted as the berries broke down prior to pressing. Wild ferment. Unfined. Unfiltered.

Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc

Grenache made in a vibrant style with lots of whole berries in the ferment and very little oak influence. Juicy cherry and strawberry flavors are balanced with spicy white pepper and a bit of savory complexity. Fermented wild in 1-tonne picking bins, we incorporated some carbonic maceration for pretty aromatics, lifted fruit, and a soft mouthfeel.

McLaren Vale Grenache

Vibrant Shiraz with lifted dark fruits, fresh acidity, and balanced spicy, savory characters. The grapes were destemmed, but not crushed, for a high percentage of whole berries. Half of the batch was fermented in open fermenters and punched down twice a day while the other half was covered up for 10 days carbonic maceration, all wild. 2019 was a relatively cool vintage with low yields and high quality.

Adelaide Hills Shiraz

Finger Lakes Riesling picked with some 'noble rot' botrytis, concentrating the grape sugars and contributing to richness on the palate. Bright aromatics and tropical fruit characters keep the palate fresh, with racy acidity balancing the natural residual grape sugars left in the wine.

Finger Lakes Off-Dry Riesling

Pinot Noir destemmed and fermented wild with a high percentage of whole berries, resulting in aromatic and juicy fruit characters balanced with earthiness, fresh acidity and spice. A couple different clones of Pinot from Seb's uncle Bill's vineyard come together for a delicate yet concentrated wine. 115 brings bright cherry notes to the blend while MV6 contributes riper fruit and a bit of meatiness.

Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir

Rosé

A blend of primarily hybrid varieties with pretty florals, juicy fruit, and refreshing acidity. This was picked early for lower natural alcohol and made in the Charmat method. We used unfermented juice for tirage instead of adding sugar, and stopped the secondary fermentation early to leave balanced residual sweetness. The palate evokes watermelon Jolly Ranchers in all the best ways.

Finger Lakes Session Sparkling Rosé

Brut Nature

Riesling whole bunch pressed to minimize phenolics, fermented wild, and finished off in bottle to create natural bubbles. The grapes were primarily sourced from a vineyard on the west side of Keuka Lake, with a small portion coming from a pristine vineyard near Lake Ontario. Pithy lemon and juicy peach characters are balanced by chalky minerality and a bone-dry palate.

Finger Lakes Pét-Nat Riesling

Orange

Cayuga White fermented on Aromella skins; Vidal fermented on Traminette skins. This is our take on an orange wine made from some of our favorite hybrid varieties, with great texture and only 8.5% ABV. Aromella and Traminette both have particularly expressive skins, with well-balanced tannins that are suited to extended contact.

Finger Lakes Session Gold

Early picked hybrid varieties make for a naturally lower ABV bubbly with juicy stone fruit and chalky characters. A few hours skin contact adds to the texture and mouthfeel, before pressing, cold settling, racking, and fermenting wild. Made in the Charmat method, we used unfermented juice for tirage instead of adding sugar, and stopped the secondary fermentation early to leave balanced residual sugar and a lower ABV.

Finger Lakes Session Sparkling White

Shiraz made from organic grapes with perfumed fruit, a plush palate, and well integrated oak. Fermented with a high percentage of whole berries and some covered up for carbonic maceration to push the fresh fruit spectrum. Dark plum and cherry characters are balanced with subtle olive and black pepper notes, silky tannins, spicy clove in the background, and a chocolatey finish.



McLaren Vale Shiraz

Our take on Finger Lakes Dry Riesling, fermented with native yeast until bone-dry and aged on lees for ten months. High-toned citrus and steely notes on the nose meet a textural palate with good fruit intensity and racy acidity. This is the kind of Riesling we love to make and drink.

Finger Lakes Bone-Dry Riesling

Sparkling

Riesling hand-picked from a beautiful backyard vineyard near Lake Ontario and made in the Pétillant Naturel style. Whole bunch pressed to minimize phenolics, fermented wild, and finished off in bottle for a natural, bone-dry bubbly. Pithy citrus and juicy tropical notes are balanced with chalky, mineral characters.

New York State Pet-Nat Riesling

Juicy strawberry characters, spice, and high-toned aromatics make for a fruit driven yet complex rosé. Made from Cabernet Franc, with leaf-plucking during the growing season for optimal sunlight and ripening. Pressed off skins straight away before fermenting in stainless steel.

Finger Lakes Dry Rosé

Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz Blend

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon [44%], Shiraz [40%], Petit Verdot [14%], and a touch of Tannat [2%].

The Cab Sauv brings tannins and a varietal savoury side to the blend. The Shiraz had two different pick dates - one on the early side for freshness and acidty, and one a bit later for body and richness. Petit Verdot contibutes body, freshness, and a lovely mulberry fruit spectrum, while the pinch of Tannat brings acidity and structure.

South Australia Depths of the Earth Red Blend

Petite Sirah Blend

Petite Sirah [54%] and Syrah [46%] from the Kuitpo subregion of the Adelaide Hills.

The components were fermented separately, all wild with a high percentage of whole berries. Racy acidity and spice from Petite Sirah combine with body and ripe characters from Shiraz for a fresh yet structured wine.

Bright fruits, tight yet soft tannins, and complexing secondary characters such as forest berries and pine needles perfectly capture the essence of Kuitpo.

Petite Sirah Syrah

Chardonnay fermented naturally in neutral French oak before aging on lees for nineteen months. The grapes were sourced from our family's vineyard, Shale Creek, that overlooks Keuka Lake. Yields were relatively low, but quality was high in 2022. Bright acidity is complimented by flinty minerality and softened with a creamy palate resulting from partial spontaneous malolactic fermentation and oak aging.

Finger Lakes Chardonnay

Red Blend

Pretty florals, ripe stone fruits, and a plush body round out this elegant and aromatic blend.

Carefully chosen varietals come together to create a juicy and expressive white with a spicy finish that lingers on the palate. A cool fermentation in stainless steel allows for preservation of freshness and aromatic integrity.

Golden Fields

Low Alcohol

Our Session Red is a blend of hybrids and vinifera picked early for a naturally lower ABV style with plenty of ripe flavors, spice, and texture.

A savoury palate with some peppery spice is balanced with vibrant red and purple fruit characters, and notes of violet. A mix of whole berry ferment and shorter skin contact brings the fruit to the forefront, along with refreshing acidity and soft tannins.

Session Red

A juicy expression of Marquette, one of our favorite French-American hybrids with great suitability for the Finger Lakes.

The grapes were sourced from the west side of Keuka Lake and tend to ripen on the early side. We pressed off skins straight away for a fresh style, while still getting complexity from the juice, furthered by fermenting [and aging] in neutral French oak. Bright fruits and subtle spice make for a delicious lighter red.

A tribute to the legends who brought us Aussie Dry Rizza and the ultimate sherbet treat in the '60s, in the form of an ancient, yet re-emerging, style of sparkling. Riesling from our family's vineyard in the southern Adelaide Hills, picked with high acidity and rich flavours thanks to the cooler vintage, and made in the Pet-Nat style. On first sniff, you'll get zesty citrus and lemongrass, with racy acidity and juicy white nectarine flavours.

Rizz Fizz

41% Blaufrankisch, 36% Cabernet Franc, and 23% Saperavi make for a fun and complex Pét-Nat. All whole-bunch pressed, fermented wild separately, and finished off in bottle for a natural, bone-dry bubbly. Fresh fruits are balanced with savory dried herb characters.

Living Roots

United States

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