Raga Grenache Sangiovese Marsanne 2023

Not your usual GSM. This is a very different interpretation, one inspired by the winemaker who worked as a chef in Europe. It shows. This iridescent, purple-hued, red fruited, food friendly wine is high in approachability. Think of it as Beaujolais in style but with attitude. It hails from Langhorne Creek. Spring-like scents is cherry, raspberry, hibiscus florals and maraschino cherry. The varietal breakdown runs like this: Grenache 45%, Sangiovese 45% and Marsanne 10%. Wild fermentation in stainless steel and six months maturation in seasoned French oak bring forth plenty of plummy, soft, buoyant fruit, dried leaves, earth and briar with mid-palate texture and enduring, firm tannins. I like this kind of GSM, and it doesn’t mind some light chilling either.

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