Chapel Hill Abacus Shiraz 2021

 

This is a great Shiraz for the budget conscious. It's dense and generous - get your claws into kinda stuff.

Chapel Hill Abacus Mourvedre Rosé 2022

 

Straight up and down, there's not a lot of excitement or get up and go with this Mourvedre Rosé. 

Chapel Hill Organic Small Batch Shiraz 2021

  

The organic wine market continues to surge and this small batch Shiraz from Chapel Hill is their red wine contribution. Good gear, it flows with ease. 

Brash Higgins Smart Vineyard Grenache 2021

 

Brad Hickey has moved into the Grenache game. Usually producing a Grenache Mataro blend, he's stepped things up and sourced some fruit from the 70 year old vines in the Smart Vineyard. What an excellent and delicately handled debut this is!

Oliver's Taranga Tempranillo 2022

 

Brisket on steamed buns with a glass or two of this. Yes please! Tempranillo is made for food so load up a plate and fill your glass.

Chapel Hill Organic Small Batch Chardonnay 2021

 

McLaren Vale is a lot of things but a Chardonnay hotspot is one thing it is not. More muted than the Abacus Chardonnay, this is quite a simple drink.

Chapel Hill Abacus Chardonnay 2022

 

Michael Fragos got in touch to share some new wines. I haven't seen any wines from Chapel Hill for some time so it was good to get back in the saddle. Here we have a Chardonnay with some richness but it's not OTT. 

Oliver's Taranga Grenache 2022

 

Dive in, swim, paddle, whatever. Stay a while, that's the message. Grenache glory from Oliver's Taranga.

Oliver's Taranga Shiraz 2021

 

That colour! So dense with a brightish hue. Those who love some generosity would be pleased with this McLaren Vale Shiraz. 

Oliver's Taranga Mencia 2022

 

I love these Oliver's Taranga labels. Their colour is so distinctive but they also give a snapshot of the year that was. Check the bottom right, there is always a reference to "The year that..."

Mencia has been on the books for a number of years now with the first release in 2016. A Spanish variety, this is gold plated with silky lines calling for lazy, long afternoons with plentiful plates of food within arm's reach.

Yangarra Estate Ovitelli Blanc 2020

 

Welcome to the debut Ovitelli Blanc release. A magnificent wine, there is plenty going on as you'd expect from Yangarra Estate. The back label states, "Renowned for our Grenache and respecting the distant homelands of this variety, we planted its white varietal cousins." Lovers of texture and interest ought to dip their oar in.

International Grenache Day 16 September

 

Some days are worth celebrating more than others. Along with International Bacon Day and International Ice Cream Day, another podium-worthy day is International Grenache Day. Fact!

One of the most planted varieties in the world, Grenache has found a happy home in Australia's McLaren Vale and Barossa regions. There is so much to embrace given the variety's diversity. I love it so much that I wrote a book about it!

If you're yet to dip your oar into the ocean of Grenache beauty, check a few of these to wet your whistle and get knee-deep in deliciousness.

Yalumba Tri-Centenary Grenache 2019

Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard Grenache 2021

Yangarra Estate Ovitelli Grenache 2020

Hutton Vale Grenache Mataro 2018

Oliver's Taranga RW Grenache 2021

Yalumba Barossa Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2018

Ox Hardy Grenache 2021

Yalumba Vine Vale Grenache 2021

Schild Estate Edgar Schild Grenache 2020

Tonic Wines Grenache 2020

Hayes Family Wines Koonunga Creek Block Grenache 2021

Hayes Family Wines Estate Block 2 Grenache 2021

Thistledown Vagabond Grenache 2021

Thistledown She's Electric Grenache 2021

Turkey Flat Grenache 2020

Subscribe to Qwine here

Follow me: Twitter and Instagram 

These reviews are free to access. If you enjoy the content, consider a donation:

Clandestine Vineyards Mourvedre Rosé 2022

 

A mouthful of creamy delish. A savoury and bone dry Rosé ready for those springtime soirees. 

Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard Blewitt Springs Grenache 2021

There is no doubting the prettiness that seeps through Grenache's veins when it is grown on sandy soils. That is evident once more with this Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard particularly when it is compared to its Smart Vineyard sibling.

Yangarra Estate King's Wood Shiraz 2020

 

Dense with some flirtatious mulberry fruit working the edges, this is an excellent Shiraz from Yangarra Estate.

Willunga 100 Smart Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2021

 

I've had a couple of Grenache wines come across the tasting bench from the Smart Vineyard in recent weeks. If only the stars aligned and I was able to see them all side by side. Regardless, this is a great expression and one I'd more than happily recommend.

Yangarra Estate Ovitelli Grenache 2020

 

Sublime. What a gorgeous Grenache! Prettiness and class all in one package.

Oliver's Taranga Fiano 2022

 

They call Corrina Wright the Queen of Fiano, a fitting title I must say. Here she goes again working her magic with this 2022 release. A brilliant wine awaits. Stand and applaud.

Oliver's Taranga DJ Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

 

Stern. Focused. Clenched fist. Give this some time before you see it calm and open up.

Oliver's Taranga HJ Reserve Shiraz 2020

 

Some very old vines are the source for this excellent McLaren Vale Shiraz. Hand-picked from the Old Block (planted in 1948), wild fermentation took place in the winery with no sulphur, tannin or acid additions. It saw French oak (35% new) for twelve months. Sit back and embrace this.