If you’ve been on a Fabulous Ladies McLaren Vale wine tour or joined us at an event anytime in the last decade, chances are you’ve met — and instantly fallen for — Louise Hemsley-Smith. Louise has poured for us, laughed with us, taught us, fed us, and sent countless Fabulous Ladies home with bottles of her spectacular McLaren Vale wines.

So today, we’re raising a very large, very enthusiastic glass to her and her partner Joch as Bosworth Wines celebrates 30 years since beginning their conversion to organic viticulture. And if you know anything about the Vale, you’ll know this isn’t just a personal milestone — it’s a moment that changed an entire region.

The First in the Vale — Before ‘Organic’ Was a Buzzword

Back in 1995, organic wine was barely part of Australia’s vocabulary. But Joch Bosworth took one look at their McLaren Vale vineyards and decided organics was the future — long before anyone else was brave (or stubborn!) enough to try it.

He started reworking his family’s vineyards without chemicals, adapting old machinery to avoid herbicides and even embracing the humble soursob as natural weed control. There was no handbook. No model to copy. Just conviction, curiosity and a lot of determination!

“When we began converting to organics in ’95, there was no roadmap,” Joch says. “It simply felt like the right direction for the vineyards, so we made a start and worked it out as we went.”

Their decision didn’t just work — it reshaped McLaren Vale.

Today, almost 38% of the region’s vineyards are certified organic or biodynamic, the highest concentration anywhere in Australia. An extraordinary shift, powered in no small part by the example Bosworth set all those years ago.

Louise: A Fabulous Favourite, and a Force for Good Wine

Of course, many of us fell in love with Bosworth Wines not through a textbook on organic viticulture — but through Louise.

She has been a constant presence at our events and tours for more than ten years, bringing her signature warmth, humour and generosity to every table. And she’s never been shy about calling things as she sees them.

“Back then, going organic definitely raised a few eyebrows. Now it strengthens the whole region,” she says. “I’m proud that our choice helped set McLaren Vale on a path that’s been positive for the vineyards, the soils and the wines. Seeing more growers adopting organics isn’t competition — it’s progress.”

Louise has always understood that great wine isn’t just about grapes — it’s about community, stewardship and vision. And we know you adore her for exactly that.

Award-Winning Wines (And Why We’re Not Surprised)

If you’ve ever tasted Bosworth wines, you’ll know they are vibrant, soulful and beautifully expressive (just like Louise! Ha! She’ll hate us saying that, but it’s true.)

And the wine world agrees. In the past 18 months alone, Bosworth Wines has received:

• Trophy for Best Other Red/Blend at the 2025 McLaren Vale Wine Show for The Heretic 2024
• Trophy for Best Organic or Biodynamic Wine at the 2024 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards for the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Best Organic Shiraz in Australia at the 2025 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge for White Boar Shiraz
• Chairperson’s Trophy at the 2024 McLaren Vale Wine Show for the preservative-free Puritan
• And a Consistency of Excellence Award for The Heretic at the 2025 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards — a rare honour recognising three consecutive years of gold medals

This is the sort of recognition that doesn’t just happen. It’s built on decades of thoughtful farming, intuition, hard work — and a commitment to doing things the right way, not the easy way.

A Family Legacy Still Growing

As Bosworth Wines celebrates three decades of organics, the next generation is already stepping into the story. And it’s ALL FEMALE!

Eldest daughter Celia has just finished her third year of winemaking at the University of Adelaide, while younger daughter Peggy recently worked her first cellar-door shift. The Fabulous Ladies community is already primed to adore them both — apples, trees, and all that.

Here’s to 30 More

We’ve been lucky enough to share so many memorable moments with Louise and Bosworth Wines over the past decade. Her wines have anchored some of our most beloved tours, events and dinners. And her presence always feels less like “a winery partner” and more like “a fabulous friend who happens to make exceptional wine”.

So from all of us at The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society:
Happy 30 Years of Organics, Bosworth Wines! 

Louise — we can’t wait to celebrate with you again soon, glass in hand.