Owned by Larry Jacobs and Marc Dobson, Hahndorf Hill is a small winery that focuses on Austrian grape varieties. The winery, located in Adelaide Hills, is also the first South Australian producer of the Gruner Veltliner varietal, along with others like Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt, and Saint Laurent. In fact, their Gru Gruner Veltliner impressed judges at the 2021 London Wine Competition, where the wine took home a gold medal. 

We sat down with Larry Jacobs, who took us on a journey of how Hahndorf Hill came to be, and how he and Marc have turned it into an award-winning brand. 

Born in South Africa, Larry’s career started out with him doing ICU work in Johannesburg. After 25 years, he felt himself gravitating towards the wine industry, which led him to relocate to Stellenbosch, South Africa. Out there, Larry founded Mulderbosch Vineyards, and with a passion for wine, turned it into an international brand. 

Not long after, Larry, along with Marc (who was then a journalist and advertising copywriter) moved to Australia. His first stop was Sydney, and then the two moved to Adelaide Hills. 

“Adelaide Hills has now been my home for the past 20 years,” says Larry. 

Larry Jacobs, Founder of Handhorf hill winery

According to you, what makes a great wine?

For me, the ingredients of a great wine require the magical confluence of creativity, experience, and luck. 

What excites you the most about your brand?

I love the fact that Hahndorf Hill is small and versatile which allows me to be deeply involved in all aspects of the alchemy that creates excitement and deliciousness in the bottle.

What do you consider your flagship wine and why?

Gruner Veltliner is our flagship grape variety and our classic style - the Hahndorf Hill Gru Gruner Veltliner - is perhaps our flagship wine. If only because, for me, this style of wine embodies the center-point of what Gruner Veltliner can offer in terms of complexity, depth, and charm.

How do you make the most of your D2C channel(s)?

We've built up a very loyal base of consumers via our mail-order club over the past 20 years. Many of the customers are extremely loyal and although we haven't actually met most of them, we do by habituation know many of their names very well.

What are some of the things you do to make sure your distributor has everything they need from you?

A good distributor is extremely important and cultivating that relationship requires regular and open communication, plus the supply of relevant information and training about our products.

How do you work with bars and restaurants to increase sales?

We have no specific strategy other than to try and make the most exciting and appealing wines that we can.

Does social media play a huge part in your brand’s marketing? 

We are active on most social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I believe that it is good to have a presence in these virtual galaxies.

Have you been using any new technology recently?

I've been using more large format oak Foudres of late, and have experimented with some non-oak vessels such as Mulberry wood. This is still a work in progress, but I'm very pleased with the results so far.

Handhorf hill winery

What advice would you give to fellow winemakers looking to get their wines into bars/what has worked for you?

It all hinges on the style of wine you produce and the relationship between your sales team and the sommelier at the bar.

Are you working on something new right now? 

Our new baby is also an Austrian grape variety - Saint Laurent. We are the first producers of this noble variety in Australia and our very first vintage was produced in 2020 and will be released in a few years' time. What is very interesting about this variety is that it has recently been confirmed via DNA analysis to be the genetic daughter of Pinot Noir.

What are some wine trends you're expecting in the near future?

I think that the trend in the near future will perhaps focus on non-trendy maneuvers and will rather bring back into focus factors such as skill and wisdom.

Lastly, what are you drinking right now?

I broke open a bottle that was gifted to me recently, and it was a real cracker! Ken Forrester's Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2007 from Stellenbosch.