About us
Rabbit & Spaghetti is not just a funny name!
In amongst the very kind feedback we receive on our wines, a lot of people comment on the name Rabbit & Spaghetti, some simply noting its seemingly “quirky” nature, some expressing appreciation of the short explanation printed on our labels, and others curious to know more.
Rabbit & Spaghetti Wines was created to evoke the incredible power that shared wine and food has to bring people together, even when those people come from different places, different cultures, and even different sides in a war…
As World War Two swept across the deserts of Northern Africa, many Italian soldiers who’d been captured in battle were transported to Australia and put to work on farms and in vineyards. This solved two problems for the Australians – removing enemy soldiers from the theatre of war, and bringing extra labourers to places that were desperate to replace the young local men who had gone away to fight. These places included parts of South Australia around our vineyards in the Clare Valley.
In return for their labour, many locals shared their homes and tables with their “prisoners”. Times were tough, but there was no shortage of rabbits to catch, in the paddocks and between the vines. And when the Italians introduced spaghetti to their hosts, the simple, filling dish of rabbit and spaghetti became a wartime staple… enjoyed alongside the odd bottle of local vino, of course! After the war, many of the Italian POWs made permanent homes here and, 80-plus years later, Italian culture is an intrinsic part of modern Australia.
Rabbit & Spaghetti is a symbol of the triumph of humanity in the face of adversity, and the good that can come from sharing a meal and a bottle of wine.
This sentiment weaves through the Rabbit & Spaghetti story from the grapes harvested from vineyards planted on soldier settler blocks to the person who cut a swathe through the crowd at a wine tasting to hug Adam and thank him for making the wine that he and his wife shared at their wedding. Rabbit & Spaghetti is made to be enjoyed, to tell a story and to become a part of a story.
One of the wonderful things we didn’t anticipate when we chose the name Rabbit & Spaghetti was the stories shared with us from the people who drink our wine. Stories of their own family histories, of parents and grandparents brought together in these incredible circumstances, and we’re always keen to hear more, so please do get in touch if you have something similar to share!
Rabbit & Spaghetti People
Rabbit & Spaghetti is owned and operated by Atlas Wines creators, Adam Barton and Amy Lane.
Adam has an extensive winemaking career that spans several of Australia’s most important wine regions – the Barossa and Clare Valleys, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, and Western Australia – as well as the south of France and California’s Central Coast.
After purchasing their first vineyard at the northern end of the Clare Valley in 2007 they established Atlas Wines.
Their vision for Atlas was pretty simple: to produce great wine from the highest-quality fruit from vineyards with exceptional provenance. They have come to understand the complexity and diversity of the different regions of South Australia, and how the unique characteristics of different sites produce fruit with distinctive qualities. Its these qualities that they have sought to express through the wines they have made.
In 2012 Atlas Wines received national press with an article written by Australia’s pre-eminent wine critic, James Halliday in the Weekend Australian Magazine in which he wrote of the wines... "angels can do no more”. Then in 2013, Atlas Wines was named as one of the Ten Best New Wineries in James Halliday’s Wine Companion.
Atlas Wines continue to receive consistently positive reviews and are now highly sought after, being sold through premium retailers and restaurants across Australia.
Amy and Adam now have 3 incredible vineyards in the Clare and Barossa Valleys and a winery in the Barossa.