Basic Info

Somos means "we are" in Spanish. The 'we' is an duo of Australian Ben Caldwell and Mexican Marco Ruiz Cantú. The Somos story began while Mauricio was studying oenology and viticulture at the University of Adelaide in 2010. Following graduation he returned to his native Mexico with a small shipment of Barossa Shiraz me made for fun and named it Juguette, a Spanish word for toy. His market was primarily friends and family but sold a bit in distribution helping to fund his trip home. The wine was received with great enthusiasm and he reached out to his friend from uni, Ben, looking to grow this brand. Mauricio spent most of the year in Mexico establishing a distribution network while Ben tended to the vines and wines back in McLaren Vale. In less than five vintages Juguette grew from 150 cases to 15,000 cases and it was time for a new project. The food Mauricio ate back home in Baja California was fresh, bright and textured. He and Ben felt they wanted to make wines complementing these notes. 2015 birthed 'Somos' focused on alternative varieties and making wines as naturally as possible. The wines burst with energy, precision and personality while still maintaining a unique sense of familiarity. Somos is a brand deeply rooted in South Australia but with a bit of Latin flair.