It's peak Riesling season at the moment and this Wilberforce Riesling from Auld Family Wines will easily take the sting out of a hot day. It's a great drink that draws concentric circles of deliciousness around the mouth. Green apples, lime sorbet, white field flowers and a little flash of musk deliver the goods with a fine white pebble minerally undertow. A sheet of tonic-like texture has the final word on a lengthy, crisp and moreish finish. This is very well done. Drink now to embrace the freshness. 92/100 Region: Eden Valley RRP: $35 Source: Sample Winery Website Subs ..read more

  A big and generous dose of Barossa Shiraz, this 3 Rings will satisfy the urge of a midweek glass. Raisins and plums kick things off but it comes across with some fruit sweetness. A touch overripe for my liking, blackcurrants and chocolate stroll about. Lengthy and drying, pair back the ripeness and this could be bargain material. Drink to five years.  87/100 Region: Barossa RRP: $20 Source: Sample Winery Website Subscribe to Qwine here Follow: Instagram, LinkedIn and X If you enjoy the reviews, consider a donation via PayPal ..read more

  What an excellent example of contemporary Barossa Shiraz this is! Vibrant, evocative and seductive, this Planta Circa Ancestor Vine Shiraz is a thrilling ride. Gorgeous and captivating scents of violets, dried purple petals and squishy blueberries set the scene. It flows through to the mouth with a fabulous mouth perfume together with mulberries, silky milk chocolate and baking spices. The weight is perfectly pitched with just the right amount of tension to hold its shape for a long future of bottle aging. Just brilliant! Drink to ten years+ 96/100 Region: Barossa RRP:  ..read more

  The Oenotri Montepulciano 2022 was excellent but this 2023 has just a little more polish if that is at all possible. Damn, it's tasty stuff. It's a stunning wine and I doubt you'll find a better Montepulciano for 2023. A label that falls under the Purple Hands banner, this is almost a mirror image of the 2022 but it features more black cherries, baked blueberries, a little chicken stock, fine spices and black pepper early on. Licorice and dried herbs build some fabulous momentum but the clincher is the fine pillows of tannins that coat the mouth. Run to this. Drink to eight years ..read more

  Tapanappa = great wine and from the fifth successive cool vintage, this Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay doesn't disappoint. Fermented in French oak (33% new) and on full lees prior to bottling, the interest factor is plentiful. It opens with custard powder, wafer biscuits, yellow grapefruit, white fleshed nectarines, grilled peaches, figs and old school lemonade before a lemony sherbet tang whips into gear. I dive back in again to find delicate vanilla cream, whisps of pastry, cashews and hazelnuts with a fine ginger nut biscuit spice on close. A Chardonnay with plenty to absorb and admir ..read more

  From one of the foundation blocks on the Huntington Estate site, this Block 3 Grand Reserve Cabernet is an absolute ripper. Block 3 sits across the road from the winery and this sees French oak for 18 months. Give this a good decant and you are in business. Coming from a warm and dry vintage, the fruit was picked a little earlier than previous. There is still some vibrant primary fruit on show courtesy of generous blackberries and boysenberries. Licorice drives long with cloves, black olives, leather and some tar on its tail. Wallet leather tucks in underneath with some black tea. Th ..read more

  The Deep Purple name is certainly not a myth. Super dark in the glass, this is a joyous ball of delish that rolls about ever so effortlessly. The silky fruit and rounded edges make this Shiraz courtesy of Purple Hands such a comfortable glass to snuggle up to. Dark and dense berry basket berry fruit, handfuls of blood plums, dark chocolate, five spice and fruit bun spices all fuse together in an incredibly inviting package. Long, its shapely length and dense fruit profile make this a no brainer. In a bracket of Shiraz tasted, this is the one I wanted to drink. And I did. Glorious stuf ..read more

  This Reserve Shiraz from Ben Murray Wines has some serious longevity in its veins. An old school Barossa style sourced from the Marananga sub-region, it sees new and second use French oak for 18 months. With already five years under its belt, it still showed some tension on the third day of tasting. Concentrated layers of blackberries, licorice, Dutch cocoa, Ironbark smoke, cloves and cardamom peel off with ease. A generous wine, baking spices and black pepper tickle a long and persistent finish. Decant to enjoy now or tuck this away for many years to come. Drink to ten years+ 94/100 ..read more

  I must admit, I do get excited when I see Polperro wines arrive on the doorstep. Clever, considered, well-made wines that ooze drinkability, this Estate Chardonnay is right in the slot. The detail and interest are absorbing with this 2023 release. It kicks off with popcorn, lemon juice, wafer biscuits and nougat - the scene is set and the bar is raised high. Fine-boned, it's a fabulous take on what modern Chardonnay should look like. It dives deeper with oyster shell, white-fleshed stonefruit and the acid profile brings the mouth to water. It's drinking beautifully now but I have good ..read more

  A clever Barossa Shiraz here from Sorby Adams, you don't have to drop a bomb to drink well and this release highlights that and then some. For history buffs, Tristan is a name taken from the medieval romance based on Celtic legend.  A blend of Eden Valley and Ebenezer fruit (50/50), it sees 20% new tight grain French oak for 24 months. Rich black and purple fruits draw up some smooth lines with neat support from Christmas cake nuances, dark chocolate, mocha, licorice and a little meatiness. Those very Barossa baking spices curl around the mouth, but what I find appealing is its ..read more