Australia
Australia
Yarra Yering 2019 Dry Red No. 3
Boysenberry and cardamom appear with mocha and charcuterie. Blackcurrant, liquorice, fragrant blue fruit, savoury depth, flowers and bay leaf fill a medium-bodied profile with a long palate. The six-grape field blend uses Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Alvarelhão and Sousão. Grapes are hand picked, destemmed and left uncrushed. Initial working is by foot, and maturation lasts ten months in old oak.
Pindarie 2020 Black Hinge Reserve Shiraz
Berry fruit and spice meet a concentrated, dense structure, supported by strong tannins and balanced acidity. The palate has a luscious, lingering mouthfeel. The Shiraz comes entirely from estate-grown fruit selected from the lower section of Tony’s Block, on terra rossa soils. A small open fermenter is used with gentle hand plunging. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, followed by sixteen months in French oak.
Castagna 2018 La Chiave Sangiovese Beechworth
Medium-deep red-purple colour accompanies a smoky, spicy and nutty profile with smoked charcuterie. The palate is finely structured and penetrating, with fine, discreet tannins that add grip. Red berries, anise, fennel, salumi, cedar and white pepper also appear with fresh acidity. The wine is Sangiovese from Beechworth and is classified as biodynamic, vegan-friendly and sustainably made.
Penfolds 2014 RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz
Medium-deep crimson colour accompanies dark berry and dark chocolate aromas, together with meaty vanilla notes. Dense blackberry, praline and graphite flavours meet fine, grainy textures, persistent acidity and savoury mocha oak. Roasted chestnut and polished leather are also present in a balanced profile. The fruit is entirely Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, and maturation takes place only in French oak.
Rolf Binder 2005 Hanisch Shiraz
Cedar, tobacco, vanilla, spice, truffle, pencil lead, plum and blueberry appear in a voluptuous, intensely flavoured profile. The wine is supple, generous and long, with blackberry joined by clove and white pepper. The texture is creamy. This full-bodied Shiraz comes from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Maturation used eighty percent new American oak, with the balance in seasoned French oak.
Tahbilk 2009 1860 Vines Shiraz
Bright crimson colour accompanies rich berry fruit, vanilla, spice, ripe black cherry and dried herbs. Integrated oak and fine-grained tannins are also present, with elegance and substantial length. The Shiraz comes from a half-hectare of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines. Grapes are hand picked and fermented in old open-oak vats. Maturation lasts eighteen months in French oak, with further bottle ageing.
Hickinbotham 2014 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz
Deep garnet-purple colour accompanies warm red and black fruit preserves, mocha, vanilla, yeast extract and lavender. The profile also includes blackcurrant, rhubarb, old books and Chinese five spice with earthy, savoury elements. Full-bodied, firm, rich and concentrated in character, it has velvety, fine-grained tannins and a long finish. The blend is fifty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon and forty-four percent Shiraz.
Wildman Wines 2022 Piggy Pop Pét-Nat 1.5 L Magnum
Cranberry-pink colour accompanies red cherry, cherry pit and glacé cherry. Pomegranate, blood orange and spice sit with a savoury amaro twist of raspberry and salted liquorice. The bubbles are persistent, soft and foamy, with mouthwatering freshness. Mataro, Lagrein, Arneis, Nero d’Avola and Zibibbo form the blend, which completes fermentation in bottle at a final pressure of about three bars.
Coulter Wines 2022 C1 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay
Straw-yellow colour with green tinges accompanies lemon curd, peach, toasted oatmeal and briny notes. Citrus, white peach, pithy lime, ginger spice and phenolic grip are also present. Hand-picked fruit comes from a thirty-year-old vineyard at 450 metres. Full-solids juice ferments in French oak, without malolactic conversion or lees stirring, and remains in oak for nine months.
Ghost Rock 2024 Sauvignon Blanc
Florals and tropical fruit accompany white peach, honeydew melon, passionfruit, slate and fresh-cut grass. The Sauvignon Blanc has lively acidity, chalky texture and a long, fresh finish. Eighty-five percent ferments in stainless steel with selected yeast, while fifteen percent ferments naturally in new French oak. Both portions receive lees stirring and extended time on lees. Alcohol is 13 percent.
