Wine
Regional Revelation: Behind The Wine
Welcome to your year-long tasting journey through Australia’s most celebrated wine regions.
Each wine in your Regional Revelations collection is a curated celebration of land, craftsmanship, and the passionate people who coax beauty from the vine. And when matched with the perfect food pairing, they create magical moments at your table.
Each wine is a toast to the season. Each glass, a moment. Now let the voices behind the bottle become your narrators on this sensory adventure. Hear from the winemakers and producers at:
January: Howard Park Wines
Food and wine pairing: Popcorn prawns with spicy mayo and yuzu dressings with Howard Park Miamup Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2024
Q. Can you describe the key characteristics and flavour profile of this wine?
A. This wine bursts with aromas of gooseberry, green apple, and crunchy pear, with subtle hints of cut grass and citrus zest. The palate is fresh and lively, showing lemon and lime pulp alongside a touch of tropical fruit on the mid-palate. Zingy acidity adds vibrancy and balance, highlighting its crisp, energetic character.
Q. Is there a fun or surprising story behind this wine or vintage?
A. 2024 was a hot and fast vintage. The heat meant everything ripened super quickly, giving us the earliest start to harvest in decades. That early kick-off also meant a quick finish, and it felt like a round-the-clock race to get all the fruit in and processed without losing our sanity. We had to ease back on the oak to keep the wine perfectly balanced, but the results made all the hard work worth it.
February: Armstrong Wines
Food and wine pairing: Goats curd salad with roasted beetroot, hazelnut and thyme wafers with Armstrong Rosé 2024
Q. How does this wine reflect the story of your region?
A. This Rosé reflects the dual nature of the Grampians – wild and refined. Just as our landscape blends rugged mountain ranges with orderly vineyards, this wine pairs vibrant, delicate fruit with a clean, linear structure. It's a wine of place, grown and made with respect for the land that surrounds us.
Q. How does this wine match with the featured recipe?
A. The goat’s curd salad with beetroot and hazelnut is an inspired match. The creaminess of the curd and earthiness of the beetroot are lifted by the wine’s acidity, while the thyme wafer and subtle herb notes in the Rosé play beautifully together.
March: Claymore Wines
Food and wine pairing: Radicchio, figs, burnt honey, and seed crackers with Claymore Joshua Tree Riesling 2024
Q. Would you consider this a classic example of a Clare Valley Riesling? What makes this varietal thrive in your patch of the world?
A. Absolutely, this is a classic Clare Valley, specifically Watervale, Riesling style. It shows bright citrus fruit that’s generous and accessible without ever feeling heavy, finished with that hallmark line of crisp, driving acidity. We’re fortunate to be the custodians of some truly old-vine Riesling (planted in the 1930s), along with younger parcels planted 20 to 30 years ago.
Q. If someone had never visited the Clare Valley, how would this wine give them a sense of the place?
A. The Joshua Tree Riesling is quintessentially Watervale. It offers the lifted florals and lemon-lime zest that define the region's finest wines. It has weight and drive without sweetness — a wine of balance and poise that captures the Clare Valley’s natural elegance and purity.
April: Wignalls Wines
Food and wine pairing: Pork steaks with blood plum glaze with Wignalls Pinot Noir 2023
Q. Can you describe the key characteristics and flavour profile of Wignalls Pinot Noir 2023?
A. Pinot Noir is, by nature, a fruit-driven wine in its youth, and our 2023 vintage is no exception. We aim for purity and clarity in the glass, with a touch of funk beneath the surface to keep things interesting. The palate is long, intense, and layered, offering both classic Burgundian characters and a sense of sunshine in a glass. As it ages, around the three-year mark, the hallmark savoury, farmyard notes and deeper complexity really begin to shine.
Q. Is there a surprising story behind this wine or vintage?
A. Surprising might be the right word to use when talking about this vintage. Albany, WA’s southernmost city, is usually a cool, wet wonderland. Think 40 weeks of rain a year and crisp winds straight off the Southern Ocean. But since 2020, the weather gods have had other plans: a four-year drought, with rainfall plummeting by up to 50%. Tough for farmers, sure, but the grapes love the dry weather. The result? The last four Pinots we’ve released have been exceptional. It’s a reminder that, in today’s new climate, even challenges can make something truly special, and that’s pretty exciting in its own way.
