Under the custodianship of 5^th and 6^th generation descendants of Thomas Hardy, K1 Wines continues the family legacy of pushing the boundaries of Australian viticulture through innovation, a commitment to sustainability, and a love of the Australian terroir.

After joining his family's wine business Thomas Hardy & Son in 1975, Geoff completed his diploma in wine production two years later in 1977.

In 1980, Geoff and fellow viticulturist Ian Leask purchased a vineyard in McLaren Vale. A few years later, Geoff found the perfect location for producing cool climate grapes in the Adelaide Hills. He planted the vineyard in 1987 and named it K1 since this unique site was the first commercial planting of vines in the Kuitpo region in the southern Adelaide Hills. Since then, Geoff has been involved in the planting of more than 3,000 hectares of vines and has consulted to more than 200 different vineyards in Australia, France and Italy.

In 2004, Geoff launched the Hand Crafted by Geoff Hardy and GMH ranges of wine, and then acquired the remaining share of Pertaringa in 2011. Since then, Pertaringa has been taken over by Geoff’s eldest daughter Bec Hardy and is now run entirely separately from K1.

Shane Harris has been involved in the Wines by Geoff Hardy winemaking since 2006 and was appointed Senior Winemaker in 2009.

Before entering the wine industry, Shane was a chef by trade and still uses these skills to complement his winemaking philosophy and make food-friendly wines.

In 2012, 2018 and 2021, Shane was named Australian Winemaker of the Year by Australia’s leading wine industry publication, Winestate Magazine. In 2012 and 2014, Wines by Geoff Hardy was also named Winestate Magazine’s Australian Wine Company of the Year, an award based on individual wine scores throughout the year. Shane also played an important role in earning the company’s five red star rating in James Halliday’s Wine Companion, a top rating only awarded to 10% of Australian wineries.

Shane relies on the vines to translate the unique message of the vineyard into something tangible and sees his role as "not losing the message between picking the grapes and opening the bottle".

K1 Wines is proudly independently Family-owned and Operated.