Coulter Wines 2022 C4 Eden Valley Riesling
Green apple, lime sorbet and wet limestone appear in a finely focused Riesling. The wine is linear and persistent, with racy acidity and a long, steely finish. Fruit comes from Eden Valley in South Australia, and the style is bone dry. The producer works with grower fruit and makes its wines in a former church at Uleybury in the Adelaide Hills.
Chapel Hill 2018 The Vicar Shiraz
Inky black colour accompanies blackberry, plum, dark chocolate and aniseed, with wild herbs, violets, black liquorice and wild fennel. The Shiraz has succulent tannins and a long finish. Fruit is sourced from McLaren Vale. Maturation lasts twenty-one months in 300-litre French oak hogsheads, one quarter new, and the finished wine carries 14.5 percent alcohol.
Penfolds 2017 St Henri Shiraz
Blackberry, mulberry, currant and plum accompany herb, dark chocolate, liquorice and panforte notes. Fine, powdery tannins appear in a dense profile. The finish is long, with chocolate and mineral detail. Red raspberry, dark berry and pepper also appear. Shiraz is joined by nine percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Maturation takes place in old 1,460-litre vats, with little overt oak character.
Hugh Hamilton 2006 Jekyll & Hyde Shiraz Viognier
Meaty and peppery notes accent raspberry and boysenberry fruit in a full-bodied red. Shiraz provides the main share of the blend, while Viognier accounts for seven percent. The wine has a lush, substantial texture, with vanilla, chocolate and coffee among its flavour details. It comes from McLaren Vale in South Australia and carries 15.5 percent alcohol.
Ochota Barrels 2019 The Price of Silence Gamay
Pepper, herbs, violet and florals accompany crunchy fruit, gentle tannins and defined acidity. Black cherry, tea and herbal notes sit within a medium-bodied Gamay with a silky, rounded feel and a long, mouthwatering finish. Fruit comes from a high Piccadilly Valley vineyard on clay over limestone. Half the wine undergoes carbonic maceration, while half uses whole bunches for six days.
Singlefile 2023 Single Vineyard Frankland River Shiraz
Blackberry and currant notes sit with subtle spice in a medium-bodied Shiraz marked by dark fruit, savoury detail and silky tannins. Fruit comes from the north-facing Riversdale Vineyard in Frankland River. After picking and sorting, the grapes spend fifteen days in closed fermenters with gentle maceration and minimal pumpovers. The wine matures for eleven months in medium-toast French-oak barriques and carries 14.1 percent alcohol.
Stargazer 2024 Tasmania Riesling
Orange peel, musk and ginger accompany mandarin pith, grapefruit peel, quince and red apple skin. The Riesling has texture and focused acidity. Fruit comes from vines on their own roots in loam over limestone. Hand-harvested grapes receive brief skin contact before wild fermentation in stainless steel, followed by close to two months on lees with weekly stirring.
Stargazer 2024 Tupelo White Blend
Quince, rosewater, pear and spice accompany a delicate, perfumed white. The blend draws on Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer grown in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. A small amount of residual sugar remains, while the finish is dry. Green apple joins the fruit and floral notes. The still wine carries thirteen percent alcohol and uses a screwcap closure.
MMAD Vineyard 2021 Blewitt Springs Chenin Blanc
Citrus peel, cumquat, wet stone, hessian and sea spray accompany a long profile with crisp acidity. One third of the hand-picked fruit is whole-bunch pressed to old French-oak puncheons. The remaining grapes receive skin contact and ferment in concrete before transfer to puncheons. The vineyard was planted in nineteen thirty-nine on Maslin sands with ironstone pebbles, and the finished wine carries 12.5 percent alcohol.
Singlefile 2024 Family Reserve Denmark Chardonnay
Intense grapefruit and nectarine aromas include citrus blossom and subtle French-oak nuance. Citrus and stone fruit are joined by creaminess and a nutty texture. Fruit from a Denmark vineyard planted in nineteen eighty-six is whole-bunch pressed, with one-third fermented in new oak and the remainder in one-year-old French-oak barriques. Nine months in oak include partial malolactic fermentation and weekly lees stirring for five months.
