Over three generations the Barry name has been famous throughout the wine world and synonymous with the Clare Valley. A founding member of Australia’s First Families of Wine, the Barry family celebrated the 60th anniversary of its winery in 2020, the year it also scooped the title of Halliday’s ‘Winery of the Year’. Jim Barry bought his first vineyard here in 1959, and even helped the Taylor family open their winery a decade later. Son Peter took over Jim Barry in 1985, and today brothers Tom and Sam, with sister Olivia, have raised the bar even higher. Enjoy a new Jim Barry exclusive, an absolutely delicious Single Vineyard Grenache. The grape has become the hottest thing in wine in recent years, with a new generation of winemakers create fresh, super approachable modern styles. When Grenache – rare in the Clare Valley – came up in discussion, buyer Ben Cohn, an ardent devotee of the grape, was stoked. The wine was crafted using fruit from the family’s limestone-rich McKay’s vineyard in Watervale – and sings with fresh red fruit and elegant, sandy tannins. It boasts fresh raspberry & spice on nose & palate with bluefruits, plum & orange rind hints. Great length too. Serve it slightly chilled, and it makes a great match with Thai Pork Belly. It’s exquisite. We share it at a special launch price (especially exciting for UNLIMITED members).

In 1911, great grandfather of the current owner forsook his birthplace of Burgundy and headed south to the Rhône valley. There he bought his first vineyard. Today, Laurent Guillot is in charge, working the family plots both in Burgundy and the southern Rhône. For this voluptuous Villages red, he combined two parcels of premium quality grapes from some of their oldest vines. The Grenache is from between Orange and Avignon, close to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the soils of which produce a powerful, full-bodied style. The Syrah is from clay-limestone soils on the Rhône’s right bank, lending a silky, fresh-fruit note. Add in the quality of the vintage and this red is rich, dark and intense. A great wine to serve with roast lamb or a rich casserole.

The southern Rhône’s cru villages deliver remarkable richness as well as value – all nine of them well worth discovering. One of the best is Vacqueyras, the village watched over by the towering Dentelles de Montmirail (google and you'll find some impressive images of these iconic rugged landmarks) . Cuvée Préstigieux is from the Guillot family. In 1911, great grandfather of the current owner forsook his birthplace of Burgundy and headed south to the Rhône valley. There he bought his first vineyard. Today, Laurent Guillot is in charge, working the family plots both in Burgundy and the southern Rhône. This Cuvée Préstigieux is a full-bodied style with ripe raspberry fruit from the Grenache, while the Syrah brings herbal aromas and blackberry and a touch of Mourvèdre adds spice. Ace with roast lamb or a rich casserole.

Grenache is enjoying a well-deserved moment, with a new generation of talented Aussie winemakers delivering deliciously fresh, approachable wines. This McLaren Vale Grenache is a superb example, from the exciting small-batch project Marsc Wine Co. Bringing acclaimed winemakers and prestige vineyards together covertly under a ‘masked’ label, they’re able to deliver great quality wines for brilliantly low prices. We can’t reveal who made this Grenache, but we can say that they have picked up some of Australia’s highest winemaking honours – namely, TWO Bushing Kings and a Jimmy Watson.

Hentley Farm was established in 1997 by Keith and Alison Hentschke, who had a single vision to craft exceptional single estate wines from the Barossa Valley. Using an old soil map from the 1950’s to strategically locate the best parcels of land, they discovered a mixed farming property set among the rolling hills on the banks of Greenock Creek in Barossa’s west, with remarkable diversity of soil types, and varying aspects and altitudes. In 2004, the estate was extended with the purchase of a neighbouring vineyard which shared the treasured natural amphitheatre of rolling hills that surround Hentley Farm and resultant diversity of site. This single estate of 150 acres is Hentley Farm. Beyond the single vineyard estates, Hentley Farm produce a portfolio of modern wines sourced from select vineyards across the Barossa including a range of wines under the Villain & Vixen label. As villains against convention we favour vixen like elegance, textural wines with enhanced vibrancy of fruit and varietal characteristics.