Brash Higgins

Brash Higgins is the creative project of American-born sommelier Brad Hickey and McLaren Vale local Nicole Thorpe—a meeting of minds, soil, and a shared curiosity for the unconventional.

After a career in food and wine that took him from New York to Paris, Brad landed in McLaren Vale for a vintage in 2007 and never left. Nicole, whose family had long ties to the region, had planted a small vineyard in 1997 on the distinctive red clay and limestone soils of Omensetter Vineyard. Together, they saw potential in both the land and each other. What followed was a long experiment in pushing boundaries—of grape varieties, winemaking methods, and expectations of what McLaren Vale could be.

Their first wine was a bold move: estate-grown Nero d’Avola, fermented in locally made amphora. Inspired by producers in Sicily like COS and Cornelissen, Brad and Nicole commissioned terracotta vessels from Adelaide potter John Bennett, marking the beginning of a journey into texture, structure, and alternate expressions of Mediterranean varieties.

Since then, Brash Higgins has grown into one of the most distinctive micro-producers in the Vale. The certified organic Omensetter vineyard is now home to plantings of Nero d’Avola, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zibibbo, and more. The wines are minimal intervention but deeply expressive—whether it’s the juicy energy of the early-drinking NYMPH, the oxidative complexity of BLOOM, or the elegant structure of their flagship Nero.

Always curious, always evolving, Brash Higgins is less a brand and more a reflection of Brad and Nicole’s shared sensibility: rooted in place, wide open in spirit.