The final release in the Grandma Raethel series, and the standout vintage of them all. Created as a tribute to the German pioneers who settled the Barossa in the 1840s, these wines celebrate the region’s warm-climate style, delivering the deep flavour and mid-palate richness that make Barossa reds unique in the world.
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Crayford Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021
$14.80We enjoy wines like this Crayford when younger though the wine will hold up well for many years.
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Old Moppa Road Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
$14.50The Barossa Valley is a remarkable wine region to visit. To move from admiring the landscape in the manner of the occasional visitor to having a profound knowledge of the how the landscape evolved (geomorphology) has given me much satisfaction.
I know Old Moppa Road very well. It runs along the western edge of the northern Barossa Valley a location with many old vine vineyards. Alas for this vintage we could not buy grapes from the location we wanted along Old Moppa so moved further north to secure supply.
This vintage was a true Barossa vintage without prolonged hot spells nor unsettling cooler periods. So out of 50 vintages the 2022 would be like about 25 of them. You want to sit with the average not the extremes. Looks good in the glass as I write this note but am wary about long term cellaring.
The wine is rich and deep but all vintages make me cautious as the unexpected can appear as they age, so 10 plus years is not recommended – unless you are happy.
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Roxton McLaren Vale Shiraz 2021
$14.60Ninety minutes of pleasant driving across the Adelaide Hills links McLaren Vale with the Barossa Valley, the two most important districts within the Adelaidean Mount Lofty range. This Roxton is a fine example of the McLaren Vale style and a nice foil to our Karrawirra Barossa reds.
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The Green Patch Barossa Valley Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
$13.80Boutiques now make more wine than they can sell at the high prices they charge. Indeed 50% of the current oversupply is called ‘premium’ for the first time ever. Glug hunts through this surplus to find wines we bottle as ‘One Offs’ like this Green Patch. Now you see them, then they are gone.
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Brutus Barossa Valley Shiraz Durif 2021
Original price was: $29.90.$13.00Current price is: $13.00.This is the eighth Brutus from 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2021. Brutus is a project to push Shiraz further by blending with Durif. Durif from the Riverine town of Griffith is exceptional and with our experience with Rutherglen Durif we knew it would blend well with Barossa Shiraz. The ABV is 15%. Shiraz with Durif is a Wonder.
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Oakley Adams Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
$14.10I keep telling the story of the role of wine merchants using Oakley Adams as they did the hard yards. The business was Melbourne based and began in 1871 as importers of wines and spirits. Later they promoted local wines which were bottled as Oakley Adams selections. Selling wine was hard work and did not become part of life of our social life until the post war years.
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Goat Square Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023
Original price was: $15.80.$11.00Current price is: $11.00.The first vintage was the 2003 so this is the nineteenth vintage of a Shiraz we call the ‘Salt of the Earth’. Titled because it delivers a consistent view of Barossa Valley Shiraz each vintage. Past vintages of all Goat Square wines is at glug-wines-winemaker-and-merchant/goat-square/
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Bengalee Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
$16.50The Bengalee left Hamburg with German settlers on 10th July 1838 and arrived in Adelaide on the 19th November, 1838. It is likely a few of these arrivals later found their way to the Barossa Valley becoming part of the fabulous Barossa wine story. We picked up that story in 2008 when we released our first Bengalee Shiraz.
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The Regions McLaren Vale Shiraz 2022
$14.50McLaren Vale Shiraz shaped by the cooling influence of the nearby ocean, where maritime freshness meets inland heat. The 2022 vintage delivers a rich, powerful style at 15.3% alcohol. A big wine that shows why McLaren Vale stands alongside Australia’s great coastal regions.
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Bagot Station Barossa Valley Shiraz Cabernet 2023
$13.40Drink this vintage sooner not later as the extraordinary aroma is its great joy.
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Kitts Creek Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
$15.80Classic Barossa Shiraz. Full, ripe and generous, just as we like it. Made from fully ripened grapes with light extraction, this 2022 delivers rich flavour now rather than needing long cellaring, showing why Barossa Shiraz remains unmatched for depth and value.
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The Regions Clare Valley Shiraz 2022
Original price was: $13.60.$7.00Current price is: $7.00.Please return to the Clare Valley as the wine flavours are magnificent. Its Way up North yet the wines have intriguing cool climate minty flavours simply delicious. Another district that will one day have global fame. What Australia has that other continents do not is a sudden burst of hot weather that puts the ‘icing’ on the flavours.
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Oakley Adams Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2023
$12.50There is a central spine of higher ground that runs down Adelaidean Mount Lofty Range and vineyards are planted up to 600 metres. The wines from these vineyards have cool climate flavours because of the altitude. This region east of Adelaide is termed the Adelaide Hills and is the source of this Shiraz. It comes though from lower elevations so tastes like a cool climate Barossan or a wine from Eden Valley.
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Glug Reserve Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023
$19.50The first Glug reserve was a 2015 being a small parcel just too good to blend away which was bottled in 2017. By then we had learnt how to bottle tiny amounts leading to single barrel bottlings and small amounts. The point of Barossa Shiraz is its unique depth and ripeness. Thus pale, delicate and light has its place as does a wine like this which is the opposite; having an intense depth of ‘sweetness’ along the mid palate a feature that seems to be unique to the Barossa Valley.
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Glug Final Edition Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023
$16.50The Barossa Valley has no equal, globally for power and concentration. My reading relates how consumers have changed, “They want lighter, fresher styles designed for modern drinking occasions….with new packaging and clearer, taste-led cues to make the range easier to shop”. Glug recommends the exact opposite as found in the Final Edition.
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Glug ‘GH40’ Winemaker’s Individual Barrel Selection Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
$14.50Glug’s Individual Barrel Selection showcases the subtle differences within each vintage. Bottled straight from single barrels, these boutique wines capture the rare, distinctive flavours that set them apart.
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Grandma Raethel Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
Original price was: $19.50.$10.00Current price is: $10.00. -
Bagot Station Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023
$13.40Young reds from the right vintages without hard extract are magnificent. This Bagot reminds me of those deeply coloured and powerful Moulin a Vent-Beaujolais, I imported in the 1970s. Deep in colour, one glass led to another, as did the bottles. How can wine be so pleasant. This vintage produced wines with a pronounced aroma and the winemaker has highlighted this with a light touch in the winery-such as no pressings added back. A must buy though will not evolve into a Karrawirra.
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Rara Avis Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
$35.90The rare and wonderful comes from the Barossa Valley. Within the best Shiraz, Mataro and Grenache those with a top palate can identify wines that have an edge over all the others. This Rara Avis, the fifth we have made since 2004, is our best Shiraz from 2022. Will keep for a long time though even the best we prefer to see consumed at a younger age.
