Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World Bright and fruity with a cascade of vibrant blue fruits, bananas, crushed stones and blackberry tart. Medium body, light tannins and a fruity, essence-like finish. Cold soak and carbonic maceration.

The fruit is grown at Kangarilla, McLaren Vale from 17-21-year-old shiraz vines that sit between 150-180m above sea level. The 100 hectares of vineyards at Yangarra are divided into 35 individual blocks spread amongst 70 hectares of creeks, native vegetation and native corridors. Each block is defined by different aspects and subtle variations of the sand and ironstone soils. This wine is grown primarily on the sandy sites. The PF shiraz blocks are among the first blocks to be picked and are said to often be low in sugar and high in natural acidity. Whole berries are double sorted, lightly broken and dumped into small open-top fermenters. No additives were used for the wine’s entire production. A few days of cold soak precedes a natural yeast fermentation and a careful regime of plunging and drain to return a perfect extraction. This wine is delicious, and soars far above its winemaking. Uncannily textural and dry with firm, round fruit that spills across the palate spreading dense soft tannins everywhere, supporting rather than affecting the finish. Pure is a perfect word to describe this wine. The PF Shiraz is made from grapes grown without herbicides, fungicides or synthetic chemicals. It is made without additions of any kind: sulphur (preservative), acid, tannin or finings. There is no barrel aging and the alcohol, at 14.5%, is natural. Wow.

A beautifully fragrant and floral shiraz that offers up masses of perfume and rich red to dark berry fruit aromas, alluring stuff here. The palate has a pulpy, bright and succulent core of cassis, blueberry and mulberry fruit, smooth playful tannins, terrific flesh. Drink now.

Deep purple. Deep aromas of black cherries, dark currants, roasted figs, along with violets, sweet cocoa, mint, menthol and warm clay. Full and rich on the palate with velvety tannins and medium acidity. Flavors of roasted figs, plum cake, black cherries, along with mint, pepper, violets, cocoa. There’s some earthy, dusty, spice rub mixed in here, too. A lot going on, and it’s bright despite its richness and depth. I’d love to taste this in five years. Aged 15 months in 45% new French oak.

Pizza Friendly? Sure is, although the initials designate preservative free winemaking so no additives at all in this wine. Winemaker Peter Fraser (PF) states that he harvested on grape pH numbers and hence the lower than usual alcohol for McLaren vale shiraz at just 12.5%. It's a revelation of sorts, as the wine looks complete and really fresh, bursting with black fruits and gently earthy, liquorice and spice notes. The flavors are all here too, plenty of dark plum, more liquorice, black cherry and raspberry. Drink young.

Interesting new release. Grown biodynamically. No additions whatsoever. Falls under the banner of natural in its growing and making. Regardless of your feelings towards the Natural Wine Movement you'd be pretty hard to please if you didn't enjoy drinking this. It's fresh, vibrant and delicious. Raw and tank-sample-ish, thoroughly nouveau, alive with blackberry/brown bread/plum-like flavour and then juicy and textural through the finish. It even has some guts. It's a great red to rip into.

No additions of any type. Grown biodynamically. Could be labelled 'natural' wine. Tastes like a tank sample. Raw, yeasty and brimful of fruit. Incredibly vibrant and alive. Plums, dark cherries and brown bread. A gentle dusting of chocolate. Grippy, grapey tannin. McLaren Vale shiraz flavour on naked display. Nouveau style.

Deep, smooth and juicy with rich blackberry and cassis; bright, tangy and nicely structured; seamless, intense and nicely balanced; long and stylish.

Deep, smooth and juicy with rich blackberry and cassis; bright, tangy and nicely structured; seamless, intense and nicely balanced; long and stylish.

Rich and plump, a flood of fruit, with powerful blackberry, plum and a wee touch of peppermint, all echoing through the long finish. A serious McLaren vale Shiraz built to last.

