Full circle moment for Coonawarra icon: Rouge Homme returns to Redman Wines after 60 years
In the 60th year of Redman Wines, we’re proud to announce that we have once again become the owners of the Rouge Homme brand, reacquiring it from Treasury Wine Estates (TWE).
First bottled in 1952, the Rouge Homme label grew an Australian and international following for its distinctive Coonawarra wines, including a Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend and clarets. In 1965, Lindeman’s acquired the winery, label, and vineyard acreage. The label remained in production under successive owners until it was acquired by TWE in 2011.
Redman Wines co-owner and fourth-generation winemaker Dan Redman said he was delighted to have the label back in the family’s brand portfolio: “Rouge Homme has a special place in the heart of Coonawarra. Welcoming it back in the 60th year of Redman Wines is especially meaningful – a full-circle moment. We’re often asked about the connection of Rouge Homme with Redman, with many wine drinkers enjoying the wines made in the 50s and 60s. The label is synonymous with the Redman family, and we’re proud to take it into the future.”
Treasury Wine Estates Senior Viticulturist Ben Harris said, “We’re proud to have been the custodians of Rouge Homme and are delighted that it’s been acquired by the Redman family. With storied brands, unmistakable terroir and exceptional wines, global interest in the Coonawarra region continues to grow, and we look forward to following the next chapter of the Rouge Homme story.”
Rouge Homme is intertwined with the history of the Coonawarra wine region and its rise to international prominence, with connections to TWE dating back more than a century. Arriving in Coonawarra in 1901, Bill Redman started work at John’s Riddoch winery, part of today’s Wynns Coonawarra Estate, learning winemaking under the watchful eye of the respected Ewen McBain. In 1908, the Redman family purchased its first 16 hectares, and Bill started making his own wine the following year. Bill developed a reputation for refined ‘dinner clarets’, initially sold as bulk wine to producers including Yalumba, Wynns, Penfolds and Lindeman’s. International recognition followed when the 1933 Woodley’s St Adele, made and bottled by Bill, won first place at the 1936 First Empire Wine Competition in London.
Bill’s son Owen joined the family business in 1937 and took the label, and Coonawarra region, to further recognition with a 1947 win at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show. In 1952, following a visit by legendary art dealer and wine connoisseur Rudy Komon, the Redman family kept back some of their wines for visitors to the winery. The family considered several names, being advised that they needed something more ‘exotic’ than Redman. After dismissing the name Namder (Redman spelled backwards), Don and Joy Redman translated the family name into French using a dictionary. It wasn’t until after the label was printed that the family was informed that the grammatically correct version would have been ‘Homme de Rouge’. By then, it was too late! A three-trophy haul at the 1963 Sydney Royal Wine Show for the 1959 Rouge Homme Claret put the brand firmly on the radar of the Australian wine scene.
Recognition for Rouge Homme’s exceptional Coonawarra reds continued after its 1965 sale to Lindeman’s, including a Gold Medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition for the 1985 Rouge Homme Cabernet Sauvignon and a Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy in 1994 for Richardson’s Red Block Dry Red.
Rouge Homme was officially handed over at a small and intimate lunch at the historic Wynns Coonawarra Estate, which included Mal, Bruce, Dan and Mike Redman, along with TWE Senior Viticulturist Ben Harris, Wynns Winemaker Sarah Pidgeon (who had worked a vintage at Rouge Homme) and former Rouge Homme winemakers Greg Clayfield and Paul Gordon. A range of wines, including 1959 Rouge Homme Cabernet Sauvignon, 1970 Rouge Homme Claret, 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 Wynns Single vineyard Alex 88 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2024 The Last Row Shiraz, were opened to mark the occasion.
Redman Wines intends to make a small premium release of Rouge Homme in keeping with its award-winning history. The sale of Rouge Homme back to Redman Wines includes a small quantity of back-vintage wine, which will be offered first to Redman Wine Club members and those subscribed to Redman Wines eNewsletter.
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