Brash Higgins is the alias of Brad Hickey, a Chicago native whose wanderlust took him around the world, developing a love of wine and food. On returning to the United States, he ended up in New York, where, following a stint as a food writer, he began crafting wine lists, eventually becoming the wine director for David Bouley’s Michelin-starred empire. Having spent years talking about and selling wine, the next step in the journey was to make it. This led him to leave the Big Apple to work a vintage in McLaren Vale, where the locals gave him his nickname in honour of his larger-than-life personality and big city ways. It was here that the wanderer finally settled, marrying local vigneron Nicole Thorpe, with whom he developed his eponymous label using grapes grown on their own organic Omensetter Vineyard and fruit sourced from like-minded growers.

Brad’s lack of formal training has become an advantage, helping him to craft a range of wines that allow his experimental nature and pure instinct for the flavour to shine through. Hickey’s love of travel is also reflected in the labels, with the abbreviated grape names mimicking the international airport codes, which undoubtedly litter his well-travelled suitcases.