g’day!

We're Sebastian and Colleen Hardy, founders of Living Roots.

Living Roots highlights the best of our hometowns and their surrounding wine regions from two different corners of the globe: Rochester, New York and Adelaide, South Australia.

Our legacy began six generations back.

Though Living Roots was founded in 2016, our​ ​legacy began six generations back with ​Thomas​ ​Hardy,​ Seb’s great-great-great​ ​grandfather. In ​1850,​ ​at​ ​the​ ​age​ ​of​ ​20,​ Thomas​ immigrate​d ​to the​ ​new​ ​British​ ​colony,​ ​Australia. He soon planted the Hardy family’s first grape vines and jumpstarted 150+ years of family winemaking.​ ​

Seb’s dad,​ ​Geoff​,​ ​joined​ ​the​ ​family​ ​wine​ ​business​, ​Thomas Hardy​ ​&​ Sons,​ ​in​ ​1975. While working as the Grower Liaison, Geoff purchased his first vineyard in 1980 and began his career as a leading viticulturist.
Seb​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​in​ ​his​ ​dad’s​ ​vineyards, particularly at K1, the first vineyard in the Kuitpo subregion of the Adelaide Hills. After​ ​high​ ​school,​ ​Seb​ ​​worked​ several ​vintages​ ​in​ ​Australia​ ​and across Europe, and got a degree in ​Viticulture and​ ​Oenology in Adelaide, with an exchange in California

On the other side of the world.

On the other side of the world, Colleen​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​in​​ ​Rochester,​ ​New York (spending time around the Finger Lakes region), before getting a degree in marketing at Michigan State and working for a marketing research firm in Chicago.​ After a few years in corporate America, she began to explore the world of wine and was drawn to both the dynamic nature of the industry and the heart and soul that goes into it.​ ​A​fter landing ​a position​ ​as​ ​a​ ​cellar​ ​hand​ ​for​ ​the​ ​2014​ ​vintage​ ​at​ ​Hardy’s​ ​Tintara​ ​Winery, she left her 9-5 for a new adventure.
Around the same time, Colleen’s family bought a vineyard overlooking Keuka Lake, with ambitions of converting the native vines over to higher quality vinifera varieties. They named it Shale Creek Vineyard (the meaning being quite obvious once you have a look at the soil).

Where Seb met Col.

It was during​ that 2014 harvest in McLaren Vale that we​ ​first​ ​met.​ We each worked in different aspects of the wine industry, and in 2016, we established Living Roots. That year was also the first that we split time between South Australia and New York, doing two harvests so we could work with a wide range of wines, suiting the varieties and styles to the differing climates. We source grapes from different vineyards and growers, including both of our families, and some wines are made year-to-year while others are one-offs. In the Finger Lakes, our focus is on rich whites and sparklings, and in South Australia, it’s vibrant reds.
We opened the Living Roots urban winery and tasting room in Rochester in 2017. In 2021, we set up a cellar door on our family’s K1 vineyard in Kuitpo. Our Finger Lakes winery and tasting room officially opened in the fall of 2023 and sits on our family’s Shale Creek vineyard overlooking Keuka Lake. This third location has allowed us to improve and expand our production processes while connecting us closer to the land itself. For the latest on what we’ve been up to, head to our news page.

Cheers! Seb & Col

g’day!

we’re Sebastian & Colleen Hardy, founders of Living Roots.

Living Roots highlights the best of our hometowns and their surrounding wine regions from two different corners of the globe: Rochester, New York and Adelaide, South Australia.

G'Day!

We’re Sebastian
and Colleen
Hardy, founders
of Living Roots.

Living Roots highlights the best of our hometowns and their surrounding wine regions from two different corners of the globe: Rochester, New York and Adelaide, South Australia.

About — Thomas Hardy

THOMAS HARDY, 1880s

Though Living Roots was founded in 2016, our​ ​legacy
began six generations back with ​Thomas​ ​Hardy,​ Seb’s
great-great-great​ ​grandfather. In ​1850,​ ​at​ ​the​ ​age​ ​of​ ​20,​
​Thomas​ immigrate​d ​to the​ ​new​ ​British​ ​colony,​ ​Australia.
He soon planted the Hardy family’s first grape vines and
jumpstarted 150+ years of family winemaking.​ ​

THOMAS HARDY, 1880s

GEOFF’S FIRST VINEYARD, 1985

Seb’s dad,​ ​Geoff​,​ ​joined​ ​the​ ​family​ ​wine​ ​business​, ​Thomas Hardy​ ​&​
​Sons,​ ​in​ ​1975. While working as the Grower Liaison, Geoff
purchased his first vineyard in 1980 and began his career as a
leading viticulturist.

Seb​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​in​ ​his​ ​dad’s​ ​vineyards, particularly at K1, the first
​vineyard in the Kuitpo subregion of the Adelaide Hills. After​ ​
​high​ ​school,​ ​Seb​ ​​worked​ several ​vintages​ ​in​ ​Australia​ ​and across
​ Europe, and got a degree in ​Viticulture and​ ​Oenology in
​Adelaide, with an exchange in California.

SEB AND FAM AT K1, 1990s

COLLEEN AND FAM AT KEUKA LAKE, 1990s

On the other side of the world, Colleen​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​in​​ ​Rochester,​ ​New York [spending time around the Finger Lakes region], before getting a degree in marketing at Michigan State and working for a marketing research firm in Chicago.​ After a few years in corporate America, she began to explore the world of wine and was drawn to both the dynamic nature of the industry and the heart and soul that goes into it.​ ​A​fter landing ​a position​ ​as​ ​a​ ​cellar​ ​hand​ ​for​ ​the​ ​2014​ ​vintage​ ​at​ ​Hardy’s​ ​Tintara​ ​Winery, she left her 9-5 for a new adventure.

Shale Creek FIRST VINEYARD, 1985

Around the same time, Colleen’s family bought a
vineyard overlooking Keuka Lake, with ambitions of
converting the native vines over to higher quality
vinifera varieties. They named it Shale Creek Vineyard [the
meaning being quite obvious once you have a look at the
soil].

URBAN WINERY, 2017

It was during​ that 2014 harvest in McLaren Vale that we​ ​first​ ​met.​ We each worked in different aspects of the wine industry, and in 2016, we established Living Roots. That year was also the first that we split time between South Australia and New York, doing two harvests so we could work with a wide range of wines, suiting the varieties and styles to the differing climates. We source grapes from different vineyards and growers, including both of our families, and some wines are made year-to-year while others are one-offs. In the Finger Lakes, our focus is on rich whites and sparklings, and in South Australia, it’s vibrant reds.

COLLEEN AND SEB, 2017

FLX CONSTRUCTION, 2022

We opened the Living Roots urban winery and tasting room on University Avenue in Rochester in 2017. In 2021, we set up a cellar door in Kuitpo where we have our small Adelaide Hills winery, and our new Finger Lakes winery and tasting room is slated to open mid-summer 2023. Stay tuned!

Field
Diary