Grenache is currently experiencing a golden era in Australia.

A truckload of Australian producers are finally giving the variety its due. From the sandy soils of McLaren Vale and the ancient plantings in the Barossa as well as other pockets of the country, some truly stunning examples of Grenache are emerging.

Here are six of our current favourites that exemplify the quality that can currently be found if you know where to look. Six great modern producers of the grape are featured here and it's terrific value to boot.

• 2025 Bondar Rayner Vineyard Grenache
• 2023 S.C. Pannell Basso Grenache
• 2023 Spinifex Garcon Grenache
• 2024 Willunga 100 Grenache
• 2024 Head Old Vine Grenache
• 2024 Domaine la Remejeanne Cotes du Rhone Un Air de Remejeanne

2025 Bondar Rayner Vineyard Grenache

The Rayner Vineyard is legendary for its Shiraz, but the old-vine Grenache plantings on the deep sand of the western edge are arguably Andre Bondar's best assets on the property. Planted in 1970 and entirely dry-grown, this section naturally yields small, highly concentrated berries.

The 2025 vintage threw up a massive challenge, with exceptionally dry conditions cutting yields by a brutal 50%. To save the wine, Andre adapted, pulling in some adjacent vines and, for the first time, incorporating about 30% younger-vine fruit from 10-year-old bush vines planted upslope. This pivot turned out to be a masterstroke - while the old vines provide the baseline power and concentration, the younger fruit adds a beautiful layer of freshness and aromatic lift that defines the vintage.

In the winery, the philosophy remains low-intervention. Fermented with about 20% whole bunches for a touch of savoury grip and perfume, the wine spent six months maturing in old French oak and ceramic eggs before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It's a lighter, savoury-leaning, and incredibly pure McLaren Vale Grenache, though the '25 is a bit darker and plumper than the past couple of releases. It’s just a thoughtful, confident, and deeply expressive red that lets the sand and the season do all the talking. Outstanding value.

95+ points
"There’s a deepness to this, and some levity. It feels spicier, earthier, less buoyantly red-fruited, although the cranberry, pomegranate and redcurrant notes are there, along with black cherry, spiced plum, raspberry compote, Baharat spicing and, discreetly, the crackling dry herbs of whole-bunch fermentation, a rusted-iron note, too. There’s fine tension, savouriness and drive. Give it a little time. It won't disappoint."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

2023 S.C. Pannell Basso Grenache

The Basso is the lighter, fresher, more 'smashable' version of Grenache from Steve Pannell. It's Steve's minimal-intervention wine - bottled with a minimal amount of sulphur, unfined and unfiltered.

Steve's wines are all about melding with our Australian culture and this is the perfect fit for our climate, our cuisine and our culture. Think backyard BBQ's!

It's medium-bodied, dappled with the lacy tannins and spice of early-picked Grenache - a deliciously jubey red but with the quality stamp of S.C. Pannell.

Just a great anytime/anywhere red from one of the country's finest winemakers.

2023 Spinifex Garcon Grenache

Peter Schell and Magali Gely have spent over two decades proving that Barossa reds don't need to be heavy blockbusters to be taken seriously. Under their Spinifex label, Schell has become one of the region's undisputed masters of Grenache, consistently teasing out the grape's natural energy rather than hammering it into submission.

The Garçon serves as a pigeon pair to their benchmark Syrah, operating as a tribute to the Barossa's deep viticultural roots. The fruit is pulled entirely by hand from four dry-grown parcels spread across the valley, with vine ages ranging from thirty-five right up to a century old.

In the cellar, the approach is extremely tactile but low-intervention. The fruit sees a healthy dose of whole bunches during a slow, wild ferment across concrete and stainless steel, managed with gentle foot-stomping and pump-overs. It then spends eight months resting on light lees in a mix of steel vats, seasoned 600-litre demi-muids, and a massive 2,500-litre foudre before being bottled completely unfined and unfiltered.

This vintage leans hard into freshness, trading thick extraction for a high-toned floral perfume and a tart snap of forest berries. Sandy tannins and a crunchy, taut acidity keep everything tightly wound and dangerously easy to drink. It is genuinely baffling how they manage to deliver old-vine Barossa character of this calibre at this price.

2024 Willunga 100 Grenache

Willunga 100 is Grenache, start to finish. It’s the grape they’ve built their name on, and this estate-grown release is the clearest window into what they do best.

The 2023 vintage of this wine shocked the industry by picking up three trophies - including the Prime Minister’s Trophy for Best Wine of Show at the National Wine Show - an unheard-of result for a $28 Grenache. The 2024 follows in those footsteps with the same focus on purity, drinkability and site expression, showing why Willunga 100 has become the benchmark for McLaren Vale Grenache.

Sourced from their Blind Spot vineyard in Blewitt Springs - a site of dry-grown bush vines on deep Maslin sands - it captures everything we love about the variety in this part of the Vale. Bright red fruits, a little pomegranate crunch, lavender and thyme, and a savoury undertow of spice and earth. The palate is medium bodied and vibrant, with silky tannins giving shape and a mineral thread pulling it long.

Winemaking is deliberately simple – hand-picked fruit, a touch of whole bunch, basket pressing, and ageing mostly in old puncheons – all about letting vineyard and variety do the talking.

At this price, and with this pedigree, it’s one of the best buys in Australian red wine right now.

96 points
"If you’re at all curious why Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale is the most hyped dirt in Australian wine right now, here’s the perfect entry point for imminent addiction."
- Nick Ryan (Top 100 Wines of 2025)<

"Bright and tasty. Varietal and good value too. Boxes are being ticked here."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

2024 Head Old Vine Grenache

The Old Vine Grenache is one of Alex's specialities and arguably one of the first and most important Grenache wines of the modern era to inspire the flood of more refined Grenache we see emerging across Australia today.

The fruit from this 166-year-old vineyard gets full opportunity to show its true character. An extraordinary wine for its price. It shows a rare restraint in the use of oak. It's all about the dark rich fruit, and with fruit this beautiful, by Jove, it should be! Lots of baked earth and spice flavours too.

An excellent contemporary example of Australia's world-class Grenache capabilities.

94 points
"The fruit is gorgeous, pure and weighted just so, the tannins are billowing and pillowy and the acidity is bright. Once again '24 comes up with the goods."
- Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

2024 Domaine la Remejeanne Cotes du Rhone Un Air de Remejeanne

If you are looking for the heavy, boozy style of Côtes du Rhône, keep walking. This is the exact opposite. As the name suggests, this is a wine of "air" and lightness, designed by Olivier Klein to capture the fresh, cool-climate essence of the rugged Sabran landscape.

Certified organic and sourced from the estate’s high-altitude sandy limestone vineyards, this is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. Olivier treats it as a true "vin de soif" (wine for thirst). He utilized 50% whole bunches in the ferment this year to lift the aromatics, followed by a short maceration and ageing in concrete tanks to preserve the primary fruit.

The result is a wine that feels like it has its own internal air conditioning. It jumps out of the glass with scents of just-picked raspberries, cherries and a bouquet of lavender, thyme and violet. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and crunchy, with a rocky, dusty texture and a gentle caress of tannins. It is supple, fragrant and bursting with energy. A "dee-light-ful" bistro red that is perfect for a light chill.