May: Keith Tulloch Wines
Food and wine pairing: Chicken, anchovy butter and greens with Keith Tulloch Chardonnay 2023
Q. What makes this varietal thrive in your patch of the world?
A. The Hunter Valley’s climate is truly distinctive — hot summers followed by cooler, cloudy, and breezy conditions during harvest. This helps preserve acidity while allowing full flavour development, striking that ideal balance of ripeness and freshness that Chardonnay loves.
Q. How does this wine match with the featured recipe?
A. Roast chicken is an Aussie classic and a comfort food. The rich, savoury depth of the chicken aligns beautifully with the wine’s creamy texture, while the anchovy butter adds a salty punch that plays against the wine’s fruit and acid. It’s a match of both harmony and contrast.
June: Leconfield Wines
Food and wine pairing: Slow-cooked asado lamb shoulder with roasted potatoes, beets and onions with Leconfield Merlot 2022
Q. Would you consider this a classic example of a Coonawarra Merlot? What makes this varietal thrive in your patch of the world?
A. Leconfield has a proud history of crafting standout Merlot and is considered a benchmark producer among Coonawarra’s top-tier Merlot makers. Coonawarra’s cool climate, moderated by coastal influences, allows the fruit to ripen slowly and evenly, which is essential for preserving bright varietal expression and structural balance. Our mature Merlot vines, planted between 1982 and 1999 (some dry-grown), combined with newer clonal selections chosen for their small berries and intensity, tap deep into Coonawarra’s famed Terra Rossa soils over limestone. The result? Layers of depth, elegance, and complexity that showcase everything Merlot can be in this region.
Q. Is there a fun or surprising story behind this wine or vintage?
A. The old Merlot vines are planted on the Leconfield Winery Block, which used to be ‘Warner’s Farm’. When John Lesley ‘Les’ Warner, a well-known breeder of fine wool Merino sheep, passed away, his widow Willisa donated a stained-glass window to the local Presbyterian Church in his memory. The window shows Christ the Good Shepherd wearing moleskin trousers and elastic-sided boots, with lambs at his feet. Needless to say, Les Warner’s story has become a beloved part of Coonawarra folklore.
July: Corryton Burge
Food and wine pairing: Prosciutto-wrapped beef fillet with horseradish cream with Corryton Burge Percival Norman Shiraz 2020
Q. How does this wine match with the featured recipe?
A. Aussie beef and Barossa Shiraz is a classic introduction to Australia. The prosciutto-wrapped beef with horseradish cream reflects our food heritage — British and Mediterranean roots with a local twist. Prosciutto adds salt, smoke, and fat, keeping the beef tender and softening the wine’s tannins. The salt also enhances the Shiraz’s fruit flavours. The horseradish cuts through the richness, balancing the dish. This complementary pairing is all about texture and flavour, a match that’ll have you leaving nothing behind.
Q. Is there a fun or surprising story behind this wine or vintage?
A. The 2021 Percival Norman Shiraz celebrates 166 years since our family first stood on Barossa soil. I often wonder what John and Eliza Burge expected when they arrived in 1855. It must have been nerve-racking to travel across the globe and put down roots somewhere completely new. Over six generations, there have been countless Burge boot prints across Barossa vineyards. Today, our family looks after over 300 hectares of vines, and when we aren’t tending them, we’re farming more than 10,000 sheep. Dad’s happy place is on the quad bike, checking fences and irrigation.
August: Procella
Food and wine pairing: Egyptian spiced eggplant and pearl couscous with Procella III Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Q. Can you describe the key characteristics and flavour profile of this wine?
A. The 2022 Procella III Cabernet Sauvignon is a brooding yet elegant wine, full of dark cassis, black cherry, and crushed violets, laced with graphite, cedar, and exotic spice. There's a real purity and drive on the palate — fine, sinewy tannins carry the long and clean flavour, with a cool-climate freshness that gives lift and poise. It’s powerful, yet not overbearing – a study in balance and restraint.
Q. Would you consider this a classic example of a Hilltops Cabernet Sauvignon? What makes this varietal thrive in your patch of the world?
A. It’s a quintessential expression of what Hilltops Cabernet can be. The region’s elevation (around 500–600m), cool nights, and long ripening season allow Cabernet Sauvignon to develop intense flavour and colour while retaining natural acidity. Our vineyard sits on free-draining decomposed granite soils, which naturally restrict vigour and concentrate fruit. Hilltops Cabernets are often described as “Bordeaux meets Barossa” — they have power and structure, but also aromatic lift and finesse.
