The Cover Drive is named after the Penola cricket ground on the southern boundary of Coonawarra in South Australia. This famous cricket ground was retired in 1996 and Jim Barry bought the land to plant with grapes. This full bodied, dark and smooth red wine is the result. It's earthy, smooth and has complex flavours of black olives, dried herbs and bold blackcurrant notes. It drinks well when young and can also age for four to five years, evolving interesting savoury notes as it does. 

From the talented hand of John Quarisa using grapes from Coonawarra in South Australia.

Approachable, easy going and versatile, this wine has a nose of fresh, complex cassis and mint fruit flavours with some well integrated vanillin oak. The palate is full bodied with dense ripe cassis fruit flavours balanced with vanillin oak but yet long and smooth. This wine has the flavour, structure and balance to be enjoyed now but can benefit from further cellaring.

Hill & Valley is all about highlighting the ripe and balanced flavours of great wines, such as this full bodied red, from the warmth of the Barossa Valley in South Australia. From the cooler Adelaide Hills to the elevated Eden Valley vineyards to those situated on the Barossa Valley floor, these ancient soils provide the base for great wines that speak of their origins.

"Dense with a bright red edge, there are dark brooding fruit aromas with hints of blueberry and choc-mint. The palate is medium-bodied with blue fruit and fine grained tannins for a very soft finish."

From its deep colour to its savoury aromas and complex layers of flavour - liquorice, spice and black olives - Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon is a full bodied and smooth wine with a great fruit presence and a long, spicy finish.

Langmeil is owned by the Lindner family, which has been making wine for six generations in the Barossa Valley.

This is a deep-maroon red wine. The nose is refreshing and complex with herb and spice coupled with savoury earthy notes of mushroom, dark chocolate and toasted wood. The palate is concentrated in flavour but well resolved in structure with an excellent silky texture. Dark berry and herb and licorice notes on the palate meet cedar and light smoke, with gentle mouth-coating tannins.

Yalumba is a family owned and fiercely independent wine producer with roots back to 1849. This is their take on the classic Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from four vineyards in the Barossa Valley. The diversity of the vineyard selection provides the rich, lifted Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and palate structure for which The Signature is renowned. The Shiraz comes from vineyards of varying age, with the oldest planted in 1925. These blocks are of sandy loam, featuring yellow sand and ochre clay over red clay. The combination of these Barossa Valley blocks provides a Shiraz with sweetness, fullness, depth and layers of complexity.

Matured for 19 months in 25% new French barriques and Hungarian hogsheads, balance in older French and Hungarian barriques and hogsheads.

Deep, dense purple-red in colour. Seductive and alluring florals, cool mints, red pomegranate with fine blackberry fruits and dark cherry aromas. The palate is delightfully generous with dark red cherry fruit that merges into ironstone tannins. A medium to full bodied wine with a long, flowing tannin profile. A very refined and elegantly styled Signature

Dark, ripe and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, which is full flavoured wine made with black olive and dried herb complexity which will reward cellaring for up to a decade, longer in good cellaring conditions. 

A superlative wine to keep or decant and serve at room temperature in your best large red wine glasses now. 

Rockford Wines' legacy

Rockford Wines is an icon itself and a relatively new one, established in 1971 by Robert O'Callaghan, who has forged a reputation for preserving winemaking tradition and saving many of the world's oldest grape vines from being pulled up in the Australian Government's vine pull schemes of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Rockford vintage shed houses equipment from 50 to 100 years ago, which was discarded by other wineries as modernisation took over.

The Shotfire Quartage is sourced from the older Thorn-Clarke owned plantings in the Barossa, with 'Kabininge' and 'St Kitts' vineyards being the main contributors.

 This wine is primarily a blend of traditional Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec) with Cabernet Sauvignon always being dominant. Whilst the Barossa is famous for Shiraz, Thorn-Clarke is renowned for its Quartage which has collected Trophies for best wine of show and / or class at most major wine shows in Australia over the last 10 years.

Pirramimma is a family run winery with a history dating back to1892 and today comprises over 100 hectares of prime McLaren Vale fruit.

The 2019 Cabernet Merlot displays a bouquet of red cherry, blackberry and violets with hints of spicy oak. On the palate there are ripe blackcurrant, plum, quince and chocolate notes which are complemented by hints of pomegranate and subtle toasty oak. 

