Chain of Ponds Colab and Bloom Best Wine Deals

Save over 65% on this magical mixed baker’s doz with multiple gold medals, and plenty of effusive words from worthy wine scribes. There’s Lloyd Brothers Méthode Champenoise Adelaide Hills Sparkling. Méthode Champenoise refers to the laborious process whereby the wine is aged on lees in bottle to build complexity and depth of flavour. Costs a lot of both money and time to produce sparkling this way but the results in this instance are undeniable. See also Villa Fresco Frizzante, an Aussie Alternative to prosecco, packed with vibrant fruit and gorgeous bubbles. See also Clare Riesling from Kilikanoon. On the red front, the concentrated, 95pt Kilikanoon Shiraz, 2 delicious Cabernets, and half a dozen awesome Shiraz from the Barossa, McLaren Vale, and Langhorne Creek. Included is the magnificent Stonehouse Neldner Old Vine Shiraz. This $150 a bottle Barossa Valley, old vine powerhouse inspired which has inspired more than a few comparisons to Penfolds Grange. There’s also stunning 97pt Martins Limited Shiraz, and Pasha’s epic, rich, and fruit-intense McLaren Vale Shiraz. This one retails for $100 a bottle and is one of our best selling wines of all time. Learn More

Sometimes only a chilled glass of Sauv Blanc will do. So here’s six exceptional examples for you to have a crack at... from Margaret River, Pemberton and the Adelaide Hills. Oatley’s Margs SBS picked up a Trophy and golds at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show and offers a beguiling mix of passionfruit, lime zest, white pepper and greenery. Picardy’s Sauv Blanc Sem (85% SB) is superb, with crisp fruit and great texture. No surprises that it has picked up a 96. Three distinct clones of SB are used along with 2 different yeast strains. On opening it seems soft and delicate but as it airs, minerality, guava, lime, passionfruit and all manner of complexities emerge. The Chain of Ponds SB is crisp and offers a lovely mix of greenery and passionfruit. The Riposte, made by the Legendary Tim and Nick Knappstein is textural, succulent and pungent, a joy to drink. Howard are major growers in the Adelaide Hills and supply substantial quantities of fruit to what are arguably the two best known producers of SB in the region. This, their own bottling, is of course excellent too. Finally the Cape Jaffa SB is also lovely with tropical fruits, citrus and more are at play. Learn More

Tempranillo is one of our favourite things here at winedirect.com.au. Here's 3 rippers which you'll be getting 2 bottles apiece of. From one of the Rioja's oldest producers, the Carlos Serres Crianza 2020 which sees high quality Tempranillo spend a year in oak and a year in bottle prior to release. This is a particularly good example, packed with red fruits, cherries, spice, oak and nervy acidity. Bleasdale 2022 - a trophy winner at the Adelaide Show with wonderful red fruits and subtle oak influence. Red cherries, chocolate, supportive acidity and fine tannins. Good at room temp, and also worth giving a 20 min spell in the fridge. Colab and Bloom 2021 - a Gold medal winner from a highly regarded vineyard in Maacclesfield (Adelaide Hills). Medium bodied, with plenty of red fruits, violet, cherry, cola and spice. Learn More

There really isn't a weak link in this pack. From the Mike Farmilo (ex Penfolds Grange) made Temp and Sangio, to the Brothers at War gold winning and Halliday 95 pointed Grenache, which is as powerful as it is light on its feet. The Mazza Touriga is a ripper too, tiny production, epic aromatics and a softness which belies its complexity. To seal the deal, Kilikanoon's Prodigal Grenache, awarded best Grenache of Show at the incredibly competitive Royal Adelaide Wine Show, and the just released, and even more sharply limited Walton's Grenache, sourced from a tiny block planted in 1946. Learn More

A tiny production, single vineyard Riesling from the Eden, textural and aromatic Sauv Blanc from legend Tim Knappstein, fragrant and creamy PG and a zesty Sauv Blanc from Chain of Ponds. These are all drinking beautifully now and will continue to do so over the next couple of years. The Riesling, a joy now, will spread its wings over the next decade, if you have the patience. Learn More