Wines

Quilty & Gransden Chardonnay 2019

A more restrained cool climate style Chardonnay that is medium bodied with oaky hints and a peaches and cream vibe. Texture can be seen from

Quilty & Gransden Merlot 2018

I haven’t seen a 100% Merlot for a little while and this was a nice surprise. Bright ruby colour with pretty, ripe plum flavours in

Quilty & Gransden Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Herbal menthol aromas reminding me of fresh alpine herbs. Bright cassis and vanilla oak complete the wine flavours. A more medium bodied, cool climate Cabernet

Quilty & Gransden Sauvignon Blanc 2020

I loved these labels, they will stand out in a bottle shop and also look great in a café or restaurant. This has a more

Quilty & Gransden Shiraz 2018

This is a classic cool climate Shiraz, made in a medium bodied style. There are pretty, sweet black fruits; black and red plum and earthy

Pine Drive Vineyards The Pine Drive Shiraz 2019

This was both a new winery and new wine to me – sometimes that can be an exciting thing; other times, less so. But it

Arila Gardens Quartz and Ironstone Gardens Shiraz 2020

My immediate thought with this Shiraz was that if these guys are making wines this good from 2020, I can’t wait to see their 2021s.

Arila Gardens Sand Gardens Grenache 2020

The Clay family purchased what would become Arila Gardens in 2018 and in a very short, Covid-interrupted, period have established an enviable reputation for some

Woodstock Naughty Monte Montepulciano 2019

This is a single vineyard Montepulciano, planted in 2010, from the McLaren Vale. Designed to appeal to the ‘little rascal’ in all of us, for

Ballandean Estate Durif 2018

Durif was not one of the first varieties planted at Ballandean Estate back in 1968 but it might turn out to be one of the

Capital Wines The Swinger Sauvignon Blanc 2021

This is quality Sauvignon Blanc with superb drinkability. ‘The Swinger’ is certainly a step away from the tropical examples that abound in the market. Enticing

Penfolds G5

A fascinating wine – the third and last of the multi-vintage Penfolds Grange releases brings together wines from the 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018

Prometheus Montelpulciano 2021

Again, Riverland fruit, this time from the Renmark West Vineyard. This grape has been very successful in southern and central Italy, and it is easy

Prometheus Grenache 2021

From the same Renmark North Vineyard in the Riverland, as provided the fruit for their lovely Grenache Rosé, this is a pale crimson. The aromas

Bernard Schurr Cotes du Rhone Villages 2019

Cotes du Rhone can be a bit of a minefield sometimes but this wine absolutely overdelivers and is a cracking example which displays all that

Little Giant Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Of all the Little Giant wines, the Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently one of their best. It is a classically mid-weight Cabernet with underlying power

Little Giant Little Batch Grenache Tempranillo 2021

In Spain’s premier wine region, Rioja, Grenache and Tempranillo come together to create wines with fleshy sweet Grenache fruits combined with Tempranillo’s more broody, savoury

Tread Softly Yarra Yalley Chardonnay 2021

The Yarra Valley quite rightly is recognised as one of the country’s leading regions for Chardonnay. But not the big, old fashioned, heavily oaked wines.