What RedHeads does best – searches out small parcels of fabulous quality grapes, brimful of flavour. Then they blend them, bit by bit, to handcraft a wine with abundant character and plenty of stylish panache. Our winemaker spotted these two unusual Spaniards on the Rocca's small family property in One Tree Hill, a tiny hamlet between the Barossa and Adelaide Hills. Not quite in the elevated part, it gets quite warm during the day, but there’s a cool draught from the Hills at night, which slows ripening and explains the amazing deep crimson hue of Vin’atus. Hand picked, destemmed and hand plunged (with effort!), and vinified in our traditional open-top fermenters, this is a hefty red, but velvet smooth. Ideal with lamb or rich bean stew.
Renieri is owned by its grand neighbour, Marco Bacci's historic, much lauded Castello di Bossi. The same care goes into the wines of both estates. Renieri boasts 128 hectares of land, within which lie 30 hectares of vines, in the southern stretch of Montalcino. The prized vineyards for the Brunello all lie at 350 to 420 metres altitude, some of the highest in the appellation and were replanted in 1998 to meet the high specifications of the team. Meticulous work in the vineyards and ageing in a mix of small barriques and traditional larger botti barrels result in a wine of amazing power and bold, dense fruit, with the freshness and structure to enable it to age a couple of decades at least. Delicious now; will cellar magnificently.
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The Independent named Rocksand Shiraz among its ‘12 Best Portuguese Wines’, giving it the title of ‘best for a meat feast’! The secret to its luscious weight and fruit-packed splendour is the sandy soils, which hold little rain for the vines, plus the unrelenting hot sun of the Setúbal Península. The result is a very modest yield of small berries crammed with juicy flavour and spice.
No wonder, then, award-winning winemaker Jaime Quendera is now forging a worldwide reputation for Setúbal’s rich, bold reds, all at affordable prices, too. A few months' ageing in French oak barrels has lent a gorgeous, spicy, vanilla lift to its wealth of ripe black fruits. A fine treat to serve with spicy chorizo sausages, a hearty stew or the Sunday roast.
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This fruit-laden Reserva is a medley of Portugal’s most prized red grapes including inky Alicante and the regional star, Touriga Nacional.
Crafted by an award-winning family winery, it hits the spot with its dark, ripe fruit overlaid by spicy oak.
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