This month we've talked about the jobs you've created, the vineyards you've helped grow and the communities you've supported.
But none of it happens without the people making the wine.
Here are three stories worth raising a glass to.
🍷 Ash Horner
Hunter Valley winemaker Ash Horner started as a bloke with a family vineyard, a truckload of passion and a dream to make killer, real-deal organic wines.
Over the last decade, Ash became Naked's first fully certified organic winemaker, running his own (amazing) cellar door in Pokolbin. Ash is producing wines that prove organic doesn't have to mean ordinary, treating every single grape like a rockstar on its own merits.
What hasn’t changed? He still gets (extremely) excited about vintage. Still loves experimenting. Still believes wine is about bringing people together.
The difference is that now he gets to do it on his own terms. Because thousands of Angels believed in him, and literally built the bricks and mortar of his winemaking home.
Ash Horner in his Cellar Door that was built thanks to the backing of Angels
🍷 Adrian & Rebecca Santolin
In 2012 Yarra Valley couple Adrian and Rebecca Santolin faced a choice. Put a deposit on a house… or spend everything they had on one barrel of Pinot Noir.
They chose the barrel. Backed themselves in… and Naked Angels showed up too, knowing there was huge talent behind the passionate pair.
With that backing, two fearless winemakers didn't just survive – they built something extraordinary. Award-winning wines, a legion of loyal fans, and a story that proves what happens when real people back real people.
More than a decade on, they're still here, independently making wine that stops you mid-sip. And none of it would exist without you.
Watch their story, then explore their range – and taste exactly what your support has made possible.
Adrian & Rebecca Santolin with the wine that you backed them to make.
🍷 Nigel Ludlow
Nigel has been making wine since 1994, but his EVOI label began much more humbly – with just two barrels of Chardonnay in his garage.
After years in the industry, he wanted to create small parcels of Margaret River wine on his own terms, making drops he believed in rather than what someone else asked for.
Today, EVOI is a Halliday 5 Red Star Winery, with wines regularly scoring 94 points. Nigel's mission hasn't changed: crafting exceptional Margaret River wines exclusively for Naked Angels.
Because of your support, he's been able to keep doing exactly that.
Nigel Ludlow with his Angel funded barrels of EVOI wine.
Every bottle you buy is another vote for independent Australian wine.
Another vintage. Another risk worth taking. Another winemaker who gets to keep making the wines they believe in.
After 14 years, that's something worth celebrating. I recommend a great drop of independently made wine, one that you make possible every day.
