Slint Chardonnay 2024 from Ochota Barrels is now released in Sweden. Winemaker Amber Ochota explains how the cool, elevated vineyards of Adelaide Hills shape the wine’s character – and why Sweden feels like a second home.

Ochota Barrels is one of Australia’s most distinctive small wineries, known for its minimal-intervention approach and expressive wines shaped by the undulating hills of Basket Range in Adelaide Hills. Founded by Taras Ochota, who sadly passed in 2020 after battling an illness for several years, and now run by his wife and long-time partner Amber, the winery has gained a strong reputation for its carefully crafted, vibrant wines. For the first time, one of their wines is now being released in Systembolaget’s Temporary Exclusive assortment.

Tell us about the Slint Chardonnay 2024?

”The Slint Chardonnay is a beautiful representation of the Adelaide Hills. Picked early to maintain high acids and textural mouthfeel, it is refreshing and bright yet has depth and interest. The vineyard, grown by our mate Sam Virgara, is in the Piccadilly Valley, one of the most stunning landscapes in Australia. The vineyard is quite high at around 550 metres and planted on a steep incline. The soil is riddled with quartz and ironstone, giving it a stunning, taut and precise palate, which finishes long and elegant. The Hills are cool, with their high altitude, and this creates natural acidity and intense aromatics, especially for Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.”

What’s your own favourite way to enjoy this wine?

”I love drinking Slint outside, in the garden or near water – the sea, the pool, a river. Definitely with friends or family. It is also a perfect match for a barbecue or Asian food.”

Often, the names of your wines have a musical reference — does that apply to Slint as well?

”Slint is a super interesting band that came out in the mid-80s. Taras and I used to listen to them on repeat in our van when we worked in vineyards in the Hills when we first met. Taras introduced me to a lot of new music back in the day.”

What makes Adelaide Hills and Basket Range such a special place for you?

”I grew up in the Adelaide Hills and have lived here most of my life. Taras was a surfer, so he wasn’t too sure initially about being so far from the beach, but soon realised how much he loved it too, and it offered us such a gorgeous lifestyle. Basket Range especially is such an oasis of winding hills, orchards, natural bushland and vineyards. Houses tucked in between the valleys, kangaroos and koalas everywhere and stunning birdlife. We are very lucky.”

In what ways do you work sustainably?

”Many of our vineyards are organic, and minimal intervention is used. Cover crops are used to improve soil health and support biodiversity. In our winery we harvest our own water and use solar power. We recycle pretty much everything and if something breaks we are far more likely to fix it rather than buy new. Our packaging is all made locally now, including glass, boxes, labels, screwcaps. The bottles are lightweight and the labels are made of sugarcane fibres. And we add no nasties to our wine.”

Finally, is it correct that you and Taras worked in Sweden?

”Yes! We lived in the most beautiful town of Simrishamn, Skåne, for two and a half years. We lived in a pink house by the sea, between a 500-year-old church and the Systembolaget. We would ride to work, the Nordic Sea Winery, and on weekends ride to the forest to collect blueberries and ride through the villages with our bike baskets full of Champagne, baguettes and cheese and have picnics. We met wonderful friends and just fell in love with the whole area.

When I was young, my family had a Swedish exchange student who became one of my best friends, and ever since then I have just adored Sweden and have been back six or seven times. Then one day a job was advertised for a flying winemaker there and Taras got the job. I ended up getting a job in production and the lab. We would work in Puglia, Italy in summer making the wines, then Sweden the rest of the year, Taras travelling around making wine here and there. It was like a beautiful dream. We came back to Australia to have babies and start our own wine label, Ochota Barrels. To have our wines in the Systembolaget is incredibly special.”

A Bright Voice from Adelaide Hills