Nick Tinant launched Front Left Wines in 2024 with a clear brief to himself: maximum authenticity, minimal fuss, and wines that make the whole thing feel less intimidating. A former hospitality professional who came to winemaking through curiosity and a string of international vintages, Tinant is based in the Hunter Valley but still sourcing his heart from Mudgee, where sangiovese – the Italian variety that first captured him – grows at Skimstone Vineyard. The current range spans a sangiovese rosé called Redback Rose, a sangiovese red called Jupiter Juice, and a vermentino under the name Vermento Demento: fun wines with a point of view, sealed with beeswax from local beekeepers, made in second-hand oak with recycled paper labels, and aimed squarely at drinkers who might find the traditional wine world a bit stiff. “A little less pretentiousness and a bit more down-to-earthness,” as he puts it.
Tinant spent a decade in hospitality before completing his WSET Level 3 in 2020 and pivoting fully toward wine. His first vintage was at COS in Vittoria, Sicily in 2021 – a certified organic and biodynamic producer known for its work with ancient vessels and a deeply hands-off philosophy – which set the tone for everything that followed. He then worked the 2021 vintage at Stanlake Park Wine Estate in England before spending time at Rennersistas in Burgenland, Austria, a label run by sisters Stephanie and George Renner whose natural wine approach has attracted significant attention. Back in Australia in 2023, he joined Gilbert Family Wines in Mudgee as part of the cellar team. It was Will Gilbert who eventually handed him the opportunity. “Whilst working with Will Gilbert in 2024 he asked me if I wanted to make a small amount of my own wine,” says Tinant. “I decided if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it properly. We took the risk and launched Front Left.”
Mudgee drew him in partly because of its Italian varieties, the connection to Sicily hard to ignore. “I did my first vintage in Sicily so I loved that Mudgee grows Italian varieties – it just felt right,” he says. “And now three years down the track we are still in love with them.” Sangiovese remains central to the range. His approach in the winery is what he calls a “minimal intervention intention.” “We are attempting to add as little as possible but if something is going pear-shaped, we’ll fix it.” Total sulphur is kept under 60ppm; nothing is fined or filtered unless the wine genuinely needs it; only second-hand oak is used. For reds, whole bunches – entire grape clusters including stems, added to the fermenter uncrushed, which can contribute spice, freshness and structural complexity – go in with a little destemmed juice on the bottom to kick things off. “Embrace the funk,” he says. For whites and rosés, skin contact and lees work – leaving the wine in contact with grape solids after fermentation to build texture – are the tools. His rule there is refreshingly simple: “Go with your gut. Don’t try to chase the longer maceration for the sake of it. If it tastes good – press it off.”
The motivation behind the label is as much cultural as it is vinous. “There are so many small producers in NSW making great wine from a range of different varieties in their own style,” he says. “NSW wine may sometimes be overshadowed by the better-known regions in other states – that’s what drives us to create these unique wines and represent our local growers.” He’s also thinking about who picks up the bottle. “We feel that wine can often seem unapproachable to younger people. Through our wine styles, story and branding we hope to reshape this perception.” The experience-first instinct runs deep. “I’ve always enjoyed creating experiences – whether it was working in hospitality or now making wine, it’s all being part of an experience. Seeing how people react when drinking the wines, changing up the way in which we do things every vintage and taking risks is all part of the fun.”
There have been near misses too. A stuck ferment – where fermentation stops before all the grape sugar has been converted to alcohol, which can lead to instability in the wine – in one of the 2025 wines tested his flexibility. “We had some troubles with a stuck ferment but we decided to not be dogmatic in our approach and stay flexible to fix it,” he says. “You learn something new every day. I’ve learnt to always ask questions, no matter how stupid they sound, so I can keep learning from the best.” Having recently moved to the Hunter Valley, Tinant is now working as assistant viticulturist at Margan Wines, deepening his understanding of the vineyard side after completing his Diploma in Viticulture in 2025. A Hunter verdelho pét-nat – a lightly sparkling wine bottled before fermentation is fully complete, trapping natural bubbles – is on the way. The longer-term vision involves estate fruit, a proper facility, and a more premium tier exploring amphora and concrete vessels and extended macerations. For a label less than two years old, the ambition is already well mapped. And the energy behind it is hard to miss. “I bloody love what I do and sharing it with others.”
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