Thistledown make Grenache with a view to maximising purity of expression, the fruit must be articulate, the finished wine textural and refined. Grenache is collated from some of the finest bush vines in McLaren Vale, an auspicious tally of sites planted to rich mineral soils. Grapes are all hand picked, a third of the harvest is retained as whole bunches. A natural wild yeast ferment is treated to frequent hand plunges until complete dryness. Ten months in well seasoned oak hogsheads achieves a delicious Grenache wine, perfumed, velvet textured and beguiling.

At the Seaview end of Chapel Hill Road, a perfunctory passerine perched her pincers astride a pair of power lines and set herself ablaze. Down she went amongst the dry grown branches of an old Grenache vineyard, setting the valuable veterans alight. The scorched site eventually became part of the Thistledown portfolio, its wizzened old vines make an alluringly perfumed wine that's evocative of florals, petals and pretty Pinot freshness. Cranberries, spices and ripe wild cherry combine with silken textures to define a beautifully elegant Grenache wine.

There's no better grape for Rose than the gorgeous, garrulous Grenache. Thistledown have found a blissful block of old Grenache vines. Grapes are all hand picked, destemmed and gently crushed for a course of several hours on skins to extract just the right hues of bawdy pink. A long cool ferment preserves the complex fruit characters and infuses enticing herbal notes into the crisp mineral palate. Beautifully salmon pink in colour, her playful perfumes and undulating textures are supported by juicy orange tang and pursing, rosehip tannins.

Fully organic fruit, coddled clones of the unique Grenache Blanc, all hand picked and whole bunch pressed for a wild indigenous yeast vinification in a mix of seasoned French oak barrels and traditional concrete fermenters. Batches are rested on sediments for several months, building texture and infusing complexity. Grenache Blanc is distinctive for its full flavoured palate, its bright, tangy citrus fruits are drizzled with honeysuckle and lemon balm. Vigorous and suave, a creamy, mouth filling wine of character, intensity and charm.

A pure Grenache wine, crafted from the fruit of some wonderful old sites, hand made in the traditional small batch way. This is Thistledown Grenache No1. Grapes are picked off a number of blocks in the Riverland and McLaren Vale, venerable old vineyards and choice parcels of dry grown bush vine fruit. All are separately vinified in small batches through the action of wild ferments. Whole bunch inclusions and larger format oak achieve a beautifully layered, textural palate, lead by its strawberry and wild spice perfumes, hedonistically bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Half Grenache with the balance of Shiraz and Mourvedre, grown to some fantastic old vine stock, most are a century of age, treated to a spell in well seasoned barrels. The oak influence is minimal, serving to complex and mature the wine rather than to impart flavour. So marked must be the profile of fruit to make the cut for Avatar, that initial classification of the components takes place immediately after vintage. Well balanced and round, a wine of earthy, savoury complexity, displaying ripe fleshy fruits, bramble and licorice spice.

Tardieu represents the ultimate in minimal intervention, the fruit is all processed by growers who manage the handling of Grenache from the vineyard. To produce the noblest cuvee from the oldest vines, intimate knowledge of terroir and a sincere, long term, relationship must be established with good growers. Tardieu Laurent is fashioned from sixty years old Grenache vines at Coudoulet within the appellation of Chateauneuf du Pape.

A complex assembly of Grenache and Carineña grown to the Denominacio d'origen Priorato, espoused by an equally stirring addition of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Priorat is a long forgotten winegrowing area, highly salubrious in its time, it was ravaged by phyloxera and abandoned in the nineteenth century. The rocky, steeply sloped, mineralite soils have been rediscovered by Don Lewis and Narelle King, who take time out from their operations in Victoria once a year to vinify the parched and precious fruit of Merum Priorati.

Giovanni Tait was a cooper who migrated to Barossa Valley in 1957, he took up work with B. Seppelt and Sons, where he took a hand in the élevage and maturation of the most memorable vintages. Tasteful and judicious use of oak remains an essential component of the winemaking traditions at Tait, none more so than the topical Rhone styled blend of Grenache, Mourverdre and Shiraz. Tait source fruit for the Wild Ride from choice sites on the southern Finders ranges, treating each parcel to an individual regimen of oak, a mere thousand cases are produced.

Victorian accords of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre are sufficiently rare, ideally, an estate must have a heritage which dates back to early settlement before they can consider crafting such a wine. The first nascent plantings at Tahbilk were sown with cuttings from Valley Rhone. Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre have taken to the local surrounds and today yield the finest harvests in Victoria. A deeply charismatic wine of provocative sweet and savoury fruit characters, exquisitely balanced over a length of elegant, tensile tannins.

St John's Road were generations in the making, the fruit of grand old vineyards and progeny of families which have tilled Barossa soil since settlement. A seamless assemblage of harvests from distinguished grower sites at Stonewell, Ebenezer and Light Pass. Parcels are crushed into ten tonnes, open top fermenters for a week on skins, pressed and racked into seasoned French oak hogsheads for a judicious six months of age. A lithe, perfumed style of Grenache, seasoned with spiced currant and fragrant sorbet notes, licorice and raspberry coulis, cherry cola and a wiff of wet funky game.

