-
Chardonnay thrives in the warm and sun kissed Australian vineyard - delivering an unmistakably vibrant and fruit driven style. This wine is no exception and is packed with grapefruit, lime and melon flavours, all bound up with a zesty, crisp citrus... Read more2023 | 13% ABV 75cl
Single£8.85Was £9.95 Save £1.10Multibuy ? Save 10%: £7.96 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£7.96 Buy 12+ Save £0.89There are only in stock
-
Dark cherry, blueberry, raspberry and chocolate, intermingled with subtle spices and earthy graphite notes. The medium palate weight and silky texture profile are hallmark ‘Eastside’. Black cherry and blueberry fruit point to the wine’s delicious acid... Read more2017 | 14% ABV 75cl
Single£13.30Was £19.95 Save £6.65Multibuy ? Save 10%: £11.97 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£11.97 Buy 12+ Save £1.33There are only in stock
-
This tastes like hedgerow fruit on a bright autumn morning (frosted rosehips and blackberries) and makes us think of quality red Burgundy. And yet you will never find a Burgundy at this price with such dry intensity surrounded by wonderful airy... Read more2022 | 13% ABV 75cl
Single£22.00Was £27.50 Save £5.50Multibuy ? Save 10%: £19.80 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£19.80 Buy 12+ Save £2.20There are only in stock
-
As uplifting as Pollyanna herself, this South Australian fizz emits darts of lemon zest, white blossom and marzipan, followed by a mouthful of stone fruit and a lovely lick of salt. Read moreNV | 12.5% ABV 75cl
Single£19.95Was £29.50 Save £9.55Multibuy ? Save 10%: £17.95 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£17.95 Buy 12+ Save £2.00There are only in stock
-
The wine is jam packed with Barossa Shiraz and Mataro (Mourvedre) flavours....plums, black fruits and warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and 5 spice. There’s a touch of mid palate sweetness, some mocha and black olive and the soft tannins are integrated... Read more2021 | 14.5% ABV 75cl
Single£15.50Was £23.30 Save £7.80Multibuy ? Save 10%: £13.95 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£13.95 Buy 12+ Save £1.55There are only in stock
-
Aromas of blackcurrant, red plum and blackberry with a hint of black olive. On the palate, the brambley black fruit is evident supported by fine grained tannins. A hint of savouriness with a touch of spicy oak. Read more2018 | 13.5% ABV 75cl
Single£13.30Was £18.85 Save £5.55Multibuy ? Save 10%: £11.97 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£11.97 Buy 12+ Save £1.33There are only in stock
-
The nose of this wine displays an enticing mix of white stone fruits and sweet pineapple with an underlying hint of ginger. The palate is luscious and flavoursome, again nectarine and peach are prominent, with a twist of candied citrus rind.These sweet... Read more2022 | 14% ABV 75cl
Single£14.40Was £16.65 Save £2.25Multibuy ? Save 10%: £12.96 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£12.96 Buy 12+ Save £1.44There are only in stock
-
With appealing herby-peppery aromas and only the most subtle seasoning of oak, this is silky-soft with lovely perfume, nuances of basil and clove, and an irresistibly vibrant, juicy cherry and blackberry fruit character. This has a surprising level of... Read more2021 | 14% ABV 75cl
Single£12.20Was £16.65 Save £4.45Multibuy ? Save 10%: £10.98 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£10.98 Buy 12+ Save £1.22There are only in stock
-
This tastes like hedgerow fruit on a bright autumn morning (frosted rosehips and blackberries) and makes us think of quality red Burgundy. And yet you will never find a Burgundy at this price with such dry intensity surrounded by wonderful airy... Read more2021 | 13% ABV 75cl
Single£22.00Was £27.50 Save £5.50Multibuy ? Save 10%: £19.80 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£19.80 Buy 12+ Save £2.20There are only 0 in stock
-
On the nose are lifted aromas of dark fruits, plums, mulberries with a hint of black cherries. Fresh soil is also apparent, with an underlying note of exotic Indian spice. The palate shows mulberries, black pepper and ripe plums, before a strong,... Read more2018 | 14% ABV 75cl
Single£19.50Was £22.00 Save £2.50Multibuy ? Save 10%: £17.55 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£17.55 Buy 12+ Save £1.95There are only in stock
-
Luscious aroma of cherries and rosehips, tinged with exotic lilies and alluring spice. Slight anise and leather character. Silky-soft, light texture yet complete and absolutely the way it should be. With bright acidity and very gentle tannin, this... Read more2021 | 12.5% ABV 75cl
Single£44.00Was £55.00 Save £11.00Multibuy ? Save 10%: £39.60 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£39.60 Buy 12+ Save £4.40There are only 0 in stock
-
Dark brooding fruit is apparent on the nose with earth, spice and dried herbs. The palate is round and luscious with an attractive black olive and sage character persistent throughout the palate. This wine has fantastic fruit weight, with great... Read more2018 | 14.5% ABV 75cl
Single£17.50Was £22.00 Save £4.50Multibuy ? Save 10%: £15.75 per bottle when you mix 12+ bottles£15.75 Buy 12+ Save £1.75There are only in stock
A country as wide as the moon, and the oldest landmass on the planet (seriously!), Australia is vast and diverse, with a huge wide variety of climates, soils, topographies and vineyards. Whilst the vast expanse of the country’s hot interior is far too hot for viticulture, South of the outback on the more temperate southern fringes, 150,000 hectares of vines grow across 65 unique wine regions.
