Quiet by name, not by nature. This little Grenache Noir comes in bright and breezy, with raspberry, strawberry and cranberry doing most of the talking before peppery spice and dried herbs join the conversation. Soft tannins keep things easy, while a bright acidity weaves its way through all that juicy red fruit. Fresh, frisky and firing on all cylinders.

Two grapes that shouldn't work as well as they do. Los Compañeros translates to "the companions" — Shiraz doing the heavy lifting, Tempranillo showing up with its own ideas about spice and structure. Buddy-cop energy, not a blend by committee. Blueberry and dark cherry up front, a choc-mint streak running through the middle, baking spice and a savoury tannin grip holding the back end together. Full to medium-bodied, oak kept well out of the way, drinks easily without drinking simple.

Zinfandel seems scary until you get to know the guy. Aka Primitivo, the high acid and distinctive nose are hard to ignore, all primary fruits and jammy berry compote. On the palate there's lovely liquorice, burnt sugar and a little smoke. Moderate tannin. Big Easy Radio never disappoint when it comes to 'good time' Mediteranean wines, approachable enough to drink any day of the week, memorable enough to crack for special as well. A big yes from us.

A sessionable little Sang from the crew in the Vale. Made for sharing and low tannin slurping, it’s an easy drinker that’s seen more stainless steel than oak, letting cherries and rhubarb run wild, with a little black pepper kick. Chill it down at midday, get stuck in while the sun’s still high in the sky and savour its refreshing acidity. 

First crop from Breakneck Creek, a block on the eastern escarpment of McLaren Vale regenerated in 2023, tucked into the foothills above the Gulf. The Tinto is Shiraz made the way the name suggests — Spanish for red, and all the joy that implies. Nouveau-ish in style, slurpy and dark-fruited. Elderflower, purple fruit, cocoa, herbs and pepper keeping it honest. Fine tannin underneath, not a bruiser. Chill it slightly, don’t overthink it.

Lenswood sits at the pointy end of the Adelaide Hills — high, cool, and mostly responsible for convincing sceptics that Australian pinot doesn't have to be a joke. This one comes from right in the thick of it. No sprawling backstory needed here — Lenswood Hills lets the address do the talking. Site over story. Ripe cherry and pomegranate up front, a dusting of baking spice and something faintly savoury underneath — cool-climate structure doing the heavy lifting. The kind of pinot that stays interesting glass after glass instead of just being pretty. Cool climate. Warm reward.

This is not a club sandwich, but it’s got layers. Bitter herbs, perfumed Bergamot, and a crisp splash of Prosecco—stacked up like your taste buds ordered the deluxe. "I like my spritzes with a slice of citrus and lemon verbena" "So do I!" Well, let's form a club then. You’ve had a club sandwich, now try a Club Spritz. No crusts, all flavour.

This hand crafted drop from Langhorne Creek fruit puts a new spin on a timeless style. Its velvety texture with a blackberry and cherry backbone complemented by soft spice elements, like cinnamon and clove, make for a very smooth and bright glass - time after time. Food wine, couch wine, beach wine, bonfire wine. You do you.

Adelaide Hills Shiraz spends half its life getting told to step aside for Barossa and McLaren Vale's bigger cousins. This one doesn't try to out-mass them — it wins on nerve instead.
Estate fruit only, minimal-intervention viticulture, nothing trucked in to pad the blend.

2023 gave Macclesfield a long, even, cool-spring season — steady ripening rather than a sprint. Black cherry, black pepper, anise and mint, smoked meat curling underneath, a dusting of rosewater and dried leaf. Fine-grained tannin, real restraint, the kind of shiraz that leans Rhône more than Barossa.

Pinot Grigio can be a bit of a wallflower. Not this one. Made in the crisp Italian style from South Australian fruit, it’s tight and zesty with pear, crunchy apple and grapefruit, plus white flowers, minerality and a little spice creeping in. There’s a salty edge to the acidity and surprising depth from a long, slow season. Bright, fragrant and more than just a pretty face.

Mencía is Iberian by birth, Galician to be precise — the grape behind Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra, built for granite soils and Atlantic air. Richard Leask planted it on Sand Road in 2021 because it suits the Vale’s warmth and barely drinks any water. Smart farming and good instincts in equal measure. Twelve days gentle extraction, eight months in neutral oak, nothing heavy-handed. The result is floral and pulpy — raspberry pastille, a little spice, pomegranate and cherry cola, pithy tannins with a fine seam of acid keeping it honest.

