Description
'Alternative' grape varieties are causing an evolution in Australian wine, and changing the way winemakers and consumers think about our industry's future.
These emerging varieties are often better suited to sustainably grow in our warm climate, and provide a myriad of delicious new flavours, textures and food-friendly styles.
This pack allows you to discover some exciting new grapes for yourself, and sample some of the finest alternative grape variety wines in the country!
What's in the pack:
- 2023 Ravensworth Albarino
- 2024 Jim Barry Assyrtiko
- 2023 Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper Fiano
- 2022 Vino Volta Funky & Fearless Chenin Blanc
- 2024 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Schatz Sylvaner
- 2022 Yangarra Estate Blanc
2023 Ravensworth Albarino
The 2023 Ravensworth Albariño is likely a one-off, as the Tumbarumba vineyard where Bryan Martin sourced this fruit was regrettably uprooted after harvest. But what a swan song it is—this Albariño captures the essence of one of Spain and Portugal’s most cherished white varieties with a cool, textural Australian twist.
True to Albariño’s character, this wine is all about aromatic intensity and mouth-watering acidity. It offers a bit more body and colour than your typical Riesling, with a beautiful texture and a crisp, mineral edge. Crafted in concrete Nico Velo tulips, it has a purity and slight salinity that make it irresistibly food-friendly.
Pair it with fresh seafood—think grilled prawns or even sashimi—and savour this limited release, with only 48 dozen made. While it’s deliciously drinkable now, you could also cellar it for 8 years or more, letting those lively flavours evolve and deepen over time.
2024 Jim Barry Assyrtiko
The 2024 Jim Barry Assyrtiko is an exciting and unique Australian expression of a classic Greek variety, brought to life by the Barry family in Clare Valley.
Peter Barry first encountered Assyrtiko on Santorini in 2006, captivated by its crisp acidity and distinctive character. Inspired, he introduced it to Australian soil, planting the country’s first Assyrtiko vines at the family’s Lodge Hill Vineyard in 2012. This site, known for its elevated position and mineral-rich soils, has proven to be an ideal home for the variety, offering a new chapter in Clare Valley’s winemaking story.
In the glass, this wine is bright and vibrant, offering a compelling mix of citrus, green apple, and subtle tropical nuances. Its palate is defined by a racy acidity and steely finish, echoing its Greek heritage while delivering a fresh perspective rooted in Clare Valley’s terroir.
With its precise, mineral-driven style, this Assyrtiko is both a trailblazer and a testament to the Barry family’s commitment to innovation. It’s a must-try for lovers of crisp whites and adventurous wine drinkers alike.
2023 Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper Fiano
"One of those white wines that can suit almost any situation calling for a good glass - it's destined for the lunch table."
- Brendan & Laura Carter
The Unico Zelo owner/winemaking dynamic duo of Brendan and Laura Carter are hugely passionate about Fiano, and they wholeheartedly believe in this variety's suitability to Australia's climate and culture.
So do we, it's a winner.
This comes from the ancient sandy limestone soils on the iconic Ricca Terra Farms vineyard in the Riverland region of South Australia. Like in previous years it's a wonderfully textural wine, with the detail and balancew improving each and every year.
All up it's delicious to drink, perfectly built for enjoying with food and great value for money.
2022 Vino Volta Funky & Fearless Chenin Blanc
This is the textural, more classic example of Chenin Blanc from the Vino Volta duo.
Garth Cliff and Kristen McGann are really passionate about Chenin Blanc. Showcasing the varieations created from different vineyards and with different winemaking techniques in and around the Swan Valley region. These are 25+ year old vines in the north of the region, from the Rockets vineyard, planted on sandy loam.
It's made in a fairly textural style, focusing in on the waxy, mouth-filling characters that make Chenin so distinctive as a variety.
It's shapely, pithy and very easy to knock back.
95 points
"Natural ferment in older large-format oak. Dry-grown, organically, on the Rocket's Vineyard. This is a pearl of a wine. Chalky, spicy, minerally – it crackles its way through the palate – but with a good bedding of fruit too. It has presence, and it has flow. You can contemplate it or you can quaff it; it works (beautifully) both ways."
- Campbell Mattinson (Halliday Wine Companion)
95 points
"Complex, intense and consistent, it forges a path across the palate and shows an immense staying power even after the wine has left the mouth. Irrepressible."
- Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)
2024 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Schatz Sylvaner
So many interesting new things emerging from the Vigneron Schmolzer & Brown cellar at the moment.
With their core range of Pret-a-Blanc, Rouge and Rose consistently delivering value, and their single vineyard wines from cooler sites in Beechworth and the Whitlands region finding their way onto premium wine lists and into considered cellars, they are now experimenting with smaller batches of fruit to make a few curios that add colour to the range.
This Sylvaner is a serious look at the variety. A little barrel ferment and a touch of skin contact for a little grip have done wonders for this often-times neutral variety.
The flavours are subtle, all flowers, spice and a pristine line of refreshing acidity. Small amounts made but 100% worth a look.
94 points
"Kasia Sobiesiak described last year’s Schatz Sylvaner as an “aromatised bitter white wine with a dazzling texture” and given that the same kind of descriptor applies here, I can’t top that. This is so floral and so detailed and so well flavoured and so lingering, but the grainy, rind-like, dry tension of the texture is what really captivates. A kind of salty, tonic-like, sea-spray aspect doesn’t hurt either. VS&B are really on a winner here."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
2022 Yangarra Estate Blanc
Yangarra Estate are absolutely one of our very favourite producers and a winery that is making serious waves in the Australian wine industry.
This is the beginning of a large project for the Yangarra team.
Yangarra have every one of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape varieties planted on their Blewitt Springs vineyard. The plan is to eventually produce a blend from the 13 varieties allowed to grow in the famous French region. This white blend is the first step along the way.
It's a medium-bodied, savoury white wine with fresh, glassy texture and a briny finish. The perfect all-round food wine. An exciting, great value release from this McLaren Vale juggernaut.
95 points
"The palate is powerful with fresh acidity."
- James Halliday (The Weekend Australian)
94 points
"It’s a little bit juicy, with white fleshed fruit, some bright tangerine acidity and flavour, plenty of chalky texture, and a dusty and subtly nutty/briny/lemon peel finish of excellent length. I really like it."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
94 points & Top 100 Wines of 2024
"While Yangarra has forged a global reputation for stellar grenache and shiraz from distinctive McLaren Vale soils, their work with the Rhone Valley’s white varieties yields spectacular results too. This compelling and complex blend of roussanne, piquepoul, bourboulenc, clairette and grenache gris is a masterclass in textural tension and flavour delivery with restraint. A peek into an exciting future for Australian white wine."
- Nick Ryan (The Australian)
| Price Bracket | $30 or Less |
| Type | White |
| Country | Australia |
| Size | 750ml |
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