'The wines I make are a culmination of the years spent travelling around the world with a focus on minimal-intervention winemaking.'
Why Sigurd?
Sigurd Wines is built on a layered family history, tracing back to Dan’s Great Grandfather, Sigurd Thorwaldsen Gran. Sigurd came to Australia from Norway in 1914, only to be sent back to Europe to fight in World War I. After surviving the war, he made it back and settled in South Australia’s Riverland, laying the foundation for a legacy that lives on.
Fast forward to 6 Feb 1985 - Dan was born, later learning he was given his middle name after his Great Grandfather, Sigurd. But it wasn’t until his 30s that he discovered they were born on the exact same day - 6 Feb, 90 years apart.
Third Generation Vinegron
Sigurd's daughter, Joan, married a Scottish farmer and began growing grapes and stone fruit. Grapes were delivered to the Barossa Valley for over 20 years, carried by a Bedford truck. Their son, Ralph (Dan's father), became a winemaker.
Sigurd is a tale of old meets new.
European meets Australian.
An exchange between people, process and product that understands the history of the land, and so, has a foundational respect, and need to sustain it.
How it All Began
Dan’s father was a winemaker, his family was based in the wine growing area of Yenda, in New South Wales’ Riverina. Following a story of his own, Dan has been redefining the Barossa Valley since 2012. Working alongside some larger labels in his home region, Dan completed a double degree in enology and viticulture at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga before spending vintages in Central Otago, Canada, Portugal, Hermitage in France’s Rhone Valley and in Barolo, Italy.
He then returned to work at a larger concern in the Barossa before joining RedHeads Wines in 2014, helping to reinvigorate the winemaking and brand. In 2017, he left to dedicate himself to his Sigurd label full time, following it’s launch in 2012.
'In the Barossa, we are steeped in tradition and a way to do things and a style to follow. I think over the past five to ten years that has changed quite a bit, and also the people who drink the wines has changed as well. I work in the same shed as a few fellow minimal-intervention and organic-focused winemakers - it’s a hive of exploration and experimentation.'
What Makes Dan, Dan
In rethinking the Barossa saw Dan move towards a more elevated, and unique style, refining his process. He picked fruit earlier to capture freshness, introduced whole bunches, but typically a smaller portion. He used native yeasts, and he preferred to not fine or filter - Dan moved into a progressive approach: minimal-intervention wines, with no additions asides a touch of sulfur at bottling. Now he also makes varietal wines - Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Grenache, Cabernet and Syrah - as well as complex White, Rose and Red blends, with judicious amounts of whole bunch and skin contact employed to create complex, complete wines that are as focused on elegant flavour as they are on texture and structural detail. This exploration has seen Dan embrace blends, finding that sometimes varietal wines were not as complete as he would like them.
'With the Sigurd blended wines, I think having many components has been the golden rule. I use a mixture of whole bunch fermentation, carbonic fermentation and standard destemmed open vat ferments. I also use a mixture of elevage in stainless-steel tank and oak, from 4,800-litre foudres to barriques. All these parcels help me to create intriguing wines with depth and complexity.'
'It would be amazing to be able to leave a patch of land that we have bought as good or even better off than when we started to farm it for future generations. This ethos is what we focus on in the winery and try to work with the vineyard owners we buy fruit from. Hopefully, this respect for the fruit that arrives in the winery also translates into great wines. With these adjustments, we can focus on other aspects of packaging, bottling etc. to try to reduce our impacts on the planet, hopefully be able to reduce waste and create a sustainable brand.'
Family Business
Sigurd started as Dan’s solo project and, by 2020, turned into a full family adventure. When Marta joined, things started moving faster - and smoother. She brought order, design, and a bit of edge. Her background in law, WSET Diploma studies, and experience across business + communications world gave Sigurd the structure it needed to grow - without losing its soul.
Now it’s a proper family business: Dan in the shed, Marta everywhere else.. together raising two kids and running a brand built on shared values, curiosity, and pretty good wine.
What Makes Marta, Marta
If Dan’s the hands and heart behind the wine, Marta’s the engine that keeps it all moving. She handles everything from business development, partnerships, exports and marketing to finance, design, logistics and operations - basically, everything that keeps Sigurd running so that Dan can focus on making the good stuff.
She’s got an eye for design, a knack for storytelling, and a serious dislike for spiders, soggy shoes, and getting splashed in the face by winery hoses (she leaves that bit to Dan).
Marta’s happiest when she’s shaping the brand’s direction, refining its style, and making sure the wines - and the business - stay true to what Sigurd stands for: real, thoughtful, and full of heart.
'We believe this care and respect for the earth translates into plant, process and product.'
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