First Ridge Wines recruits Clarity Cru Wine Merchants for NSW and ACT distribution

Mudgee’s Italian varietal winegrower First Ridge Wines enlisted Clarity Cru Wine Merchants as its NSW and ACT distributor!

First Ridge Wines, established on ancient rocky ridges south of Mudgee in 1998 “under the guidance of world-renowned viticulturist Dr Richard Smart”, specialises in Italian varieties grown at elevations above 500 metres in the NSW Central Ranges.

Clarity Cru Wine Merchants, based in Lane Cove West, operates as a specialist NSW and ACT distributor with a focus on “quality producers and a trade-first approach”.

The businesses said their unique stories and shared attention to detail make them well aligned.

“We have built something genuinely distinctive at First Ridge. Italian varieties, grown on our own estate, in one of Australia’s historic wine regions. The time is right to share that more broadly, and Clarity Cru’s commitment to producer relationships and trade service made them the right partner for us,” said John Nicholas, owner and vigneron at First Ridge Wines.

Daniel Radford, owner and director at Clarity Cru Wine Merchants, said that First Ridge is exactly the kind of producer they enjoy representing.

“Estate-grown Italian varieties from Mudgee, with genuine quality credentials and a compelling story. These are wines the trade and their customers will engage with. We are delighted to partner with the First Ridge team,” he said.

The estate’s portfolio spans Barbera, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Fiano, Vermentino, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese Rosé and Prosecco – wines that have earned the winery a number of recent wine show trophies and inclusion in The Real Review’s 2026 Top Wineries Australia list.

The First Ridge range is available to NSW and ACT trade accounts through Clarity Cru Wine Merchants from July 2026. Direct cellar door sales and the Prima Cresta Wine Club continue to operate through firstridge.com.au.