Australia’s red wine scene is more than Barossa shiraz and Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon

There’s no reason to live on shiraz alone. Jump on the road less travelled with these four super drinkable reds that will spice up your wine life.

These red varieties are ready to spice up our wine.

The wine scene in Australia is awash with colours of red that extend far beyond shiraz and cabernet sauvignon.

While these two jewels in our winemaking crown continue to shine brilliantly, there’s another realm of lesser-known red varieties ready to spice up our wine lives.

The Australian Wine Club ventures on to the road less travelled on Wednesday with our deal of the week offering four beautifully drinking Australian-made reds that should be on the radar of all self-respecting wine lovers. We shall not live on shiraz alone!

Armed with a cheeky barbera crafted by one of the Hunter Valley’s most awarded wineries to an elegant cabernet franc from the terra rossa of Coonawarra and a super-drinkable Clare Valley malbec, we’re daring you to join us for a wander beyond the norm.

We’re also shining a light on a vastly underrated variety that’s roaring into vogue – old-vine grenache from McLaren Vale.

“Australians’ tastes are maturing – we’re much more willing now to stray outside the boundaries and try new things,’’ says Sevenhill chief winemaker Will Shields, who crafted the Clare Valley malbec featured below.

Sevenhill's chief winemaker Will Shields.

“We’ve definitely seen a little shift away from the traditional varieties.”

Shields, who has worked at the historic Sevenhill winery since 2019, says malbec offers a beautiful combination of jubey blackberry and blueberry flavours with low tannins in a medium-bodied frame.

“Malbec has such a lovely mouthfeel, these wines deliver so much value immediately rather than be cellared,’’ he says.

Sevenhill Cellars Estate Grown Inigo Clare Valley Malbec 2021

You don’t have to visit Argentina to experience the joys of malbec. Blackberry and mulberry aromas rise from this stylish example, with trademark fennel, licorice and tobacco wafting through. Juicy black and blue fruits flow across the palate, with a hint of choc-mint adding a spurt of freshness to the savoury tannins. Medium to full-bodied with a long finish. Sevenhill is the oldest winery in Clare, established by the Jesuits in 1851. Both shiraz and cabernet lovers will find plenty to like in this soft-hearted beauty. 13% alc; RRP $28 a bottle.

SPECIALS $21.99 a bottle in any dozen; $22.42 a bottle in alternative reds dozen.

Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet Franc 2021

One of the most respected wine writers in the world, Jancis Robinson, describes a good cabernet franc as being “subtly fragrant and gently flirtatious”, a more “feminine side of cabernet sauvignon”. From 40-year-old vines comes this excellent Australian example of the lesser-known relative of cabernet sauvignon.

Perfumed aromas of red cherries, plums, dried sage and spice lead to savoury flavours flecked with red and purple fruits. Soft tannins and balanced acidity strike a chord of elegance. Medium-bodied; aged in matured French oak. Very pleasing. 94 points from Huon Hooke. 14.5% alc; RRP $34 a bottle.

SPECIALS $29.99 a bottle in any dozen; $22.42 a bottle in alternative reds dozen.

d’Arenberg The Custodian McLaren Vale Grenache 2018

From one of McLaren’s legendary wineries, helmed by big-thinking winemaking wizard Chester Osborn. Chester’s father, d’Arry, refused to remove the family’s grenache vineyards in the 1980s when the government paid vignerons to pull out vines to correct a wine glut. While grenache was mainly used for fortified wines back then, it is winning hearts today as a beautifully scented, lighter-style table wine packed with fruit flavours – and, thanks to d’Arry’s wisdom, d’Arenberg is home to nearly a third of McLaren Vale’s old-bush-vine grenache. In the 2018, you’ll be greeted with delicate red fruits, violets and tomato leaf aromas and more-ish flavours of raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate and rhubarb. Cloves and cedar spice characters add complexity. Crisp acidity delivers a dry, clean finish. 94 points from Team Halliday and a red star for exceptional value. Yes, indeed! 14.5% alc; RRP $21 a bottle.

SPECIALS $19.99 a bottle in any dozen; $22.42 a bottle in alternative reds dozen.

Margan White Label Ceres Hill Hunter Valley Barbera 2021

 

Barbera was the variety that established winemaker Andrew Margan as a pioneer of alternative varieties, being the first to plant the Italian varietal in the Hunter in 1998. Margan’s 2021 vintage shows barbera’s hallmark traits of crisp acidity and lifted aromas of sour cherries, raspberries and Turkish delight. Bright red fruits, crushed mulberries and savoury spice drive a typical light- to medium-bodied palate to a supple vibrant finish. Crafted for immediate drinking pleasure. Partner up for a winter lunch of slow-cooked lamb with tomato, garlic and olives. 13.5% alc; RRP $40 a bottle.

SPECIALS $34.99 a bottle in any dozen; $22.42 a bottle in alternative reds dozen.

ALTERNATIVE REDS DOZEN DEAL Three bottles of each wine above for $22.42 a bottle. SAVE $100 a dozen.

15-BOTTLE BUY Add three bottles of Tahbilk Viognier 2021 (95 Halliday points, RRP $21 a bottle, 13.5% alc) to bring down the price across the 15 bottles to $21.49 a bottle.

Order online or telephone [phone] Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550