John Hughes' love for Riesling began in his childhood spent on his family's Clare Valley vineyard. It followed him to university, where he earned the nickname 'Rieslingfreak', then to his own winery. He established Rieslingfreak in 2009.

Rieslingfreak aims to showcase the gamut of what Riesling is capable of in terms of regional characteristics and wine styles. For the first vintage, John Hughes drew exclusively from his family's White Hut vineyard. Since then he has expanded to include sites in Polish Hill River and the Eden Valley. Following the German tradition, Rieslingfreak allocate each wine an individual number that represents its region of origin, style and technical specifications.

Rieslingfreak's No.1 and No.10 Zenit are made only in superior vintages. The winery's young, dry Rieslings are joined by the off-dry No.5, the aged release No.6, the fortified No.7, the sweet No.8 and sparkling No.9.