First Drop Wines

Conceived by two friends, Matt ‘Gantos’ Gant and John ‘JR’ Retsas, with a desire to make wines to drink, not just appreciate. Mother’s Milk! Based at the ‘Home of the Brave’ in the Barossa, First Drop is making wines with fl­avour, texture and a splash of funk; from fruit sourced from unique vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Barossa to bring you a diverse, deliciously exciting and thought provoking line up of ­flavours.

Matt Gant is an Englishman, who began his vinous journey back in 1995 when his wine-fanatical Geography lecturer contrived a two-week ‑field trip to Burgundy and Champagne, with amazing tastings every day. Inspired and intrigued by the world of wine, Matt then landed a vintage job in New Zealand and set off to learn more about wine, discovering an all-consuming passion. Other vintages followed in Spain, Italy, Portugal, the US and Australia. It was here that Matt quickly developed a reputation, winning the Wine Society’s ‘Young Winemaker of the Year’ Award in 2004 as winemaker at St Hallett, and taking out the v-know ‘Young Gun of Wine’ Award for First Drop in 2007.

John Retsas is a man on a mission with a passion for wine and life, a mission that began growing up in Ceduna, South Australia. With European parents, wine was served at the table with every meal.These dodgy homemade reds were often McLaren Vale Grenache fermented in an old bathtub, or even an 8ft ‑fibreglass dingy. These early memories have fuelled John’s love of wine, and the dodgy reds have made way for top-notch product. His passion for good wine is matched only by his love of great food. Always entertaining and experimenting, John’s a dab hand in the kitchen, and makes all sorts of lip-smacking gear including ‘small goods’(prosciutto, salamis), olive oils, tomato sauces and freshly-caught seafood.