Drink now and over the next three years with rich meaty fare, stews and hard cheeses.

Ripe powerful aromas of blackberries combine with black olives and spice in this great expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia. The wine is deep crimson with aromas of lifted berries, spicy oak and a medium body.

A keeper for at least a decade and also drinks well now, decanted for two to three hours and served in large glasses to accentuate its ripe dark fruity flavour spectrum.

Langmeil is owned by the Lindner family, which has been making wine for six generations in the Barossa Valley.

Bouquet: Bright blackcurrants and blackberries with a touch of nettle and a hint of earthiness. 

Palate: Generous and robust. Ripe black fruits and subtle oak balanced with supple tannins and beautifully balanced acidity. 

About the winery...

Six generations have nurtured some of the most historic vineyards in Australia.
In 1839 William Formby arrived in Australia from the United Kingdom and it was in 1882, after four decades pioneering South Australia, he purchased the now historic Metala estate.

In 1891 William and his son, Arthur, planted 21 rows of Shiraz, and 14 rows of
what are now the oldest family-owned Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world.
In 1894 a further 5.4 acres of Shiraz were planted. After almost five decades making Metala wine in a purpose-built winery on the estate, the winemaking was transferred to Arthur’s Brother-in-Law, at Stonyfell Cellars. The wines continued to be made here until management shifted to various holdings beginning with Dalgety Wine Estate in the early 1970’s.

In 1981, 5th Generation Guy Adams took over the management of the mixed farm estate. With a sincere appreciation and respect of viticulture and to family legacy, Guy, together with his wife Liz, began a 20-year long battle to return Metala to its original home. In 2022 the dream became a reality and Metala came home to Langhorne Creek and the family who planted and have nurtured the vines for more than 130 years.

THE WINERY The Lindner family of Langmeil Winery has been immersed in the Barossa’s culture of farming, food, wine and community for six generations.  Their commitment to quality in all aspects is unwavering, and any wine that bears the Langmeil name represents the family’s pursuit of excellence in wine and community.  The family’s vision is to highlight the rare qualities of old vine Shiraz using hands-on winemaking techniques. Gentle destemming, open fermentation, basket pressing and two years' maturation in French oak barrels accentuate the natural fruit intensity and structure.   

WINEMAKER’S NOTES 2016 VINTAGE REPORT We are getting used to sampling earlier each year, and in 2016, for the first time, a parcel of Shiraz was nearly booked in for the end of January. Fortunately, timely rain and mild conditions delayed the start of vintage, allowing flavour and colour to catch up with sugar levels. With the dry winter and a slightly warmer spring, favourable flowering and fruit set, yields were generally little above average (except our Eden Valley vineyard which was hit by frost on 1 December, yes, December!). Followed by mild, late summer weather, both growers and winemakers were happy to see another solid vintage tucked away. By early March 70% of our harvest was complete and with another sprinkling of rain, vintage slowed, building flavour in the late-ripening varieties like Grenache and Mataro, as well as excellent results from our Eden Valley reds and whites. We finished harvest with our Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon on 15 April. This vintage highlights how tenacious and robust grape vines are, producing good yields and high quality in a dry season (but they cannot sustain dry conditions forever). Fortunately, a more normal winter this year with much-needed rain is refilling the soil and water resources. Bring it on!

Barossa Shiraz holds celebrity status, which means Cabernet Sauvignon from around the region is often overlooked. Kym Teusner proves that it?s hugely underrated and there are plenty of Barossa Cabernet that can challenge the quality of the Shiraz.
The Eden Valley fruit takes the lead in this wine with plenty of lifted notes and blue fruits, creating a really elegant wine that has real energy about it. The Barossa Valley fruit gives the wine lovely rich dark black fruits?but the delicious savoury tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon still shine through, making this a wonderful drink.

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec from Margaret River, Western Australia

Generosity, layers and contours surround the palate. Density of dark forest fruits combine with cacao, cracked coffee and anise. Vibrancy and energy is underlined with a mineral and graphite acid line and delicate elegant finish.

Bouquet: Dark fruits, blackberries and plums. Notes of eucalyptus and menthol. 

Palate: Elegant and complex with ripe plums, blackcurrant and a touch of spice. Hints of clove and anise leading into fine tannins and a long, persistent finish.