Wendouree Shiraz Mataro 2019 (3x 750mL), Clare Valley, SA

For many lovers of big Australian red wines the discussion begins and ends with Wendouree. Truly exceptionally cellar-worthy, these full bodied and gripping red wines are the result of extremely low yields from the very old, unirrigated vines of Shiraz, Malbec, Mataro (Mourvèdre), and Cabernet Sauvignon, many of them growing on untrellised bush-vines.

As remarkable as the wines are, even more remarkable are Tony and Lita Brady, who consider themselves the custodians of a priceless treasure: the 1914 stone winery, its original equipment, the time-honoured method of wine making and the time-forgotten vineyard at Clare. Tony Brady, holds a degree in law and Lita Brady, a fully qualified winemaker (Charles Sturt University) left high powered city careers to devote their lives to keeping Wendouree what it always has been: a place of honest, old fashioned, careful and artisan wine making where no short cuts are taken, ever. Franz Scheurer