2023 In Praise Of Shadows Grenache

94 pts
Let the good times roll with this cracking McLaren Vale Grenache.

Price:
Sale price$27.00
Stock:
Sold out
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Description

McLaren Vale and Grenache go together like apple & pie, sun & sand, and Vegemite & toast. Two things that are great on their own, yet much better together (except Vegemite, that’s a bit gross on its own).

Another fantastic example of this combo here from In Praise of Shadows; Blewitt Springs and Clarendon sub-regions combine in this mid-weighted, pretty Grenache. It's full of all the character we’ve come to love from this variety out of the Vale, and then some.

Herbal, floral, with fine dusty tannin, red-fruit, spice, the full Grenache shopping basket. We may have said it before, but we’ll say it again; McLaren Vale Grenache is so hot right now, it’s like Hansel.

94 points
"It’s not big, though. Rather, it’s lively and coiled up with a skein of grapey tannin. Amaro flavours and tensioning is the gist, and it’s an individual and engaging expression. Oh, and great value, too."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

93 points
"It feels like a cool vintage, with its dusting of white pepper, though all up, it makes for an altogether pleasant and interesting expression of Grenache. Good. I like it."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

94 points - "There’s a little whole bunch in the mix and a small portion saw 100 days on skins in a concrete egg. For a cool year, there’s some moody broodiness to this, with black cherry notes mingling with the typical red berries, scented with star anise, cassia and fresh bay. It’s not big, though. Rather, it’s lively and coiled up with a skein of grapey tannin. Amaro flavours and tensioning is the gist, and it’s an individual and engaging expression. Oh, and great value, too." - Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

93 points - "Poached strawberry, raspberry, spice, a bit of a mint and hazelnut thing too. It’s juicy, all the poached strawberry, with some sap and spice, some cherry pip, a little bit mulchy and briary, but has a bright blood orange tang to acidity, some rose oil soapiness, and something of a squishy and grainy grip to tannin, a smattering of dried herbs, with a zesty finish of good length. It feels like a cool vintage, with its dusting of white pepper, though all up, it makes for an altogether pleasant and interesting expression of Grenache. Good. I like it." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

Based on 13 reviews
69%
(9)
23%
(3)
8%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
J
John B.
In praise of In Praise of Shadows

Beautiful wine. Balanced,medium weight ; Red fruit on the palate, soft tannins.....what's not to like. I always felt grenache and mourvedre carried the Shiraz grapes around in those 1980s iterations, but this grapes deserves to stand alone in these modern styles.

d
david k.
Yum!

Good quality Grenache here, with rich strawberry flavours, along with a nice tannic finish.

M
Malcolm G.
I don’t care about $5

a great food pairing wine I’m looking for
I reordered after the first 2 bottles if that tells you something.
Light body understated drinking for summer.
The label is cool.

C
Chrissie M.
Thoroughly drinkable

This medium bodied grenache is well balanced, savoury and delicious. Not super exciting but a highly quaffable drop.

C
Chrissie M.
Delicious reliable grenache

A really dependable drop. Exactly what you want from a grenache

2023 was a climatically challenging year for Grenache, with a dry summer and cool autumn being sporadic rain events to keep us on our toes.

The 2023 Grenache is a blend of the 75-year-old Bracken vineyard of Blewitt Springs and 50+ year old tall vines of the iconic Smart Vineyard of Clarendon. The resulting wine having complexity and a darker more savoury fruit spectrum than previous vintages. Think dark chocolate, cassis, ripe cherry, amaro and garden herb and lovely spice notes thanks to some parcels enjoying up to 150 days on skins to really devour the nutrients of nature.

'But as much of this as you can, while you can' - Shanteh Wale, SA Wine Guide 2025

Price Bracket $30 or Less
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Grenache
Country Australia
Region McLaren Vale
Australian State SA
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
Critic Score 94
93
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Screw Cap

In Praise Of Shadows

Inspired by the Japanese literary masterpiece of the same name, In Praise of Shadows is, for want of a better term, a philosophical wine passion project from Brett Trewartha and winemaker Rob Mack.

Their range is sourced from established vineyards around McLaren Vale, many of which are certified organic and bioydnamic.

The philosophical aspect is centred around simplicity and natural energy - the wines are lo-fi, vegan-friendly, unfined, unfiltered, and are a true reflection of the natural environment in which they were the born.

Beautiful vineyard setting - McLaren Vale, SA In Praise Of Shadows

Others also liked

Recently viewed

Common Questions

Delivery is free on orders of $199 or more.

For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.

We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.

Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.

No sorry we do not have a store front and pickup is not available.

Yes, no problem. When placing your order select ‘Store at Different Drop and Delivery Later’ as your shipping method or reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order with additional instructions.

We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.

To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you. 

If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.

 

Our warehouse is automated so unless you tell us otherwise, we will ship your order. If you would like us to hold your order please reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order and we are happy to store your order for up to 6 months at no charge. You can review our heat policy here.

Yes, of course. We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. You can see our price match policy here.

No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.

No, all prices are set at the full discounted dozen rate already.

Most wine retailers list at a single-bottle price and then discount 10–15% when you buy six or twelve. We've taken the opposite approach. Since the overwhelming majority of our orders are already 6 bottles or more, our list price is set for the case buyer from the start. There's no inflated single-bottle price to discount down from.

What that means for you:

- One price, same for everyone — no minimum to hit to unlock the best rate
- No mixed-six gymnastics to qualify for a discount
- Our single-bottle price is typically at or below a traditional retailer's by-the-dozen rate

Put simply: the box discount is already baked into the price.

**And if you find it cheaper elsewhere?** Let us know. If the same wine is available at a lower price at another retailer (including at their mixed-six or by-the-dozen rate) we're happy to match it.

If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.

Regular Enquiries

Urgent Enquiries

02 8376 8775