Description
'Alternative' grape varieties are causing an evolution in Australian wine, and changing the way winemakers and consumers think about our industry's future. These emerging varieties are often better suited to sustainably grow in our warm climate, and provide a myriad of delicious new flavours, textures and food-friendly styles.
This pack allows you to discover some exciting new grapes for yourself, and sample some of the finest alternative grape variety wines in the country!
- 2025 Dr. Edge Tasmania Gamay
- 2023 Ricca Terra Vintners Bullets Before Cannonballs
- 2024 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Barbera
- 2024 Mayford Tempranillo
- 2023 Mada Bit of Heaven Sangiovese
- 2025 Mercer Wines Malbec
2025 Dr. Edge Tasmania Gamay
Peter Dredge has plenty of experience working with Tassie Gamay, largely through his work at Meadowbank, so it's exciting to see him have a crack under the Dr. Edge label. This 2025 release is a 100% whole-cluster fermented Gamay from the Derwent Valley, made with the same blueprint as his much-loved 2018 release from Oregon.
The winemaking is very classic for Gamay: 15 days on skins, finished in stainless, and then tucked away in seasoned oak for nine months. It’s bottled without any fining or filtration, resulting in a wine that Dredge describes as sitting perfectly between Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir - it has more weight and "crunch" than the former but is lighter and more ethereal than the latter.
This is a tiny, 40-case production that was mostly destined for Dr. Edge members and the Dark Mofo festival, but we got our mits on a few cases. It’s juicy, spicy, and exactly the kind of expressive, slightly wild red that has made the Dr. Edge project a cult favourite.
2023 Ricca Terra Vintners Bullets Before Cannonballs
Ash Ratcliff is one of the sharpest minds growing grapes in Australia with a vision towards a new Riverland.
The "Bullets Before Cannonballs" concept is something Ash has used extensively during his time in the Riverland. The idea being, you shoot loads of 'bullets' - small trials of new varieties - and when you see one excelling you light the fuse on a cannonball and go deep on that variety.
It's a methodology which is yielding great results for Ricca Terra Farms. This wine is a fiery blend of the red varieties that have excelled for him so far: Tempranillo, Shiraz, Lagrein, and a touch of Lambrusco.
The finished wine is flush with dark fruits and exotic spice. Great value to be had here and a super versatile red for any night of the week.
95 points
"Tempranillo, lambrusco, shiraz, lagrein. Ricca Terra craft wines that feel quite alive in the glass, perhaps due to their deep agricultural understanding and farming practices. I could be romanticising, but this wine is a living thing. Soft leather, aniseed rings, fresh fig and dry earth. Dark chocolate and blood plum. The tannins have a lateral extension within, beyond the spine of the drink, leaf vein-like. For its close-to-earth rusticity, it certainly polishes up and carries an elegant composition further endorsed by impeccable balance."
- Katrina Butler (Halliday Wine Companion)
2024 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Barbera
The wine built for a good time, not a long time. This is one of the fun-loving lighter reds in the VS&B stable and it's a very friendly little wine.
This spanking Barbera from the King Valley that explodes with red fruit aromas, and smoothly drinks like a melting raspberry ripple ice cream.
It's a seriously delicious, uncomplicated, chillable wine that is very much in the modern red wine zeitgeist.
93 points
"Basically it’s crunchy, spicy, fruity and flamboyant, in the most drinkable or smashable of ways. This is great drinking right now."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
93 points
"Chillable, yes, but delicious at room temperature. This has all the pop and crunch you need, with lovely bright fruit and ample spice complexity adding interest."
- Tom Kline (Wine Pilot)
2024 Mayford Tempranillo
Eleana Anderson and Bryan Nicholson have spent years turning their small Porepunkah vineyard into the premier address for Alpine Valleys Tempranillo. They treat the variety with serious respect, dividing the harvest into ten small batches across five different clones to capture every bit of nuance the site offers. The 2024 vintage gave them near-perfect conditions - warm days and crisp nights that allowed the fruit to ripen evenly and build phenomenal structure.
In the cellar, Eleana handles each parcel individually, utilising cold soaks, natural ferments, and various levels of whole bunch and extended skin contact. After basket pressing, the wine spent 11 months in French oak with the malolactic lees left intact to build texture.
We reckon this is the finest Mayford Tempranillo release to date. It is deeply fragrant, packed with black cherry, star anise, brambly rose, and musk, alongside darker, savoury lines of cola, fresh leather, and charred meats. The palate carries real substance and depth, wrapped in a glove of fine, velvety tannins that provide great drive on the finish.
97 points
"Eleana Anderson is one freakishly fantastic winegrower and maker, showing the way with, and the exciting future of, tempranillo in Australia. Few come close... a liveliness of spiciness and cacao wrapped in a savoury edginess and warm vanillin oak. An absolute cracker."
- Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)
95+ points
"Mayford Tempranillo always has flavour and composure but it’s the structure that always seduces me. It wouldn’t be hard to call this release perfect. Certainly the integration of the various components is elite... It’s joyously good, basically. It will age magnificently. And the tannin here checks out beautifully."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
2023 Mada Bit of Heaven Sangiovese
Hamish Young has a way with Sangiovese that most struggle to find. While others might try to bulk it up into something heavy and shapeless, he's always been about finesse. We’ve followed the Mada story since the early days, and seeing how he handles this Hilltops fruit year-on-year is a highlight for us.
This 2023 comes from the Bit of Heaven site in Wombat, grown on granite-rich clay loams. He’s given it 14 months in oak, but kept the new wood to just 15% - just enough to give it a framework without masking the fruit. It’s all about that gentle touch in the cellar: de-stemmed fruit, three weeks on skins, pretty classic for Sangio.
It’s got that classic Sangiovese snap - think crunchy cranberries, rose petals, and a hit of fresh garden herbs. The tannins are silty and fine, making it incredibly bright and drinkable. Hamish has nailed the balance here; it's a fresh, savoury red that’s light on its feet and absolutely charming.
94 points
"A highly appealing, juicy and oh-so-easy-to-drink sangio. Full of good varietal aromas and flavours – all sweet cherries and pips, florals and Middle Eastern spices, yet super savoury... Delicious."
- Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)
2025 Mercer Wines Malbec
The Mercer Malbec is the perfect option for a warm-hearted, well-priced red that isn't Shiraz!
Aaron Mercer is a force to be reckoned with. Based in the Hunter Valley but sourcing fruit from all over NSW, Mercer has a unique talent with 'alternative' grape varieties, with his thumbprint of deliciously plush fruit and seamless balance all over this wine.
It's a dark and brooding red but not over-the-top, with plum and blackcurrant alongside some liquorice spiciness and floral notes. The palate is silky smooth with tannins and acidity keeping each other in check, providing balance and energy.
A great wine for steak nights or when you're after something a little different. Superb value!
Customer Reviews
| Price Bracket | $30 or Less |
| Type | Red |
| Country | Australia |
| Size | 7 |
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