A. C. Byrne & Co Organic Shiraz 2021

This well-priced shiraz boasts quite a number of strong points in its favour in that it is not only organic, biodynamic, low preservative and vegan friendly, but also displays a richness of fruit flavour. And, I might add, it is quite attention-grabbing in vivid purple hues. Speaks of its McLaren Vale home in a bouquet filled to brimming in plump black berries, plums, blueberries, anise and chocolate notes. before coming together well on the palate. Tannins are pliant but far from forceful. Oak maturation in two to three-year-old oak, with some ageing in stainless steel thrown in, shows a light hand on the tiller providing lovely texture and flavour. Indeed, there is a fine balance throughout this wine which reveals clever winemaking, finishing with some tannin zip and a touch of cleansing astringency.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic