Adelaide Hills, SA Alternative Red Wine Packs

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

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

We kick off with the celebrated Heirloom Alcala Grenache. The '22 picked up the Decanter Trophy for world's best Grenache in a substantial field of heavy hitting Grenache from Aus, France, Spain, California and more. There's also Lone Palm's Old Vine Grenache, a wine made in tiny quantities which we rate as highly as the Alcala. Then the Sieben Klon, a multi clonal, ethereal Barossa Grenache which is altogether lighter, but no less compelling. From there, excellent examples of Tempranillo, Montepulciano and Sangiovese made by Mike Farmilo, who used to make Penfolds Grange. These are genuinely excellent too! Learn More