There's a 120 year old patch of Grenache on the Riebke family vineyard at Ebenezer known as Prayer Garden, so named because the pruners and pickers must kneel to husband the ancient vines. Cuttings from Prayer Garden were transplanted to a flat on the neighbouring Jones Road property, they yield a vibrant style of Grenache that's brimming with character and charm. Fruit is treated to ten days of ferment in open two tonnes vats, followed by ten months in 500 litres oak puncheons. Cherries and raspberry, licorice, savouryness and a twist of warm gamey spice.

The triumvirate of red Rhone grapes from a canon of eminent sites at Ebenezer, Stonewell and Light Pass, treated to a traditional course of open ferments and term of age in seasoned French oak puncheons. Grenache provides the sumptuous savouryness, a hint of leather and gardens in bloom, Mataro contributes fleshy fruits and wild game, Shiraz for structure, ripe plum flavours, fragrance and spice, grippy tannins in support, a layered, moreish finish.

An inspiring varietal mix of Shiraz and Grenache with Touriga Nacional, the traditional vintage port grape. A suite of yeast strains, each suited to a different parcel of fruit, serves to highlight the fresh berry, floral, spicy, earthy aromas contributed by Touriga and Grenache, while the richness and pepper spice of Shiraz builds palate weight and structure. Completely unoaked, Gamekeeper embraces the spectrum of ripe and savoury Barossa fruit, delivering a wine which is so much greater than the sum of parts.

What Spinifex choose to do best is discover isolate parcels of old vine, sometimes overlooked or underloved, at the Cotes du Rhône end of the varietal spectrum. This is no flight of fancy, as the background of the husband and wife team includes many growing seasons in France. Papillon is bottled towards the end of vintage year. Crafted from very old material Grenache, Cinsualt and Mataro, Spinifex hand select the vines and pick grapes, vinifying the parcels with an aim of creating a wine that's all about freshness, fruit and spice, a wine that's bright and alive.

A complex Rhone-style expressing the profound characteristics delivered from great old vine vineyards. Low yielding and hand tended, they deliver a quality of fruit that's worthy of the old world's most prestigious growths. A rich and effusive cépage of Mataro and Grenache, Shiraz, Carignan and Cinsault are matured in selection of large format 500 to to 3000 litres French oak barrels to develop a complex vinous flavour base while preserving fruit freshness, enhance the exciting varietal complexity and preserve the vital tannin edge.

Spinifex appropriate much of their grapes from small family growers, often dealing with passionate farmers who are excited to find a winemaker who is interested in their vineyard and their fruit. A partisan assemblage of Rhonesque varietals, Mataro and Cinsault, Grenache and Shiraz, is formulated into a moreish pink wine by a dedicated couple with a strong French connection, who continue to work vintages in Provence and Languedoc, Bordeaux and La Bourgogne.

Soul Growers source fruit across the Barossa Valley floor, out to the high country of eastern Eden Valley ranges, from vineyards which are living history. Seppeltsfield and Tanunda, Krondorf and Langmeil Roads, Kalimna and Nuriootpa all make contributions. The work is completely manual, traditional techniques with minimal handling. The sacred cépage of Shiraz, Mourvedre and Grenache, has always been an essential tradition of Barossa winemaking, assembling the fruit of some glorious old vines into a seamless experience of heady perfumes, succulent fruit and gently undulating tannins.

Giovanni Maglieri worked at Pirramimma in the late 1950s. He was joined by 17 year old Serafino in 1963, the father and son team bought forty hectares of scrub and set about the task of clearing it for vines. After founding one of McLaren Vale's most eminent wineries, Serafino embarked upon his own label, cultivating a lineage of the most memorable vintages in McLaren Vale viticulture. The idyllic growing seasons and pristine soils along historic Kangarilla Road contribute to the creation of outstanding wines which express the uniqueness of terroir, sunshine and clime.

A choice harvest of old vines Grenache, exhibiting outstanding intensity of flavour, is assembled with parcels of Palomino grapes, to create Vera Viola Oloroso, the richest and sweetest of new world style Sherry. Extended maturation through a traditional old world Solera system achieves a rich and generously proportioned, full bodied fortified wine with a delicate balance of sweet honeyed flavours, aged rancio complexity and lifted, judiciously drying finish. Vera Viola Oloroso is the winner of countless conspicuous wine show competition accolades.

Seppeltsfield are the cautious custodians of a priceless endowment, which spans more than 150 years of artisanal excellence. This heritage includes an inventory of barrel ages fortifieds which are Australia's most distinguished bequeath of ancient wines. Over the generations, the 100 year old Para Vintage Tawny has retained remarkable consistency of style and character. Full bodied, awesome in its power and concentration, every drop holds the promise of an unsurpassable, life enriching experience.

