Altera Terra Fidelis Shiraz 2021

A different shade of Shiraz here with a multi-regional blend of fruit sourced from Murrumbateman, McLaren Vale and Pyrenees. The rich, expressive entry to the wine grabs your attention. Shades of ripe blueberry, raspberry, pomegranate, vanilla, spice – plenty of spice – and so lifted. The dial turns up a notch or three on the palate, building in layers of flavour and depth, velvety and intense. Retains Murrumbateman’s fluid drive, all red fruited with a touch of spice. The lingering wild bush, peppery and exotic notes come courtesy of the Pyrenees, with McLaren Vale plushness throughout. Oak is there, never prominent. Tannins are beautifully crafted, contributing to the effortless flow of the wine. Fidelis explores a lot of territory, filling every crevice and nook with amazing, sustained flavour.

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