There would likely be few people who haven’t heard the Hardy name around, with a legacy going all the way back to the 1850s with the planting of some of South Australia’s first vines. So, when it comes to Geoff Hardy, great-great grandson of Thomas Hardy, it’s fair to say that skill and passion for the wine industry run in his blood. I sat with Geoff to taste this wine amidst the autumn leaves falling from the trees into the lake at his Kuitpo winery, and there was a resonance with this label itself. The wine was impressive, although Geoff’s humble attitude wouldn’t let you know that. It’s hard to put a price on a wine like this, and it’ll be the last thing you’re thinking about when you pour out the last drops from the bottle.

The art of élevage is the skill of blending in the cellar, raising the potential of exceptional grapes to deliver something profound in the bottle. Meticulously blended parcels of wine, and the mystery of specially selected oak barrels deliver intense flavours, complexity and palate length. Intimate knowledge of the finest Shiraz vineyards in McLaren Vale and exquisite blending of barrel aged wines create a flavour sensation of blackberries, plum jam, cocoa, dark graphite and cedar wood characters leading a rich, smooth and concentrated palate enhanced by an expansive mouthfeel and velvety tannins. Balanced, decadent and extremely luxurious, this is a wine for serious celebrations.

Hastwell & Lightfoot is located in the world-renowned McLaren Vale region of South Australia. Established in 1988, we produce premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Grenache, Barbera, Vermentino and Fiano from our 40 acres of vineyard.

Bright crimson with purple hues, Ulithorne Dona Shiraz displays a rich bouquet of plum, cherry and forest floor. Full bodied and rich mouthfeel, the palate is abundant in flavours of blackberry, sour cherry and a hint of oak.

Amongst a few ripping McLaren Vale wines- many of them shiraz- we sat at the tasting bench in awe of this reserve parcel from Haselgrove. This is the kind of wine that you might take for granted amongst a deep sea of shiraz, but we're here to tell you that you should be doing anything but. This is excellent value, in fact Wine Buyer Pete exclaimed "This is a whole lot of wine for the price". A focused nose and palate of blue fruits mingling with chocolate and spiced fruit cake notes. The finish on this beauty is long, but the happy feeling you'll get from drinking a wine this good is certainly longer.

Well known here in Australia, Haselgrove are under going somewhat of a renaissance due to recently being bought by a group of South Australian wine stalwarts including Steve Maglieri. Their Bella Vigna (Beautiful Vineyard) Shiraz is a great example of why McLaren Vale Shiraz is the hallmark of the region. Bursting with cherries, red currants and spicy pepper notes, this a great Shiraz to pair with eggplant parmigiana or barbecued lamb shanks.

The first Homeless Grapes Project started in 2015 with one little Facebook post. Jock Harvey, from Chalk Hill Wines, posted that he had a surplus block of grapes and anyone was welcome to them if they made a donation to charity. We saw an opportunity: why not make a cheeky little shiraz instead and send 100% of the profits to charity? We contacted Jock, and the rest - as they say in the biz - took loads of hard work but was totally worth it.