The idea for Two Hands was born in September 1999 when founders Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz sat at a friend’s engagement party and decided it was time to make their own wine and market it on the world stage.

The original aim was, and still is, to make the best possible Shiraz-based wines from prized growing regions throughout Australia. With so much Australian wine being sold around the globe under multi-region labels in a formulaic style, the intention was to break the mold and showcase the diversity of Australian Shiraz by highlighting regional and vineyard characteristics by allowing the fruit to be the primary feature of the wines.

Two Hands’ first vintage was in 2000, after a modest $30,000 investment and starting with just 17 tons of fruit. The journey had started. Over the course of the next decade, Two Hands grew and earned numerous accolades. In November 2012, Two Hands was named in the Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 for the 10th consecutive year, an achievement without equal by any winery the world over.

Today, Two Hands is owned by Twelftree, together with Colorado native Tim Hower. Tim’s love of the Barossa Valley led him to acquire several premium vineyards across the region and brought him into contact with Two Hands, culminating in his investment in February 2015. Since Tim’s involvement, Two Hands has gone on to secure additional estate vineyards, notably the Holy Grail site on Seppeltsfield Road, which is set for further vineyard development in 2016. With Michael and Tim sharing an ambitious vision for the future, Two Hands’ next chapter in the journey is sure to be exciting.