SRS BSNS Hero grape varieties in South Australia’s McLaren Vale wine region are currently undergoing a big shake up. Traditionally, over half the crush is chalked up to Shiraz, with about the next twenty percent going to (believe it or not) Cabernet Sauvignon. With scores of Italian varietals popping up on tasting lists across the Vale of late, it’s a welcome sight to see Brash Higgins (worldly vagabond-come-sommelier-turned-winemaker Brad Hickey) producing a single vineyard Cabernet Franc, born of the cracking black clays so readily ripped out […]
Being a wine tour guide you get a little bit excited when great new cellar doors pop up in the regions you visit. Here’s a run-down of the best new cellar doors that have opened up recently in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, and McLaren Vale wine regions. Tapanappa Winery – Adelaide Hills Having taken some fifteen years to fully come into fruition, Tapanappa is the shared vision of legendary locals Brian and Ann Croser working closely with Bollinger of Champagne and the Cazes family of Pauillac, Bordeaux. […]
Tip of the hat! After some twenty years working as a winemaker for other wineries locally and around the world, Andy Coppard took a leap of faith in 2012 to start his own label in Lino Ramble. Producing small batches of minimal intervention style wines sourced from various vineyards in McLaren Vale, he’s quickly created something quite unique to the region which is currently undergoing a change of face. Traditionally focussed on premium Shiraz, McLaren Vale has started focussing on the unique terroir that dots the […]
