D Arenberg Wines

This has a beautifully intense mandarin orange and lemon sorbet character, with bright, tangy acidity balanced by finely-judged sweetness, resulting in a dry-ish style overall At only 10% alcohol yet with masses of character, this really is the perfect foil for prawns or langoustines, or Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian food It would go equally well with a very British plate of fish and chips Chester Osborn says that d'Arenberg makes McLaren Vale's only Riesling, and they prune back hard to heighten the wine's intensity and pick early for vibrancy and freshness In theory, this could be cellared up to half a centurybut in practice most is drunk up in the first couple of years after the vintage

On the nose are lifted aromas of dark fruits, plums, mulberries with a hint of black cherries Fresh soil is also apparent, with an underlying note of exotic Indian spice The palate shows mulberries, black pepper and ripe plums, before a strong, lingering dark cherry spice meld with the more complex characters of quince paste, nutmeg and cinnamon

Delightful Summer sip, Sangiovese based that brings a pristine salmon-pink rose colour Fresh red berries on the nose are followed by sunny red-fruit flavours like strawberries, raspberries, cherries and watermelon The fresh fruit is lifted by a hint of sea spray bringing a vibrant freshness The finish is light and easy to enjoy

Riesling gives the finesse and class to this wine, Sauvignon Blanc adds loads of aromatics, and the Marsanne and Roussanne provide complexity, weight and nuttiness to the palate The resulting wine is an exotic mix of citrus, stone fruits, passionfruit, guava and tinned pineapple which develops into a long savoury, nutty like finish The mouthfeel is rich and luscious without being overly oily, kept in check by a fine line of mineral acidity

Earthy, spicy Shiraz from McLaren Vale in South Australia, full of black plums, liquorice and black pepper, with a peaty underlayer of mushroom, pipe tobacco and charcuterie

Dark brooding fruit is apparent on the nose with earth, spice and dried herbs The palate is round and luscious with an attractive black olive and sage character persistent throughout the palate This wine has fantastic fruit weight, with great supporting tannin and balanced acidity It still looks very youthful and should easily cellar for the next ten years

The nose of this wine displays an enticing mix of white stone fruits and sweet pineapple with an underlying hint of ginger The palate is luscious and flavoursome, again nectarine and peach are prominent, with a twist of candied citrus rindThese sweet flavours evolve through the palate into more savoury flavours reminiscent of raw almonds and spice A generous, textural wine with surprising finesse on the finish

Love Grass grows wildly in the vineyards surrounding the winery During vintage, the sticky, long stemmed flowers of the Love Grass affectionately attach themselves to the vineyard workers' socks They even get caught in the coat of the winery dog, Coco, and have to be brushed out by chief winemaker, Chester Osborn The additional varieties in this wine cling to Shiraz the same way that the Love Grass does, making a complex and food friendly Shiraz that is fresh and lively, black and red fruits, pepper, clove and cinnamon Ensure you take a moment to savour this wine and its complex mix of fruits evolving from tight and linear at first to rich, dark and exotic

Dark fruit and savoury characters leap from the glass; liquorice and blackberry, laced with a hint of char Complexity in the shape of iodine and soil-like notes follow The wine is powerful and structured After decanting, the core of sweet black fruits, plums and mulberries permeates through the savoury layers of earth, shiitake mushrooms and cedarwood spice The wine is quite compact and focused A powerful yet refined expression of Shiraz with balance, complexity and persistence

On the nose we are struck by the typical dark fruits Plums, mulberries, fresh soil and more developed peaty like notes are all apparent, with an underlying lick of exotic Indian spice An abundance of fresh fruits on the palate marry well with the more complex characters of quince paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise and earthy beetroot Driving the core of the wine is that vintage trademark in the form of graphite and wet stone This wine, while appearing open and generous already, will continue to age well thanks to the lively line of acidity and the abundance of fine gritty tannins

This wine displays a vibrant, deep plum colour with a dark brick-red edge The nose is packed with berries and spice with a darker background of black olive and freshly turned earth There is a luscious plum, blueberry, blackberry and raspberry core with secondary notes of clove and nutmeg As the wine opens more delicate nuances are revealed, with floral notes appearing on the nose and palate The tannins add a subtle grip and enticingly long finish This wine is named in honour of d'Arenberg's principal, Francis d'Arenberg Osborn, who is universally known as d'Arry d'Arry's original blend, first launched some four decades ago, was as is it appears today - a blend of Shiraz and Grenache grown on d'Arenberg's low yielding, 19th century vineyards

GSM is a Cotes du Rhone style blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre Grenache sets the tone with a lovely sense of lusciousness, and pretty raspberry, blueberry and floral notes Shiraz contributes dark plum, mulberry and liquorice, as well as concentration, depth and velvety tannin Both varieties also give a little white pepper character is accentuated in cooler vintages and really acts as a point of interest Finally, the Mourvedre provides a perception of elegance and restraint through its red fruits with a hint of dried herb and fine chalky tannin

As uplifting as Pollyanna herself, this South Australian fizz emits darts of lemon zest, white blossom and marzipan, followed by a mouthful of stone fruit and a lovely lick of salt