Schwarz Wine Co
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From a small Barossa family producer who of course grows shiraz and crafts several versions of it as a mainstay, the Schwarz Wine Co also have a superb range of Grenache, from the GSM to the Meta and Thiele Road Grenache, each revealing another delightful pathway to fine regional styling.
The 2019 GSM ($30; 90/100) is out and about now, and is a smart crossover of just ripe darker fruit and underlying dried herb and spice seasonings. The Schwarz 2019 Meta with its fancy green label ($35; 94/100) is just rolling into the marketplace in 2020 Autumn, and suits the season perfectly; a mix of Bethany and Marananga vineyards, fermented with wild yeast and 80% whole bunch inclusion. If ever there was a case study in what this can bring to grenache, this is worth exploring. It’s glorious, pure grenache that captures a subtle dose of sappiness and savoury sensibilities that balance and layer its otherwise slurpy, grapey fruit spectrum.
And for a further step into grenache varietal expression, the 2018 Thiele Road Grenache ($45; 95/100) ticks all the boxes if you like more umami in your red wine pleasures. It’s fleshy, subtly saline, blood lippy and a touch meaty, like rare roast beef juices. For mine this is complex, grenache holy grail territory. All three make a terrific grenache masterclass.
Tony is best known for his 10 years as News Corp’s National Wine Writer, with weekly columns in major metropolitan mastheads throughout Australia including The Adelaide Advertiser, The Sydney Daily Telegraph and the Melbourne Herald Sun. He continues to write feature articles and columns for all the major Australian wine media publications. Tony has also worked as a restaurant reviewer, section editor, book editor, digital content provider, journalism teacher and was named Wine Communicators of Australia 2018 Legend of the Vine (SA). Find out more about Tony at tonylove.com.au
