Kilikanoon Picardy Evans & Tate Mitchell Bartali Bird in Hand First Creek Ferngrove Solaris 2023 Best Wine Deals

A meditation on all things red that aren't Shiraz or Cab. We've got Touriga, Grenache, Tempranillo, Mataro, Montepulciano, Negroamaro and Aglianico happening here, and a smidge of Shiraz in the Kilikanoon GSM and the Purple Hands GSM. All things alt red, all offering a very different pathway to pleasure than straight Shiraz and Cabernet. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

This baker’s dozen brings together some of the best Grenache and GSM in the country — plus a drop of French happiness from the highly regarded and tiny Gadagne sub-region of the Rhône Valley. You’ll find old vines, 96-point winners, single vineyard treasures, and wines crafted by former Penfolds grape growers.

There’s Kim Brebach’s top-rated Grenache of the past year, a fascinating multi-clonal Barossa expression, and a French GSM from the Southern Rhône to round things off. That’s 13 bottles of spice, plushness, and regional character — all drinking beautifully right now.

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..

Lots of goodness here starting with Forester's multiple Trophy winning Shiraz. This is 86% Margaret River Shiraz blended with Fer. Fer is an ancient varietal, likely of Basque country origin which is widely planted in Southwest France, and generally makes up 100% of reds coming out of the Marcilliac region. It is prized for its impenetrable black coloring and density of fruit. Flavours sit in the blackberry, cherry and black tea spectrums, and the variety also typically offers a pleasing smokiness. Next up, the Angas King Reserve Clare Shiraz, which is black, rich and smooth. Dowie Doole's Architect might be the best Shiraz in the pack - it offers incredible density of fruit and great length. Finally, Kilikanoon's Meyman's Shiraz is a stone cold stunner. Packed with intense fruit, it also offers fragrance, savoury notes and subtle complexities. The whites are all Riesling, Lone Palm's Old Vine Eden, packed with steely citrus and offering excellent persistence and Kilikanoon's linear Clare lovely. Oh, we've rounded out the pack with a bonus bottle of Yaldara's $250 RRP Grand Cuvée Shiraz!

6 magical Chardies here. Evan's and Tate Redbrook, which picked up gold at the Adelaide Show, is creamy and complexed with stunning French oak. The Hirsch Hill is this Yarra winery's Flagship Chardy - with powerful fruit and assertive acidity, it will cellar well. The Picardy is one of the best Chardonnays made in Oz. Made entirely from clones imported from Burgundy, it offers complexity, depth and class. We can comfortable recommend all of these for your consideration!

So much goodness here in what is our most premium white pack in ages. It includes two First Creek Semillons, both of which picked up 96 points from Halliday, placing them equal fifth in a field of 180 tasted so far. Then there's Grant Burge's Sauvy Blanc, which picked up the best SB trophy at the Adelaide Show. Plus Vickery's magical 95 point Watervale Riesling, a multiple trophy winning SBS from Willow Bridge and Hirsch Hil's flagship Yarra Chardonnay.

We used to mostly just drink Shiraz here in Oz. Or Cab. Then Pinot started to get a bit of a following — and pretty quickly, it blew up.

Fifteen years ago, Grenache was still dead in the water.

"I don't like Grenache."

"I haven’t tried a Grenache."

"It’s alright in a GSM blend, I guess..."

Then came The Grenachening.

Halliday started championing a few standout straight Grenache from McLaren Vale and the Barossa. Why? Because Australia does straight Grenache better than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Sales climbed. Growers started paying much closer attention to their vines. Grenache is finnicky — the picking window is much shorter than for most other varieties.

Then the availability of straight Grenache as a gold and trophy winning standard took off, and it seems there is no one who hasn't had Grenache and very few who don't love it. It's expensive too - fruit is 2x times the price of Shiraz fruit these days.

So, here’s $720 worth of just magical Grenache and GSM, all superb — yours for just $295.

The Wines

4 bottles – Heirloom Alcala McLaren Vale Grenache

96 points from Halliday. Dense, lifted, powerful, magnificent.

4 bottles – Lienert Brothers Eight Clone Barossa Grenache 2022

Aromatic and vibrant. Red fruits, spice, drive, and serious structure.

4 bottles – Kilikanoon Meymans GSM 2023

Clare Valley elegance. 96 points from Kim Brebach, who called it his GSM of the Year.