Black & Ginger Cinco Rojas 2023

What an exciting bunch of Portuguese/Spanish red grapes offering some truly delicious drinking. Winemaker, Hadyn Black, is to be congratulated for taking the plunge in a region more noted for its Shiraz and embracing an alternative vision of Grampians red wine comprising Graciano, Grenache, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) and Touriga Nacional. The result is a comforting red with some European grip and savouriness amid a wealth of black, red and blue fruits wrapped in spice. Each grape brings something whether it’s Touriga’s noted tannin qualities, Tempranillo’s cherry and spice or Grenache’s depth of herbals and arresting fruit presence. A middle palate thread of smoked meat savouriness and earthiness helps seal what is a most expressive palate before a clean, acid-bright finish. Released July 1.

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