"Bianco d’Alessano is an uncommon variety from Puglia in Southern Italy, with the Loxton vineyard the only planting in Australia. Fermented in stainless steel with wild vineyard yeast, the wine was bottled under crown seal to finish ferment, resulting in the Petillant Naturel, lightly sparkling style.

The nose is beautifully clean for a bottle fermented wine, bright citrus mixed with bready, almost croissant-like aromas. With more age in the vines we are seeing more depth and intensity on the palate than ever before – the tropical fruits are still there, but there is a saline, herbaceous, moreishness that invites both quick drinking and deep thought. The persistent fizz keeps everything in fun territory though, a wine perfect for brunch, lunch picnics or sunset on the porch."

MELON LIQUEUR

Full bodied French Viognier from the south, which is affordable and beautifully well balanced, thanks to its peachy aromas and zingy dry palate structure. This wine highlights Viognier at its best; dry and rich but also with complex nutty notes, wich is no mean feat at this price. This wine is made with grapes grown in three French wine regions; on the Massif Central, the Mediterranean and the French Alps. This combination provides balance to the fleshy, full bodied appeal of peachy Viognier. This wine was aged for six months on lees in concrete tanks. 

It is also refreshingly varietally labelled.

A lovely addition to Viognier lover's wine glasses in New Zealand.

Chateau Larroque is based just outside the 'Graves' appellation in the southern part of Bordeaux.  Made from the classic blend of Bordeaux grapes, and matured for 12 months in French oak before further aging in bottle.

On first opening, medium bodied on the palate, red cherry and dried fruits, toasted almonds with dusty savoury bramble and spice. Once given a chance to breathe opens up to offer generous plump juicy dark fruits, cassis and liquorice.

Superb value for 'left bank' Bordeaux.

Bouquet: Bright and vibrant with ripe fruits, primarily dark plums and blackcurrants, with a hint of raspberry coulis and coffee mocha oak.

Palate: Rich blackcurrant and raspberries. Crisp, clean acidity and delightful tannin structure leading to a lingering finish.

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.

This is the top wine of this old estate in Chateauneuf du Pape, produced from a single block of their oldest vines, many of which being over 100 years old.  Very concentrated and hedonistic wine.  100% Grenache,  undergrowth, truffle, toast, light notes of vanilla; red fruit: redcurrants, raspberries, sour cherries, maintaining a fresh acidity and endless length. The complexity of a fine Pinot Noir but the power of a mighty Rhone wine.

Chateauneuf du Pape is definitely the most famous and arguably the most prestigious of the Southern Rhone 'Cru' wine appellations, covering 3,200 hectares of vines across 5 communes (about three times the size of Martinborough).

Wine was made here from Roman times, but became famous with the Papacy in town and beyond to royal courts. The best vineyards are on gentle hill slopes, with deep clay & limestone soils with large rounded river stones 'galets' on top. By rules inacted in the 1920s, no vineyards were to be planted on land that was not arid enough to support plantings of both lavender and vines.

Domaine Juliette Avril is a family winery of four generations in the heart of Chateauneuf town - growing for centuries in the region and helped to create the rules of the appellation in 1928.  The vineyards are the classic mix of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and small amounts of the other 10 grape varieties permitted. An impressive half of the vines are over 50 years old.

Winemaking

Temperature controlled ferment in steel, aged in high quality demi-muid (600L) barrels for 12 months, with a light filtration.  The top wine of the estate - from a single estate of old vines.

Bouquet: Blackcurrant and cassis layered with notes of subtle pepper and spice. 

Palate: Generous and sweet blackcurrant followed by layers of cedar oak and dried bay leaf. Elegant and textured tannins are balanced with natural acidity leaving a firm, persistent finish.

Domaine Fazi rosé is translucent, airy and pale in appearance with a very subtle nose, slightly fruity, slightly spicy, with fine and elegant aromas. On the palate, it is fresh and reveals a persistent finish and perfect balance with notes of papaya, citrus and red summer berries.

35% Sciaccarellu, 30% Merlot, 25% Grenache and 10% Cinsault

Treixadura (90%), Albariño (5%), Godello (3%), Loureira (2%)

Appearance:  attractive pale yellow , steely border with greenish tinges

Nose: Great intensity with aromas of Fuji Apple and Williams Pear, stone fruit (white plum, lychee, peach).  Subtle notes of yellow flowers which lead to freshly-cut grass, moss, balsamic herbs and a mineral base of riverbed stones and a delicate smokey touch

Palate: Creamy, full entry leading to citrus notes (lemon peel, mandarin) and stone fruit.  Subtle hints of fennel. Vibrant and well-structured.  Powerful yet elegant.  Intense minerality (granite, riverbed stones).  Great character and structure with a long finish.

Food matching:  Shellfish (langoustine, soft shell crab, spider crab), oysters, clams and coastal fish (sole, bream, John Dory). Also poultry and game (rabbit, hare and quail)

Great Garnacha from the town of Cadalso de los Vidrios in the Sierra de Gredos, which is hot property for new wave Garnachas right now. 

This medium bodied wine has big bold fruit flavours balanced by high acidity developed in the high-altitude vineyards and firm tannins that contribute to its long finish. 

The wine is a light, delicate and perfumed expression of Garnacha with firm tannins surrounding a core of lively fruit and a long finish; great value for money. 

Fab dry South African Chenin Blanc – one of the best and one of our favourites in store here at Regional.

This wine has biodynamic certification with Demeter and is a dark and complex dry red made from 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre and 25% Syrah. It's from the Lirac appellation in the southern Rhone Valley, which is famous for its high quality reds as well as dry pale rosés.

This bold and beautiful McLaren Vale Shiraz puts the region's best foot forward - and the grape's most vibrant, peppery flavours forward too, in the glass. It's named after winery owner Frank Mitolo's three children, Gemma, Alex and Marco and is a deliciouly dark and spicy red with deep earthy notes. 

The wine is made from vineyards at the south end of McLaren Vale, which provides ripe but balanced dark flavours of powerful black cherries, black plums and strong notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and spice. Winemaker Ben Glaetzer says he picks grapes on flavour ripeness to make wines with mature tannins and vibrant fruit both being key characteristics of Mitolo wines. 

He describes GAM Shiraz as opulent, robust and multi layered; an ideal match for rustic foods.

It comes from the Lopresti vineyard, which is about three kilometres east of the coastal town of Port Willunga.

Winemaker Ben Glaetzer describes this wine as: "Full bodied and dense, the palate provides layers of ripe black fruits that open up endlessly. Firm, ripe tannins amply support the rich and opulent black fruit characters with the earthy background notes contributing further complexity. It is an ample and very classic expression of McLaren Vale Shiraz."

Serpico is the flagship Mitolo Cabernet and is made using the Amarone technique of drying grapes before fermentation. This process concentrates flavour, contributing mid palate plushness, complexity and mouth coating silky tannins. 

Winemaker Ben Glaetzer describes it incredibly aptly, we think, as a brooding, dark and deliciously seductive red. Its smoothness is thanks to the dried grape  winemaking method, which provides intensely rich and concentrated dark fruit flavours to an already powerful grape variety – Cabernet Sauvignon. The dried grape method also seems to soften and smooth Cabernet’s sometimes edgy tannin structure by providing a suppleness and richness to the palate.

This wine was named after one of Frank Mitolo’s heroes, namely Frank Serpico, who fought crime in the United States police force. 

Like it namesake, this is powerful, structured and focussed. 

This is a wine for now or the long haul in a good cellar. 

From the winery

This wine is much like the man it is named after, Frank Serpico, who went against all odds to expose an immense depth of corruption in the New York police force