Ricky Ponting’s Milestone 127 Barossa shiraz in blockbuster deal with Heirloom, Dandelion and School House reds

Love and wine can be a potent combination – just ask champion cricketer Ricky Ponting, whose new range is winning gold medals and features in this exclusive wine club offer.

The Test-quality line-up of wine on offer.

Love and wine can be a potent combination – just ask champion cricketer Ricky Ponting.

There he was on a first date, not knowing much about wine but being smart enough to order one of the world’s great chardonnays to try and impress a Wollongong law student by the name of Rianna Cantor.

The Leeuwin Estate Art Series chardonnay obviously did the trick: a successful marriage proposal followed not too long after and Ricky and Rianna have now been married for 22 years.

But beware the romance of wine: a love of grape also took hold and now the Pontings find themselves the proprietors of their very own wine business.

Their Ponting Milestone 127 Barossa Shiraz 2022 features in a Test-quality line-up of shiraz in The Australian Wine Club’s mixed dozen deal this week. Among the stars is Elena Brooks’ double-gold Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra Eden Valley Shiraz 2021 (RRP $120) and two premium 95-pointers from McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. (The deal, see below, is equally extraordinary.)

The past few years have been something of a cultural transformation for Ricky, the wild-spirited Mowbray boy who etched his name in Australia’s consciousness as a ruthless top order batsman and one of our most successful cricket captains.

“My upbringing was probably more from the other side of the tracks,” Ricky admits. “We weren’t sitting around the dinner table sipping wines – it was more of a beer and bourbon upbringing.”

Rianna and Ricky Ponting, who launched their own wine portfolio after falling in love with vineyard life.

Award-winning winemaker Ben Riggs, who is crafting the Ponting range, jokes, “I bet his mates from Mowbray can’t believe it now.”

But for the Pontings, this wine venture is a serious undertaking. “Rianna and I own the business – it’s not like this is some sort of celebrity brand that we’re just putting our name on something to make a quick buck,’’ Ricky says.

“We are in to every detail – whether that’s being across every letter on the labels to working closely with Ben on the wine styles.”

Ricky and Rianna found themselves gradually falling for the charms of the wine world while visiting vineyards in places like Central Otago, Bordeaux and South Africa’s Stellenbosch during trips abroad for cricket.

“We got to appreciate wine more and more, and we love having a glass or two with dinner,’’ Ricky says. Among their favourites are Giaconda chardonnay and Tolpuddle pinot noir, although Ricky names “a good shiraz” as a regular go-to.

He remembers receiving a carton of Peter Lehmann wine as a gift from a media partner years ago that turned him on to the joys of Barossa shiraz.

The Pontings launched their label five years ago (right at the start of Covid) after spending time getting to know Riggs, one of McLaren Vale’s leading winemakers.

“I visited his home in McLaren Vale and we talked through the different styles of wine. I got to know him and built trust and felt that if we got serious about this, he would be committed,’’ Ricky says.

Award-winning winemaker Ben Riggs. Picture: Jonathan van der Knaap

Like most wine producers, the Pontings have felt the impact of Covid as they’ve set about building credibility for their brand. “We’re in this for the long haul – who knows, maybe our children will take it on one day,’’ Ricky says.

The Australian Wine Club will highlight more wines from the Ponting range in the weeks ahead.

There’s plenty to like, with the portfolio showcasing classic varieties from regional strongholds: there’s a Mowbray Boy Pinot Noir featuring fruit from Tasmania’s Tamar Valley; Top Order Chardonnay from Adelaide Hills, Close of Play Cabernet Sauvignon from Langhorne Creek and The Pinnacle McLaren Vale Shiraz, as well as the 127 Barossa Shiraz, named after Ricky’s maiden Test century at Headingley in the 1997 Ashes.

The flagship Ponting 366 Shiraz Cabernet scored 97 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards and the range has already picked up a dozen Golds, including a Double Gold for the 127 shiraz at the China Wine & Spirits Awards.

Riggs, who established his Mr Riggs Wine Co in 2001, says, “I will never make anything less than a high-quality wine with the Ponting name on it – that’s a promise.”

Ponting Milestone 127 Barossa Shiraz 2022

Featuring fruit from a 116-year-old Barossa vineyard, you’ll be welcomed by aromas of blackberries, plums, milk chocolate, vanilla and baking spices. Classically generous and ripe Barossa palate, with well integrated tannins. As handsome as a Ponting cover drive. 14.5% alc; RRP $38 a bottle.

SPECIALS $33.99 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 a bottle in special shiraz dozen

Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra Eden Valley Shiraz 2021

Layer among layer of dark black fruits unfurl across this dense beauty. As it opens further, you find vanilla and milk chocolate touches and earthy, leathery, savoury nuances across the velvety palate. Masterful winemaking. 96 points, Real Review; 95 points, James Halliday. 14.5% alc; RRP $120 a bottle.

SPECIALS $100 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 a bottle in special shiraz dozen

School House Headmaster Coonawarra Shiraz 2021

From an excellent Coonawarra vintage. Aromas of cherry and sweet plum, black olive, vanilla and hint of raspberry, orange peel and eucalypt. Plush and vibrant palate. 95 points, Wine Orbit. 14% alc; RRP $55 a bottle

SPECIALS $49.99 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 a bottle in special shiraz dozen

Dandelion Vineyards Firehawk of McLaren Vale Shiraz 2021

Lifted nose of blackberry, plum and loganberry; vanilla oak with earthy notes and a hint of licorice, pepper and baking spices. Full-bodied palate showcases intense dark fruits. 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 14.5% alc; RRP $60 a bottle

SPECIALS $55.99 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 a bottle in special shiraz dozen

SHIRAZ DOZEN DEAL Three bottles of each wine above for $25.99 a bottle. SAVE $507.

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