2023 Alternative Red Wine Packs

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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When Pinot is good, it's absolutely magical... and generally terrifyingly expensive. Common refrains of inveterate Pinot drinkers include 'that's bloody good for $30', and the slightly unconvincing 'nice Pinot', uttered with equal parts relief and lament, 'cos it's decent and tastes like Pinot, but doesn't offer that ethereal, magical, sense-enveloping and expanding magic that Pinot can deliver, albeit frustratingly infrequently. We're here to fix that today, with this Pinot six-pack, which includes: 2x $28 Pinots that are better than most $40 Pinots. This is the Knappstein; light to medium bodied, fragrant, with great acidity. A lovely, moreish drop. 2x $40 Pinots which are excellent, perfumed, powerful and yet light on their feet. This is the Heirloom Velvet Fog; wafting an ethereal and refined Pinot fug, medium bodied, powerful, long and lovely. 2x $70 a bottle, best in class, Burgundian cloned STUNNERS. This is the Picardy, which is in the top handful of Pinots made in Aus. Medium bodied, superlative fruit and glassine, Burgundy-like tannins to finish. Over the past couple of vintages, at least two wine writers have named Picardy their fave Pinot of the year. It's that good! Learn More

A fresh alt-red pack, including a cracker from France and a corker from Italy. We've got straight varietals here and blends, and the following can be found herein:

Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara from Bardolino in Italy.

Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre from the tiny Rhône sub-region of Gadagne in France.

Sangiovese and Lagrein from South Oz.

Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro (AKA Mourvèdre) from Turkey Flat in the Barossa.

Touriga from WA.

Plus a multiple award winning Durif (aka Shiraz on Steroids) from Curtis Family Vineyards.

All lovely, and yours for just $20 a bottle.

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