Winemaker Marcell Kustos launches Ludo Wines after winery accident

Adelaide sommelier Marcell Kustos releases Ludo Wines after overcoming a horrific winery accident.

Sommelier and winemaker Marcell Kustos. Photo: Ben Macmahon

When a 400kg hogshead (large scale barrel) fell from a forklift during a freak winery accident, it smashed sommelier Marcell Kustos’ foot – and very nearly his dreams along with it.

Far from loved ones, it was was a traumatic and lonely start to 2020 for Hungary-born Marcell and his Brazilian partner Lisiane Kamimura after the accident were but eight months (and six operations) later, he is reflective.

“It made me realise what’s important in life and what I really enjoy doing,’’ he says. “I wasn’t able to walk any more or serve wine any more but being a sommelier is not just about working on the floor. I found other channels to utilise my knowledge and my experience – such as wine education.”

Sommelier and winemaker Marcell Kustos. Photo Ben Macmahon

The future looks bright. In late 2020, Marcell released the first wine under the Ludo range. The brand is a collision of cultures, creativity, and scientific minds.

Ludo is a collaboration with German-born Dr Olaf Schelezki (now a lecturer in Viticulture at New Zealand’s Lincoln University) and Dr Ana Hranilović (a Croatian investigating alternative yeasts in France and Adelaide), both of whom Marcell met when studying a wine science PhD at the University of Adelaide.

“We all focus on different parts of the wine world,’’ he says. “We all shared friendship and a passion and love for wine so after making wines in different parts of the world, we thought we do something together.”

Ludo is named for the Latin word which means to play, explore and challenge.

The inaugural release comprises the Ludo 2018 Silk, and the 2018 LUDO Grip.

“We love the romance of the soil, the vineyard, and the climate but when it comes to terroir, there is also another element in the triangle… the people, the winemakers and the human intervention. Nobody talks about because it’s not very romantic. We wanted to show that through little tweaks in winemaking, you could end up with very different results.”

Both were made using organically farmed McLaren Vale shiraz plucked from the same three Whites Valley vineyard rows at the same time on the same day during 2018.

The Silk and Grip are best consumed side-by-side to observe the differences achieved by small tweaks in winemaking.

The trio also experiments with the use of one of their favourite strains of yeast in wine. This is where it gets confoundingly technical but all that really matters is the small batch, lower alcohol wines are impressive.

“We always wanted to make something fresher and more progressive, but we also wanted to use the knowledge and the science that we had access to,” Marcell says. “Above all, I make wine for people to enjoy.”

Momentum is building. Ludo wines can be found at wine merchants such as East End Cellars, Parade Cellars, the National Wine Centre, Aces Pizza and Liquor, Fall From Grace, and Hellbound. They can also be ordered via Instagram (@drink_ludo) or email ([e-mail]).

They are released in 500ml bottles, slightly smaller
“We want to promote responsible alcohol consumption,” Marcell says. “In Europe we’re accustomed to drinking wine with lunch. This is the perfect amount to be shared between two people.”

The labels are beautiful. Look closely and subtle geeky elements emerge. What looks like a starburst is actually a photograph of microscopic wine crystals and the small-print numbers to the left and right of the image reflect the size and magnification of the crystals.

Future releases will include varieties from different regions – and the wine that was in the barrel when it crushed Marcell’s foot. A bittersweet but poignant reminder of a year that impacted us all.