Sixth Generation Wines: A Conversation with Bec and Richard Hardy

Thomas Hardy arrived in South Australia in 1850, and what followed was the making of one of the country's most storied wine dynasties. One hundred and seventy-three years later, his sixth-generation descendant Bec Hardy is making wine in McLaren Vale with the same instinct for possibility.

In this episode, Valérie is joined by Bec Hardy and her husband Richard for a conversation that moves freely between history and harvest, heritage and reinvention. Bec traces the arc from Thomas Hardy's improbable journey, through the branching of the family line, to the founding of Bec Hardy Wines in 2020 alongside the related but distinct Pertaringa label, now approaching its fiftieth year. Richard, a former financial services professional who came into the wine world via negotiation and a rather tax-efficient honeymoon, brings a sharp commercial instinct and an endearing candour about the business of wine.

The conversation deepens over a glass of the Pertaringa Yeoman Shiraz, a single-vineyard wine drawn from vines planted in 1843, possibly on land once owned by Thomas Hardy himself. Bec describes the wine's intensity with precision: small berries, dark fruit, the beginning of secondary characters in the 2021 vintage. Valérie pairs it with a Burgundian Epoisses, and the result is, by any measure, compelling.

Find the Pertaringa Yeoman Shiraz 2021 here: https://bechardy.com.au/products/pertaringa-yeoman-shiraz-2021

Find the Epoisses cheese here: https://smellycheese.co/products/epoisses

Valérie Henbest is a French-Australian cheese specialist born in Normandie. Imports 10+ tonnes of French cheese monthly, sells at Smelly Cheese Shop, Adelaide Central Market. French National Order of Agricultural Merit 2023. Inducted into Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, Paris. Sensing Up is a space to slow down, pay attention and let the senses lead. Shop: smellycheese.co | Instagram: smellycheeseco | Facebook: SmellyCheeseCo