Para Grand is named after the Para River that flows through the centre of the Barossa Valley. Instantly recognisable in its unique bottle, Para was first released in 1953 and quickly became an Australian legend with a distinctive style, highlighting rich fruit flavours and great aged complexity. Great intensity and rich, ripe fruit flavours, exhibiting the capacity to show all of the aged characteristics associated with the now famous Para style. A classically Australian Tawny that's totally toothsome, offering hedonistic aged rancio complexity.

In 1866, plans to build a new stone cellar were sanctioned by Seppeltsfield's founder John Seppelt. In 1878 the stone cellar was completed by his son Benno. To celebrate, in a gesture considered innovative and inspiring, Benno selected a puncheon of his finest wine and gave instructions that it was not to be bottled for a hundred years. This became a magnificent tradition and Seppeltsfield Wines are now the only winery in the world to have significant stocks of wine laid down over consecutive vintages for more than a century.

Seppeltsfield are the cautious custodians of a priceless endowment, which spans more than 150 years of artisanal excellence. This heritage includes an inventory of barrel ages fortifieds which are Australia's most distinguished bequeath of ancient wines. Over the generations, the 100 year old Para Vintage Tawny has retained remarkable consistency of style and character. Full bodied, awesome in its power and concentration, every drop holds the promise of an unsurpassable, life enriching experience.

Cellar No7 Tawny is a contemporary take on the classic Australian Tawny style. Predominately Shiraz and Grenache grapes assembled with spirit from Cellar No.7 of the famous Blue Stone spirit bond building at Seppeltsfield, it offers vitality and intensity of fruit.

A baronial Barossa estate with a proud tradition of Australian agriculture which dates back to 1866, Schild have amassed a remarkable list of international awards for their stately wines. Their offerings are highly treasured by enthusiasts around the world. A dry grown, bush vine Grenache, Mourvedre Shiraz, from blocks averaging seventy years of age, precious old sites which are able to withstand wicked bursts of Barossa heat. The gnarled old vines are treated to meticulous viticultural management, yielding berries of outstanding quality.

SC Pannell makes Rose like no other, it's not just about the mix of grapes, Mourvedre, Grenache Noir and Touriga Nacional, Arido brings the affable arcadian varietals into a seamless accord of perfectly pitched piquancy, languid tannin ripeness and ripe, juicy flesh. Grapes are gently pressed and fermented au sauvage for an opulence of sylvan character and charm. White flowers and Aperol, watermelons and raspberry, blood oranges and sherbet, Arido redefines Rosé, its market garden palate and weight of fruit beckoning you to come back for another sip.

Few winemakers have played as significant a role as Rosemount, for bringing Australian wines to appreciative enthusiasts around the globe. Quality is the key to success, traditional techniques such as natural yeast ferments, malolactic and luxury oak, remain at the core of winemaking methodology. At the Rosemount McLaren Vale wineworks, a collection of old open vats, a century of age, are still employed to craft parcels of Grenache, Mouverdre and Shiraz, selected from the finest local vineyards, on the basis of fragrantly perfumed aromatics, intensity of complex flavours and ripe, velvet tannins.

Rosemount have drawn many of their most memorable vintages from McLaren Vale, they retain an inventory of the finest sites and know the best growers. First released in 1994, GSM is Rosemount Estate’s ultimate rendering of McLaren Vale, the rich, spicy fruit flavours of old bush vine Grenache balances the opulence and power of Shiraz, the firmness of structure from Mourvèdre. A highly fragrant style, bursting with a cornucopia of red cherries, mulberry, violets and lifted floral spice, its dark plum palate is underpinned by a length of white chocolate and nutmeg oak.

Half Shiraz from the estate Stephanie vineyard, just adjacent the Rolf Binder wineworks. A third of Mourvedre, picked off a precious block of bush vine planted in the 1880s. The balance in Grenache from old Binder vines at Gomersal and Light Pass. A moreish medley of blue bramble, raspberries and chocolate box allsorts, underpinned by the savoury of smoked meats and simmering stockpot. Open fermented in the traditional old world style to deliciously dry, a salutory measure of subtle oak and kindly tannins in support of a lingering, chewy liquorice finish.

Bunches of Grenache are all hand picked and quickly pressed to extract just the right amount of precocious pink hue, vinified to dryness over the course of a fortnight and treated to a course of lees stirring battonage for optimal palate richness. A fragrant, delightfully drinking, strawberries and cream style of blush wine, brimming with bright red berry fruit characters, peach notes and zesty blood orange tang, slightly savoury at the finish, ideally to accompany pink fleshed fishes, flavourful Mediterranean recipes and Al Fresco fare.

A tremendous red emanating heat from it's weight of alcohol, the very first vintage of a mostly Grenache wine by RockBare, sourced from an eighty year old bush vine, dry grown vineyard. You can't pass a duck with this wine, or a piquant chorizo sausage & homemade pasta dish.