Clare Valley, SA Coonawarra, SA 2023 Vegan Dry Best Wine Deals

At an average north of $90 retail per bottle, these might not scream 'Friday night Pizza' but at a tick under $30 a bottle in this bundle, maybe we can make a case for it... and at a bottle a week, we've got the next 13 weeks of Friyay evenings gourmet exhalations elevated to someplace very fine indeed.

So, what will you have next Friday?

Pasha's 97 point McLaren Shiraz which had Kim Brebach in raptures, saying 'The integration of fruit and oak is as seamless as I’ve seen in an Aussie red'? Dandelion's Firehawk Shiraz- off their best McLaren Vale vineyard? Sidewood's savoury Adelaide Shiraz which iced a lazy dozen gold medals with 96 points from Halliday? Showblock's incredible Reserve Shiraz? Kilikanoon's Flagship Cabernet? Perhaps, Longview's Trophy winning Cab ... decant this one!

OR, maybe you just want to start with the Lone Palm, the big gun. Imagine Marvin Gaye reinterpreting death metal (when he was alive, obvs), or Chuck Norris taking up Tai Chi. Molten lava given the Gaviscon treatment, Chewbacca reciting 'Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day', you get the idea. It's one of those 'Iron fist in a velvet glove' jobbies - incredibly powerful and densely fruited yet so perfectly put together that it is a joy to drink already.

Just need to choose that pizza now.

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A fabulous selection of alt reds with plenty of new stuff. The trophy winning Clare Grenache from Kilikanoon and the superb 95 point Durif from Curtis have been in our stable for a while. The new stuff? Magical old vine Grenache from Songlines and a superb old vine Mataro Grenache blend, both from the Barossa, both made by Tom White of Lone Palm fame! They are both superb. Also a couple of new to us Barossa beauties from White Gate. White Gate are low-fi, or perhaps more accurately, light touch. They work primarily with organic and biodynamic producers, pick early and make minimal additions to the wine during ferment and prior to bottling. They figure that starting with A-grade fruit and picking a bit earlier than the norm allows them to bypass a lot of the corrective work that has to be otherwise undertaken to ensure wine stability and longevity. As a bonus, this allows the fruit to really shine. The proof is in the pudding and we can heartily attest that the pud is good!

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Just cracking Riesling here... The Vickery a 3 x 95 point classic from John Vickery, the most awarded Riesling maker in Aussie history. The Leconfield old vines is a beauty made in miniscule quantities and the Jeanneret Sevenhill is a 96 point stunner - ethereal, citrus-laden and powerful. Finally, the Vickery Castine Hill is magnificent - it is Huon Hooke's equal highest rated Clare Riesling from the 2020 vintage, from 67 reviewed. He says, '...superbly fresh and aromatic nose of fresh-cut flowers, lemon juice and pith, honey and citrus blossoms, the palate super-fine and delicate in its structure but marvellously intense in flavour, the acidity perfectly balanced and the finish very long and seamless, with perfect line. The finish is very dry and has a whisper of tannin assisting the dryness. A delicious wine, and one that should continue to age superbly'. Learn More

A couple of McLaren Vale Fianos, both in fine drinking fettle, a Halliday 96 point Sem you can decant and drink now, or cellar for 10+, a couple of mindbendingly good Rieslings from the Clare and Eden respectively, and a delicious blend from low-fi Barossa winery, White Gate. Learn More

If alternative whites are your jam, butter up! Here's a selection of 6 slippery suckers with nary a Chardonnay or a Sauvvy Blanc in sight. All tasted and retasted by our panel and all given the thumbs up. Langmeil’s gold medal winning blend of Rhone varietals Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. A couple of superb Fianos from McLaren Vale. a 95 point Sem from the Hunter and a couple of gorgeous PGs- one from the Clare and the other from the Adelaide Hills. All drinking beautifully, right now!

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We love Chardy here at WD, well, most of us do, the ones with good taste... and if you are like most of us, this might just be the pack for you. There's 4 bottles each of the Solaris Adelaide Hills Chardy, a textural lovely replete with ripe and pendulous stonefruits along with rockmelon, vanilla, crème brûlée and brioche. The Dowie Chard, from an elevated, low yielding and sandy soiled single vineyard in Blewitt Springs is also textural, creamy and packed with flavours. The Katnook shows restrained tropical notes, fresh herbs, grilled nuts and butter. Learn More

A premium alternatives pack which we think is a bit of a no-brainer. We kick off with the following four Aussie alternatives. After Five's 5 trophy winning Barossa Montepulciano, which is as good a Monte we have ever seen. From Kilikanoon, their stunning, $96, 96 point, flagship Grenache. Artis brings us a magnificently perfumed Nero and Songlines, an old vine, 100% whole bunch Barossa Grenache. Then we have a Riserva Chianti from the low yielding and fabulous 2020 vintage, and a densely powerful Rioja, made by one of just 2 producers who are more than a century old. These are all excellent and we've no doubt you'll have as much fun with them as we do..

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