Vin Sōl

Wine from the sun, the soil and the soul.

In French, sol is soil. In Latin, sōl is sun. And for us, it resonates with something equally important: soul. Three things that, together, make a great wine possible.

Thirty years of intent

Three decades in McLaren Vale teaches you things no textbook covers. It starts in the vineyard, tasting and watching the grapes ripen, getting a feel for what the vintage wants to be. That feeling drives everything that follows: when to harvest, which yeast will suit the fruit, and as the wine slowly reveals itself, which oak will carry it forward. Every decision shapes the next.

Vin Sōl is what happens when all of that experience is finally pointed in one direction.

Wine Geek. Not Wine Hippie.

I grew up in winemaking under Geoff Merrill, one of McLaren Vale's most respected names. Geoff's approach is built on tradition and time, letting the wine find its way through years in oak and bottle. It's a philosophy that produces beautiful results, and it shaped how I think about wine.

My own style took a different path. Less new oak, gentler handling. Open ferments, hand plunging and gentle pressing. The goal is the same: a wine that's ready to drink and built to last. I just get there differently.

I call myself a Wine Geek rather than a Wine Hippie. I'm not interested in making wines that need explaining — natural or orange styles that challenge more than they please. I use my technical training to make the best possible wine from the fruit in front of me, and let McLaren Vale do the rest.

A brand built on lessons learned

After thirty years of making wine, I've learned that a great wine in the bottle is only half the story. The other half is whether people can find it, connect with it, and feel confident enough to buy it without needing it explained to them.

Vin Sōl is a clean slate. A chance to build something with a simple, honest story, a visual identity worth noticing, and wines priced at what they're actually worth.

A winemaker who knows what he's doing, and wines that are ready to prove it.

McLaren Vale. No explanation required.

McLaren Vale has a way of making winemaking look easy. The climate is generous, the soils are complex, and the fruit that comes off these vines is ripe, balanced and full of flavour.

These are not wines that require patience or acquired taste. They make sense immediately. Fruit forward, fresh, food friendly, and genuinely drinkable. That's not an accident. That's McLaren Vale doing what it does best.

Five wines. One philosophy.

Each wine in the Vin Sōl range has a name drawn from Latin. Not for the sake of being clever, but because the words carry a meaning that English doesn't always capture as cleanly.

Flōrus · Ignis · Suāvis · Fortis · Solis

Beautiful · Fire · Charming · Strong · Sunny

Different varieties, different characters, but the same thread running through all of them. Clean, fruit driven, balanced and made to be enjoyed rather than deliberated over.

Ready when you are

Vin Sōl is available online. No cellar door, by design. We'd rather the wines find you where you are.

The easiest way to stay close to what we're making is to join the Insider Wine List. No commitment, just first access to new releases, the occasional behind the scenes note, and a direct line to the winery.

For those who want something more, the Sol Society is a wine subscription built around value and connection. Members receive wines at below retail pricing, along with benefits that reflect how much we appreciate them being part of it.