Tasmania – Pinot Noir

While Tasmania white wines lean towards purity and finesse, the emerging profile for Pinot Noir is one of earthy structured roundness, still with plenty of crunchy red berry and stone fruit varietal character.

Coonawarra (South Australia) – Cabernet Sauvignon

Coonawarra’s regional accent is all about weight and aroma, both of which are very distinctive. First up, Coonawarra tends to produce medium bodied reds, and this is an expression that is best suited to its Cabernet style. Secondly, the nose is characteristically ‘leafy’ with a herbaceous, bell pepper ring that can range from grassy through to minty.

McLaren Vale (South Australia) – (1) Shiraz

Typically full bodied, the best examples of McLaren Vale Shiraz have immense blackberry and licorice aromas, fleshy palates with concentrated, ripe tannins. They are richly flavoured and quickly develop a velvety texture.

Not to be missed: Rockbare Shiraz and Rockbare Chardonnay. The approach of Rockbare to Shiraz is to find the oldest vines possible, crop them low, nurture them through the ferment and then allow them to mature in oak for a year or so.  Grapes are sourced from a small group of vineyards, producing fruit of exceptional quality – with quality like this the wine pretty much makes itself.

“Exceedingly well-priced, (Tim) Burvill’s Chardonnay and Shiraz are truly outstanding” – John Fordham, Sunday Times Newspaper (Body & Soul) 29 Jan 2006

McLaren Vale (South Australia) – (2) Grenache

Tell-tale rust or brick red colour is the first sign of McLaren Vale’s unique contribution to regional Australia. Gnarled old vines and a generational gift for coaxing the best out of Grenache does the rest. The result is easy drinking reds that manage to be both sweet and savoury – red currants through to well worked leather!

Not to be missed: Cascabel Tipico GSM (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre) & Cascabel Tempranillo. Tipico is produced from mostly Viña Cascabel grown grapes, with a small addition of Grenache from a vineyard near the winery.  The soils are particularly well suited to grow these Spanish varieties, with the soil and weather allowing for the production of grapes with freshness and character. Cascabel do not follow the latest fad, preferring to use more traditional viticultural methods.  All grapes are hand picked making for a good vine canopy whilst discouraging high crop levels.

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Content used with permission from Wine Australia.