Silent Noise Wines

Silent Noise Wines, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills & Riverland, South Australia.

Respected winery Kangarilla Road should need no introduction, owners Helen and Kevin O’Brien have carved out a reputation for quality, delightful wines made from Italian varieties as well as the stars of McLaren Vale, since 1997. It’s no surprise that growing up in the Vale surrounded and immersed in the winemaking talents of his family and their friends, son Charlie would want to make his own wine.

He produces wine under the label Silent Noise Wines, currently in its fifth year of production, his first wine was made with the help of his father when he was still in school. Still studying at Charles Sturt now, he has established a range of wines made from McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills favourites from the family vineyards, and alternate varieties from the Riverland.

Charlie has a substantial amount of winemaking skill despite his youth, gaining experience with among others, Gemtree, Yangarra, Moss Wood, Pikes, as well as Paul Mas in Languedoc and Château Haut-Bailly in Bordeaux. His winemaking with Silent Noise is restrained and intelligent, providing a fresh perspective on the tried and tested. Describing his wines as ‘seriously drinkable and fruit driven, without being too serious’. His ‘Cloudy but Fine’ chardonnay is not protein stabilised which according to Charlie helps it retain more fruit and gives the wine a pleasing haziness. His primitivo is aged in barrel under flor for 12-15 months, a practically unheard-of practice with red wine, producing a subtle nuttiness.

Charlie and Silent Noise Wines are poised on the brink of making far from ‘silent’ noise.