September: Bleasdale Wines
Food and wine pairing: Brisket barbacoa with red chimichurri, pickled onion with Bleasdale Generations Malbec 2022
Q. Would you consider this a classic example of a Langhorne Creek Malbec? What makes this varietal thrive in your patch of the world?
A. Bleasdale has been crafting Malbec since the late 1800s and was the first Australian winery to bottle it as a varietal wine. Today, Malbec is our flagship. Langhorne Creek’s warm days and cool nights help preserve vibrancy while developing ripe tannins and deep berry fruit. Our older vineyards and unique “Potts Clone” contribute further depth and character—hallmarks of the region’s Malbec.
Q. Is there a fun or surprising story behind this wine or vintage?
A. Bleasdale has been growing Malbec since way back in the late 1800s and even made the region’s first Malbec table wine in 1961. They’ve been perfecting Malbec as a single variety for 64 years and have access to some of the best Malbec vineyards in the country. The real kicker is their own unique “Potts Clone,” which is what gives Bleasdale Malbec its signature style, with vibrant aromatics and rich, juicy purple fruit. It’s a Malbec with a little bit of history and a lot of personality.
October: Brokenwood Wines
Food and wine pairing: Lamb pides with Brokenwood Sangiovese 2024
Q. If someone had never visited Beechworth, how would this wine give them a sense of the place?
A. Every vintage, half our vintage crew travels to Beechworth to ferment the wines on-site. After a few tough weeks making Chardonnay and Pinot, the Sangiovese and Tempranillo fruit inevitably rolls in, and the energy lifts. Someone always calls me to say, “The Sangiovese looks great this year.” Beechworth is all about food and wine, homemade small goods, local produce, good hospitality. This wine fits right in. The two Sangiovese clones we use were planted in 1999 and 2012, and they’re now producing quality, consistent fruit that speaks clearly of place.
Q. How does this wine match with the featured recipe?
A. Our 2024 Brokenwood Sangiovese is the perfect partner to lamb pides – bright red cherry and savoury herb notes echo the spiced lamb filling, while the wine’s vibrant acidity balances the richness. Mid-weight and juicy, it carries just enough fine tannin to stand up to the flavours without overpowering the dish, best enjoyed shared, with good company and a few extra napkins!!
November: Mitolo Wines
Food and wine pairing: Blue eye trevalla with cauliflower purée, Swiss chard, capers and tomato with Mitolo Perduto Pecorino 2024
Q. Can you describe the key characteristics and flavour profile of this wine?
A. Mitolo Perduto Pecorino is a savoury and pure-fruited wine, showing stonefruit, fresh herbs, citrus and saline characters. The palate is driven by crisp acidity and a fine phenolic texture which flows through the wine’s fruit profile and long linear shape. An exhilarating, succulent Italian white variety.
Q. Would you consider this a classic example of a McLaren Vale Pecorino? What makes this varietal thrive in your patch of the world?
A. Pecorino is a relatively new variety to Australia, and ours is the first to be grown in McLaren Vale. During the inception of this wine, we reviewed several examples from Australia and Italy. What was clear was how the better examples were driven by prevalent acidity and naturally fine, savoury phenolics – elements which hold the fruit in good stead throughout ripening period in our warm maritime climate.
December: Mountadam Vineyards
Food and wine pairing: Macerated strawberries, Champagne jelly, strawberry sorbet with Mountadam Vineyards High Eden Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay NV
Q. Would you consider this a classic example of an Eden Valley Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay? What makes this varietal thrive in your patch of the world?
A. This sparkling is crafted from the Estates original 1972 plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, perched at 550m above sea level on the High Eden ridge. It is this cool climate, and the low-yielding quartz and schist soils that produce the perfect Pinot Noir Chardonnay Sparkling wine. The natural acidity and minerality of the Chardonnay and rich strawberry and red apple of the Pinot Noir reflect classic Eden Valley Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay perfectly.
Q. How does this wine match with the featured recipe?
A. A delicious dessert enjoyed with a High Eden Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay on Christmas Day creates a truly nostalgic pairing. The invigorating acidity and elegant effervesce of the High Eden sparkling pair perfectly with the sweetness and decadence of macerated strawberry, champagne jelly and strawberry sorbet.