We know how much our customers love juicy Aussie reds, especially a classic Shiraz. That’s why our expert on the ground, Ben Cohn, is always on the lookout for new discoveries. And it’s even better when those discoveries involve wines from one of our favourite winemakers. We’ve been working with Sam Trimboli for over 30 years now and when he set up his own winery in 2018, we backed him all the way. Now he’s one of Australia’s most in-demand winemakers, having won multiple awards across his collection of wines.

Blackstrap has delicious blueberry and blackberry fruit, and a gentle kick of spice on the finish. Ideal for sipping on its own, with barbecued meats or veggie kebabs with couscous.

20 years ago, a lightbulb moment resulted in the creation of RedHeads by Tony and Tom Laithwaite. It was a no-gimmicks, no-rules cellar where young, talented (and rebellious) winemakers could moonlight and make small-batch wines that really rocked their boat. Growers started bringing in pick-up loads of their best grapes they wanted 'rescuing' from the mega-blends.

RedHeads winemakers began to gain a reputation as the ‘Robinhood of grapes’ – saving parcels to make into handcrafted wines. So popular, the cellar outgrew its original home and, for a few years, it moved from shed to shed. Finally it bought its own vineyard and built a state-of-the-art, off-grid, solar-powered eco winery. RedHeads by name, green by nature, with awards galore.

The judges at the China's Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards were impressed by this rich, spicy Shiraz, unanimously awarding it a Gold. It’s from John Quarisa, who for many years made wine for the biggest names in Oz, winning both the Jimmy Watson and Stodart Trophies. Today, with the help of his wife Josephine, he crafts winners like this. ‘Passion is Everything’ is their motto, and, after just over a decade in operation, their winery in New South Wales boasts four stars from Aussie wine guru James Halliday. He describes the “exceptional value for money provided by the wines” and is full of praise for this red. It’s deliciously easy going, but still packs a punch of luscious ripe fruit. A sure bet for a bbq, a roast or a hearty bake.

You see, we kept meeting young gun winemakers who had access to tiny parcels of prime fruit which they wanted to craft into small-batch, character-laden wines – and we wanted to encourage them! With no rules to adhere to, these talented winemakers produced astounding wines that dazzled the critics: "Avant-garde and highly successful" (James Halliday), "Australian genius … made with passion" (Jancis Robinson MW), "Must be tasted to be believed" (Robert Parker). RedHeads nowadays has much bigger premises in the South Australia's world-famous Barossa, but it is uniquely designed to produce small batch fermentations, just like they did in the old days. The 1888 is their flagship Barossa Shiraz and it's a beauty, deep, dark and decadently intense – the kind that made the Barossa famous. Make sure you go and visit them in the Barossa. They'd love to show you around.