Whist the vast agricultural belts of Riverland, Murray-Darling and Riverina are still a source of the great value fruit-forward varietal wines which put Australia on the map and in the UK supermarkets in recent decades, premium winemaking is booming across the country. Today, long-established dynastic winemaking families and maverick winemakers make exciting and often innovative wines from the vast variety of fertile terroirs which have always offered unparalleled opportunities for experimentation.
Shiraz is still top dog in Australia in terms of plantings and volume, but popularity and plantings of other grapes are increasing. Across the country an incredible array of varietals have taken root, and Australia is justifiably recognised as the home of some of the very finest red and white wines, and exceptional value-for-money.
Grape vines are relative newcomers to the ancient lands of Australia, introduced with the arrival of English settlers. In 1832, Edinburgh-born James Busby made the long journey from Sydney to Europe by clipper (a journey would have taken close to three months each way) returning with carefully collected and catalogued vine specimens form Southern Spain and France.
Successive cuttings from Busby’s original vines were spread and propagated across Australia, as successive settlements were established and expanded, and of the over three hundred and fifty varietals which survived the three months at sea, a great number have successfully taken root in the vastly differing climates and soils of Australia’s diverse Southern latitudes. Thick-skinned, hardy and late-ripening Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro (better known as Monastrell in its native Spain and Mouvedré in France) were immediately suited to the warm dry summers of The Barossa or McLaren Vale, and GSM blends – in the Rhone style – have a long tradition in these regions. Today Cabernet thrives too and Cabernet-Shiraz blends, little produced in Europe, and are an Austrian hallmark and well worth a try.
In short, the sheer number of varietals and clones to be found across Australia’s diverse terroirs produce a truly mesmerising variety of wine styles: Grenache, for example, can range from delicate and ethereal in McLaren Vale to robust, powerful, and spicy in Barossa.
Notoriously fussy Pinot Noir has also found a home in Australia, in the cooler climes of Mornington Peninsula and the Strathbogie Ranges, for example, and in the hands of patient winemakers fabulous examples can rival those of Burgundy.
German and Italian varietals, planted by successive groups of immigrants keen for a taste of home, have thrived here too. The Rieslings of Clare Valley (Pikes’ examples are fantastic) and Eden Valley are world famous, whilst Italian Nebbiolo and Sangiovese clones show their true and fabulous colours in King Valley under the gentle nurture of the Pizzini family.
It has been said that ‘good wines make for successful vines.’ and through trial, error, and sheer luck, some of the earliest vines found themselves in hotspots across Australia with an almost-magical confluence of the right soil, the right climate, and the presence of the right winemakers. As such, many of these vines are still bearing fruit today. The Barossa Valley, in particular, is home to the oldest continually-farmed Shiraz and Grenache vines in the world – some of which trace a direct lineage to the first Busby cultivars.
Gnarly, grizzled and breathtaking, these Old Vines, largely unscathed by the global Phylloxera epidemic which decimated the vineyards of France and much of Europe in the mid nineteenth century, are much prized for the texture and complexity that they add to winemaking, and their deep roots and hardy disease-resistant constitution means these great-grandfather vines can often be farmed sustainably with limited irrigation and without resort to harsh chemical pesticides.
Australia offers something for everyone, whatever palate or preference – from adventurous blends to traditionally made wines from heirloom vines over a century old – and exploring and contrasting the wines from its very different regions genuinely rewards the adventurous.
Learn more about the wines and winemaking of Australia at https://www.australianwine.com/