The smiling, Australian poster boy of Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo, is embarking on a new, fruitful venture with celebrated Barossa Valley winemakers St Hugo.

The pair has collaborated on a series of fine wines, DR3 x St Hugo, to be released annually and which sees the F1 ace work closely with St Hugo Chief Winemaker, Peter Munro.

“I grew up around wine, it’s in my blood. Along with my Italian heritage and my family’s love of sharing wine, my dad is a bit of a hobby winemaker and I have been surrounded by the passion for wine since I was young,” says Ricciardo.

“And to be able to do this with St Hugo’s Winemaker, Peter Munro, one of Australia’s best winemakers, is a real privilege. It also guarantees the wines will taste great!”

The first release of the DR3 X St Hugo series will include a Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 and Barossa Shiraz 2015, both $65 a bottle.

The former showcases notes of blackcurrant, dark violets, graphite, slate and oak char, while the latter offers a generous full palate of dark fruit supported by chalky tannins that give the wine great length.

“The collaboration is a blend of the love of fine wines and the desire to capture Daniel’s character into the distinctive St Hugo style that represents ‘passion, power and precision’,” says St Hugo Chief Winemaker, Peter Munro.

Each bottle of the limited edition first release of DR3 x St Hugo will be individually numbered and presented in a premium gift box and is available to buy now.

Sthugo.om