This Kendall-Jackson project from Australia debuted with the 2000 vintage; beginning with the 2001 vintage they introduced the Appellation Series to showcase the regional Australian character (the original Varietal Series blends grapes from different sources). Winemaker Peter Fraser blends grapes for this wine from two different sub-regions of McLaren Vale: the cooler Foothills/BlewittSprings subregion and the warmer Seaview Hilltops region.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings There’s a rich array of ripe dark plums and blueberries on offer here, in a youthful, fresh mode. The palate has trademark, deep-gauge tannins and dark-blue-fruit flavors. Firm and full of character. Certified organic. Drink now. Screw cap.

Juicy and succulent, with blackberry, blueberry and pomegranate flavors at the polished core. Accents of black pepper and clove linger on the spicy finish, which is full of finesse and thick tannins. Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre.

Old vine grenache makes up the thrust of this wine. It’s from organically grown (certified) vineyards. McLaren Vale does GSMs very well, I reckon. Let the shiraz play second fiddle to the region’s better red grape variety, I say. It’s a nice thing to drink, easy thing to drink, feels smooth, even and tidy-ish in its components. That being said, oak peeks out a bit in old spice cupboard, pencil shavings and twigginess in perfume and palate, but there’s just about enough dark fruit, Xmas cake dried fruits and spice and earthiness to move things along. Just medium weight, finishes a touch short with smudged dusty tannins. Again, nice drink.

Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Grenache / Shiraz / Mourvèdre offers a seductive perfume of potpourri, incense and baking spices over a core of kirsch and raspberry tart. Full-bodied, concentrated, voluptuous and oh-so-spicy, it delivers gorgeous red berry layers and a velvety texture to the palate and a finish that goes on-and-on.

Deep purple-red glowing youthful colour and a pepper/spice and gently vegetal aroma which is clean and characterful. It's intense and full-bodied with taut acidity and greater amplitude than the straight grenache, lasting long on the aftertaste. A terrific mouthful of wine at the price.

Full bodied and richly tannic, this gives lie to the notion that all Grenache-based blends are easy quaffers. Dried spices and mixed berries include hints of clove and cracked pepper, finishing with some dry, chewy tannins. The assemblage is 49% Grenache, 29% Shiraz and 22% Mourvèdre. Drink 2020–2030.

Bright aromas of cured meats, rosemary and complex spices. Quite firmly extracted, with muscular tannins holding in the dark red fruits and black pepper on the full body. Long and juicy with a persistent finish. Will unfurl with time.

A unique blend of spice and blueberry sets this Shiraz apart from the pack, and it pulls away even further due to a lush, creamy texture and long, mouthcoating finish. There's great purity to the fruit, but enough peppery spice for complexity. Drink now-2016.

Fragrant, spicy and dense with meaty blackberry fruit and power; ripe and long; showing elegant complexity.

Bright and jazzy, offering a riot of flavors, including plum, blackberry, floral and licorice notes that swirl through the finish against fine tannins. Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2014.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings A minerally and layered white with almond, dried-apple, pear and lemon character. Medium body. Creamy texture. Drink now.

Rich yellow color. Nose of apricot, lime, papaya, surprisingly vibrant fruit mixed with honey and orange blossoms. Plump texture, real depth on the palate, yet fresh acidity keeps the wine bright. Apricot, lime, green melon, pineapple, lots of fruit but it’s accented by honey, candle wax, white tea and ginger, notes of hay and salted almond. The balance here is really impressive, and the wine finishes clean and fresh. 13.5% alcohol, 100% Roussanne, aged 7 months in French oak, 10% new.

Roussanne is not commonly grown in Australia. Yangarra’s is grown 150 meters above sea level on a two-acre block composed of Ironstone gravels mixed with weathered sands. Fermentation was by wild yeast and whole berries were put through a basket press yielding a welcome, moderate alcohol level of 13.5%. Winemaker Peter Fraser says this wine should live long, and Roussanne is known for that. Yields sliced apricot, citrus blossom, and clover honey. The finish is long and the gentle acid lift provides a certain nimbleness.

High on texture and aroma. It helps draw you in. Honeysuckle, ripe melon and chestnuts with a yeasty twang as you swallow. Mid-palate blooms towards richness but the finish narrows down, losing some but not all of its momentum. If anything it helps with the wine's drinkability/food-friendliness. Does not lack intrigue.