First made in 2019, The Forebear Shiraz is an ultra-fine, single-vineyard wine born of one of the oldest shiraz vineyards in the world. In the glass, its bouquet wows, resplendent with florals and red berry fruits, while its captivating, textural mouthfeel blends the same fruits with a swathe of savoury notes, round tannins, and sleek acidity. Fruit for The Forebear is hand-picked, and the wine made with the utmost care, just as it would have been in the old days. Before release, The Forebear spends 24 months in French barriques, and then three years in bottle. On its name, Torbreck’s Chief Winemaker, Ian Hongell, says ‘We chose the name 'The Forebear' to honour the pioneering spirit of the Springbetts and other pioneering families and their role in establishing the Barossa as one of the great winegrowing regions of the world. This wine is our tribute to those who came before us.’

Houghton made wine for 101 years before Jack Mann created the iconic, and incredibly influential, White Burgundy in 1937. In 2023, more than 80 years on, Houghton honoured this history with the release of this exquisite old vine chenin blanc from Margaret River. With a foot in the past and an eye on the future, EV/37 represents chenin blanc at its best—vibrant, delicate, layered, textural.

The word ‘areti’, Romanized from the Ancient Greek, refers to ‘excellence’ of any kind. Paulmara Estates define it as ‘excellence of character bound with fulfilment of purpose to live up to one’s full potential’. Areti is typically deep in colour, with complex dark berry aromas, rich velvety textures, and prodigious length. Andrew Caillard MW has observed that Areti is distinctly ‘Penfoldsian’ in style, which makes sense as the viticulturist (Paul Georgiadis) and winemaker (Jason Barrette) are both ex-Penfolds. Areti is made from Barossa Valley shiraz (with 5% cabernet sauvignon) from two distinct, estate-owned, Marananga vineyards—Block 1A and Paradigm vineyard. Planted in 1995, Block 1A rises up to 290m, and its soils range from red-brown loams over red clay with ironstone, to red-brown loams over clay and limestone. Paradigm’s vines range from 50 to 90 years old, its soils are predominantly red-brown loams over red clay, with shattered ironstone and quartz, and its fruit carries a reputation for having contributed to Penfolds Grange.