Daniel Ricciardo sits with Forbes Australia to discuss the third edition of his DR3 vintage in collaboration with St Hugo Wines.
Daniel Ricciardo is in jeans and a neutral sweater when we meet at the St Hugo Wines in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. He’s as laid back as you see on camera. Though a mask is hiding his million-dollar grin for the duration of our interview (he’s feeling a little under the weather, he says, and doesn’t want to pass anything on), his eyes crease with excitement and passion about the topic at hand: wine.
It’s his third day in South Australia (and his first time back to the state in years), but he’s thankful to have just spent five weeks in Perth with his family.
“It was really nice. But it still goes quick – it went like that,” Ricciardo says, snapping his fingers.
Ricciardo is at the winery to discuss the third release of his DR3 vintage. In tow are Eric Thomson, the chief marketing officer for Pernod Ricard Winemakers (the parent company of St Hugo), and Peter Munro, the chief winemaker at St Hugo.
The DR3 x St Hugo collection, launched in 2021, was the partnership Thomson had been looking for to bolster St Hugo’s brand. The pair had mutual contacts because of St Hugo’s involvement with the Australian Grand Prix and met for a drink.
“My impression of Daniel is really what you see – passion and warmth,” Thomson says. “His commitment to quality in everything he’s a part of really struck a chord and that, for us, really resonated in terms of why we thought he’d be a great partner for where we wanted to take St Hugo.”
The collection has been a sell-out success from the beginning, something Thomson credits to Ricciardo’s deep involvement in the project.
“I think why we were confident that we were moving in the right direction was, this is not a celebrity endorsement. This is a true partnership and having Daniel’s involvement with the brand from grape to bottle not only brings his passion to the project… but helps us build something sustainable.”
On that note, Thomson is crystal clear. This. Is. Not. A. Celebrity. Endorsement. It is a business – a genuine, partnership, complete with merchandise.
To accompany the second release, the team created a limited-edition decanter (for $700) shaped to be an exact replica of Ricciardo’s famed racing shoe. Next up, there’ll be a DR3-branded robe released in February.
The latest release, from a “fantastic” 2021 vintage, hit shelves on March 27, coinciding with the Australian Grand Prix. This edition Ricciardo says he was excited about. Three is his lucky number.
“I’m not superstitious or anything,” he says before saying things that sound mildly superstitious.
“Three has a lot of significance in my life. The house we grew up in was number three. My first ever [go-kart] race that I ever did I was assigned race number three. My biggest hero growing up, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, he was number three.”
Of the third release, the Cabernet is Ricciardo’s favourite. The Shiraz is Munro’s.
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“Normally, the Shiraz stands on top of the podium for me, and the Cab is a very close second,” Ricciardo says. “But the 2021 Cab for me was pretty phenomenal.”
“I love it too,” Munro says. “It’s got a lovely blackcurrant pastille sort of flavour.”
“Yeah, you know those lollies that are like, wrapped in sugar?” Ricciardo asks. “That’s what I get.”
The Cabernet Sauvignon provides aromas of raspberry, with hints of bay leaf. The tannins give off bright red fruits and hints of oak. The Shiraz is dark and brooding, with masses of berry, pomegranate and raspberry fruit.
Throughout his three-year winemaking journey, Ricciardo has honed his ability to articulate flavour profiles of wines. He knows what he likes now, he says. Munro is pleased with his progress, too.
“We do lots of tastings together, and the blending together,” Munro explains. “I have been impressed with that he has a very good palette. It’s essential to be able to communicate when you’re tasting – and Daniel is very good at articulating what wine does.”
“We’ll just say ‘good’,” Ricciardo interjects. He’s modest, but Munro is clear: “His palette is natural.”
But Ricciardo’s career as one of the world’s most famous – and at one point, one of the best – Formula One drivers may have set him up for success in this field.
“The last thing they wanted was for me to slap my name on a bottle and be done with it.”
– Daniel Ricciardo
“That’s the correlation – me trying to articulate what I feel in a race car and needing to communicate that to my engineer to get us from A to B. With wine, I still am not able to describe the details, but I can describe what I feel… to get us to the next point. Pete will then use his expertise to take us there. That part is fun.”
But the similarities between race car driving and winemaking don’t stop there. Ultimately, Ricciardo says, both of these fields boil down to craftsmanship. “No stone goes unturned.”
You can see that in the finer details, too. The label for Ric Red – Ricciardo’s cheaper drop positioned at a younger generation of wine drinkers – was created by the Formula One driver’s helmet designer Nico Sclater. The label on the third edition features race car sparks, slashing through the ‘3’ of the label – something that went through iteration after iteration, he says.
“I didn’t just want to put my name to something,” he says. “I wanted to be more involved in the business. That’s where we [Ricciardo and St Hugo] were aligned. The last thing they wanted was for me to slap my name on a bottle and be done with it. That really excited me – the business opportunity and building something from scratch.”
Ricciardo says the real icing on his cake is taking the bottle back home and sharing it with family – particularly his Dad, who was meant to join him on his trip but had to cancel at the last minute.
“I know Dad got to talk about wine with his dad, but I don’t know how much he actually knows about it,” Ricciardo says.
“So, it’s nice for us to talk about it – the more I learn.”
Munro says DR3, the fourth edition, is currently in barrels, and the components have been tasted. It’s not blended yet. He points to the St Hugo vineyards and says, “DR3 the fifth is out there somewhere, on vines.” To be sure, this isn’t the last of DR3 – in fact, it feels like the very beginning.
Ricciardo’s favourite drive
If you’re wondering what Ricciardo, who will be joining Red Bull as their third driver for the 2023 Formula One season, gets behind the wheel of while he’s Down Under, wonder no more. Despite his previous ties, it isn’t a McLaren, Mercedes or anything particularly fast – it’s a 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser Troopy. A mate sourced it for him from Brisbane, and for “under six figures”, it was at Ricciardo’s front door in Perth.
The Troopy is a two-door beast in a mustard yellow – and it seats 11. Perfect for driving mates around and stowing large objects, like a surfboard, for when he gets around to taking up surfing.
“I don’t see my friends that often, so just to have 11 mates in the car – it’s licensed for 11 people – is quite comical.”
But his home drive doesn’t get any sexier in the US where he drives a Ford Raptor.
“That’s probably the Australian in me. I like having a big Ute,” he says. “It’s just different. I love being outdoors, going to the country, riding bikes and stuff. So, something like that, I can always throw a bike in the back. I’m not stressed for space.”
But what of his favourite off-duty drive? Surely a McLaren F1?
“Look, a few years I would’ve said a sports car because they’re cool, and they’re fun, and they’re fast, and they’re sexy,” he concedes. “But there is something – the older you get, the more you appreciate the character of an old car.”
The third edition of DR3 will be available in late March, available for $80.
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