Koerner 2022 Parish Vineyard Riesling
Parish Vineyard faces south in Watervale, with red clay over slate and vines planted more than a century ago. The fruit is hand-harvested and sorted, then crushed and destemmed before six hours on skins in the press. Natural fermentation uses ten percent ceramic amphora and ninety percent steel. The wine remains on fine lees in stainless steel for nine months and is bottled without fining or filtration.
Dr. Edge 2022 North Pinot Noir Tasmania
Dark cherry, wild strawberry and raspberry meet dried citrus rind, red flowers, spice and amaro herbs. Flint, charcoal, graphite, shiitake broth and light game add savoury detail. The tannins have a powdered-granite character, with mineral energy in the wine. Pinot Noir from northern Tasmania carries twelve and a half percent alcohol and uses a screw-cap closure.
Glaetzer 2018 Anaperenna Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark purple and black colour accompanies black fruit, a slight herbal lift, anise, dark cherry and dried spice. The blend contains Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon from old vines in Ebenezer, at the northern end of the Barossa Valley. It ferments in open vessels before sixteen months in new French and American oak. The wine is bottled unfiltered after maturation on lees.
Montalto 2015 Merricks Block Pinot Noir
A hyper-fragrant bouquet brings fruit and forest notes. Earth, smoke, pickled cherry, clove-studded ham and autumn leaves accompany demerara and mocha oak. The Pinot Noir also shows rosewater, sappy cherry, char, youthful acidity, roast orange and grilled nuts. Made from the MV6 clone on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, it has red fruit, plum, acidity and oak, with a long finish.
Noon Winery 2018 Reserve Shiraz
Dense and full-bodied, with detail and nuance in the deep flavours. The texture is round, with firm tannins, length and balance. Shiraz comes from the Borrett family’s 20 Rows block in Langhorne Creek. The smaller crop was harvested by hand at the vineyard on 13 March. Those vineyard and harvest details accompany the wine’s deep flavour and round texture.
Voyager Estate 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Blackcurrant, plum and black olive lead a dark, savoury bouquet, with pepper and a faint capsicum note adding lift. The palate is rich yet balanced, carrying ripe dark fruit over fine tannins and fresh acidity. Structured and persistent, it closes with plum, olive, pepper and a long savoury finish that retains impressive energy and definition.
Leeuwin Estate 2022 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon
Blackberry and mulberry lead a composed, fragrant bouquet, joined by cassis, cedar and a touch of cinnamon. The palate is finely structured rather than heavy, with dark fruit, savoury spice and a subtle saline edge carried by fresh acidity. Detailed and persistent, it closes with black fruit, liquorice, polished tannins and a measured oak note.
Tread Softly 2022 Pinot Noir
Ripe strawberries and raspberries lead with white-pepper spice, dried herbs and a gentle floral-stem note. The palate is light, crunchy and fresh, with tart red fruit carried by clean acidity. Soft, herb-flecked tannins give shape without adding weight, keeping the wine energetic and easy to follow. It finishes bright and persistent, leaving red berries, subtle spice and a savoury herbal lift.
Voyager Estate 2012 Girt by Sea Cabernet Merlot
Blackcurrant, dark cherry and mulberry open with cedar, tobacco and measured spice. The palate is savoury and medium-bodied, with the dark fruit carried by beautifully integrated, fine-grained tannins. Cedar and tobacco add mature complexity without drying the fruit, while the texture remains composed and approachable. The finish is medium to long, leaving blackcurrant, mulberry, spice and a persistent cedary note.
Grant Burge The Holy Trinity Barossa GSM
Juicy dark fruit leads with plum and berry depth, followed by a measured thread of warm spice. The palate is supple and smoothly layered, with Grenache bringing lift, Shiraz adding body and Mourvedre contributing savoury shape. Concrete fermentation helps preserve a rounded, composed texture. Generous without feeling heavy, it closes with dark fruit, soft spice and a quietly persistent Barossa warmth.










