Australian Wine

Winemaker Corey Ryan named Marschall Shiraz in homage of the late David Marschall, a martial artist , actor and demolition expert, whose legacy lives on through his vineyards in Barossa Valley's Tanunda and Ebenezer districts. And grapes from those two areas make up the backbone of this deeply fruity, dry, full bodied Shiraz, which is one of the outstanding reds in the Sons of Eden range. A great wine from a great new-ish brand, which highlights the potential of the world's most famous Shiraz region.

Jim Barry's Clare Valley Assyrtiko (pronounced 'As-err-teek-oh') comes from 15 kilometres south of Clare township in the village of Watervale on the Florita Vineyard, best known for fino sherry prior to 1962 and great Riesling ever since. A small block of this elevated vineyard is devoted to the Assyrtiko grape, which originally comes from the volcanic island of Santorini where hot days and cool nights allow it to retain freshness derived from the grape's naturally high acidity. The result is an outstandingly succulent, refreshing dry white. This wine will take you by surprise, in the best possible way. It was Australia's first Assyrtiko, made by Peter Barry, who fell for the grape and wine after a trip to Greece. 

Brown Brothers family owned winery is known for many things but sparkling wine isn't usually the first to spring to mind, so here's a surprise not only for many wine lovers perceptions but also to their palates. 

This blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay is made with grapes grown at 800 metres altitude above sea level in the cool climate of Victoria's King Valley, Australia.

It's aged for six years on lees before disgorgement and offers outstanding quality at an incredibly modest price tag. We love it. 

The Fifth Wave is Langmeil?s best old vine Grenache with its powerful flavours of dark cherries, red fruit, vanilla and a touch of green herbs, all combined in a gorgeous approachable red wine with a lingering finish and full body. 

Langmeil is owned by the Lindner family, which has been making wine for six generations in the Barossa Valley.

Dark, ripe and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, which is full flavoured wine made with black olive and dried herb complexity which will reward cellaring for up to a decade, longer in good cellaring conditions. 

A superlative wine to keep or decant and serve at room temperature in your best large red wine glasses now. 

Rockford Wines' legacy

Rockford Wines is an icon itself and a relatively new one, established in 1971 by Robert O'Callaghan, who has forged a reputation for preserving winemaking tradition and saving many of the world's oldest grape vines from being pulled up in the Australian Government's vine pull schemes of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Rockford vintage shed houses equipment from 50 to 100 years ago, which was discarded by other wineries as modernisation took over.

Son's of Eden Pumpa is a full bodied red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Tempranillo, all grown in the Eden Valley, a higher altitude and slightly cooler climate area of the Barossa Valley. 

This wine is named as a tribute to Len Pumpa and his fellow Eden Valley winemakers who pioneered one of Australia's most challenging but rewarding winemaking regions. 

Eden Valley had a mix of British and continental European settlers that tried their hand at grape-growing. When times were tough particularly in the 1920s many turned away from viticulture, however the Prussian settlers like Len Pumpa persisted in the face of difficulty, preserving the vineyard resources we are custodians of today.

We think Don't Tell Gary represents everything good about Shiraz and with an appealingly quirky edge thanks to being made from grapes grown in the Grampian Mountains in Victoria rather than the better known Barossa Valley. Don't Tell Gary was first made in 2014, winemaker Jo Nash discovered an exceptional parcel of Shiraz from the Grampians which she gently crushed, then tucked away in some ridiculously expensive French oak barrels to age for 12 months. The wine speaks for itself – minimal intervention, purity of fruit and a long refreshing finish. Great drinking now at an incredibly accessible price.

If you're a fan of a big red, try this one out for size and you'll soon be back for more. It's made by Australian winemaker Johnny Quarisa, who may have an Italian background but he rocks a definite Argentinian vibe in this deliciously dry, dark and juicy Malbec. It's made from grapes grown in South Australia, a region better known for Shiraz, which also fits the big dark juicy red style. 

This is an outstanding, velvety red which totally over delivers. Long, smooth and delicious.

Dry Australian S?millon is one of our neighbour winemaking neighbour's quirkiest, most individualistic wines. This wine comes from the iconic Brokenwood Winery in the Hunter Valley, a relatively rainy region where moisture tends to force early harvests with slightly lower sugars and pronounced acidity, which allows the wines to age well for decades. 

This wine drinks well now and has fresh green herb aromas and flavours. It will also age well. We'd give this accessibly priced Aussie Semillon a good 10 years in the cellar and then vive la difference.

A classically styled shiraz from the Barossa Valley - rich, smooth and powerful. The glass bursts with warming aromas and flavours of plums, boysenberries and dark chocolate. Taught acidity provides freshness and fine powdery tannins provide structure . American, French, Russian and Hungarian oak hogsheads were used for an eighteen month maturation, providing hints of cedar and spice. This wine really delivers for the price point!

Rockford is one of the icons of Australia and of the Barossa Valley and it is one a relative newcomer, having been established in 1971 by Robert O'Callaghan. This full bodied blend of Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz is made using grapes grown in some of the driest regions in the Barossa. All grapes are destemmed in the winery's 1880’s wooden Bagshaw de-stemmer before being fermented in open slate tanks. Our 1890’s Robinson Basket Press slowly squeezes the remaining juice from the grapes, before the individual components are left to mature in seasoned oak casks. When the final blend comes together, layers of soft, savoury, spicy flavours are expressed in a smooth, velvety and spicy red wine. 

Rockford Wines' legacy

Rockford Wines is an icon itself and a relatively new one, established in 1971 by Robert O'Callaghan, who has forged a reputation for preserving winemaking tradition and saving many of the world's oldest grape vines from being pulled up in the Australian Government's vine pull schemes of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Rockford vintage shed houses equipment from 50 to 100 years ago, which was discarded by other wineries as modernisation took over.

Here?s a deliciously different wine from South Australian brothers Peter and Duncan Lloyd, who were brought up with wine in McLaren Vale, South Australia, which is an experimental hotbed for interesting varieties. Flavours here are all about ripe licorice balanced by soft plummy fruit flavours balanced by firm acidity which adds structure and length to every interestingly quirky sip.

They used five grapes which originate in five different countries to make this interesting new take on Australian red wine. The grapes are Touriga (originally from Portugal), Grenache (French), Negroamaro (Italian), Mourvedre (French/Spanish) and Shiraz (Australia?s stock in trade).

This great Australian white is worth getting well acquainted with, no matter where your taste preferences sit on the Chardonnay spectrum.

Chardonnay is Australia's most planted and most popular white and grapes from five single vineyard sites in Healesville were whole bunch pressed to 675 litre open top clay egg fermentation vessels to make this wine. Indigenous yeasts were used and the lids were sealed with clay at the completion of fermentation. Each egg was then decanted to chill before being racked once more and bottled by gravity. No fining and no filtration add to the great purity of fruit in this dry, full bodied, exceptionally elegant Australian Chardonnay, which deserves to become known as one of the great whites from our nearest neighbour, across The Tasman.

This wine not only looks great, its flavours live up to the part too, thanks to the fact that the Barossa Valley in South Australia is a hot bed of old grapevines and Grenache is one of the most under rated.

This is all about a juicy, supple, medium bodied style and refreshing red fruit flavours. It has great balance, interesting complex flavours and drinks well now but will hold for the next three to four years. 

If you're looking for a red to lightly chill in summer and enjoy with great savoury flavours, such as slow cooked duck, here it is.