McLaren Vale Tempranillo can be stunningly robust and ever so shapely. Big Easy Radio have turned out a sumptuous, softly spiced rendition of a red wine that drinks dangerously easy. Black and red cherries, with a little liquorice, a little strawberry, a little leather. Full of fruit but with a smooth, velvety finish. McLaren Vale Tempranillo so seldom disappoints, and we love a version like this that feels by turns brooding, then bright.

Adelaide Hills shiraz sounds like a contradiction on paper — shiraz wants heat, the Hills don't really do heat. L'Optimiste is the argument for it anyway. Whole berry ferment keeps things fragrant rather than heavy — dark cherry, fennel and violets, a dusting of pot-pourri spice underneath. Mid-weight, textured tannins, snappy acid holding the line. Shiraz that's put a cardigan on rather than stripped off in the sun. Optimism, justified.

All lemony citrus, delicate florals and lovely times. Fresh acidity, smooth mouthful and an ever so slight creamy texture thanks to a lick of malolactic fermentation. Close your eyes and this takes you places. Endlessly expressive, an elegant wine for elegant folk.

Montepulciano is a central Italian’s idea of a big night out — deep colour, robust tannins, that ferrous, bloody edge that makes you want something substantial in front of you. The Leasks planted it on Sand Road because the warm maritime climate of the Vale fits like a glove. First 100% varietal release from the property. Blackberry tart, iodine, rosemary, dark chocolate. Grainy tannins with real grip, bright acidity keeping it from going heavy. Not a shy wine. Doesn’t pretend to be.

Get ready for a very special Cabernet Sauvignon. With its deep, rich colour and complex aroma, this wine is a nod to the classic Cabernet of the past with a modern twist. Bold notes of blue fruits, dried herbs and perfectly structured tannins for a silky smooth mouthfeel. Why settle for ordinary when you can experience something very special?

A blonde bombshell returns. Stout of bottle and of heart, the ToZzo Vermentino packs sundrenched fruit from the Riverland's fruitbowl, Berri's Santalum Grove Vineyard, and the Henosh Vineyard of the Adelaide Plains, to bring you a wild fermented dreamboat. Round and ready, with a subtly creamy mouthfeel and a bold citrus-led palate. Crisp, fresh, utterly drinkable Vermentino.

Rosé that's meant to be sipped, not photographed — pale pink, bone-dry, built for drinking rather than staring at. "Hen's teeth" is old shorthand for something vanishingly rare, and this one leans into it: small-batch, estate-only.
2025 was Macclesfield's driest vintage in memory, fruit bunch-thinned hard for concentration and ripened fast under pressure. Cherry blossom, cranberry, a savoury finish that keeps pulling you back for another sip. Zesty acid, fine, bright tannin.

Built for a long table, not a single glass.

X marks the spot, coming in hot. Alpha Box & Dice's X range is head winemaker Sam Berketa's chance to play: small parcels, quirky varietals, and carte blanche to get a little freaky with it. It gives us unconventional yet utterly quaffable drops like this in smaller batches, like this Fleurieu-flavoured Grillo from the Vasarelli Vineyard in Finniss. Loudly floral, boldly textural and surprisingly full-bodied. Citrus, grip, and everything else you need for a rollicking good time.

Ben has been mucking around the family patch since 1992: low-yielding vines, three home vineyards, wines built to read like a diary of the vintage rather than a formula.
This one's single-vineyard — Schobers, up at 390 metres in Auburn, about as high as Clare gets. Extended time on skins, months resting on lees, then oak to round the edges off. Blackberry, dark chocolate, cedar, a mint-and-eucalyptus lift cutting through the middle, a savoury, meaty note holding the whole thing together. Soft tannin, full-bodied, built for finishing the bottle rather than nursing a glass.

Restraint not required.

From our friends at Barossa’s Palmetto Wine Co. comes a Pinot Noir that absolutely nails the brief. Vegan friendly and friendly on the wallet too, rejoice in a relaxed mix of fresh red cherry and black pepper, soft tannin and lifted acidity. A solid all-rounder fit to gain approval from all the friendship group’s palates.