New World: Australia, New Zealand, Argentina

“Pepperjack was established in 1859 under W. Salter & Son and remains a tribute to the outstanding quality and heritage of the Barossa, noted as one of Australia’s great regions for producing exemplary, truly iconic, red wines.

The Pepperjack range is a tribute to the Barossa’s rich heritage. Pepperjack winery today remains rich and honest in character, with a slightly more contemporary approach and modern winemaking style under the guidance of Winemaker Richard Mattner, to create a collection of wines that reflect the passion of this amazing place.

Pepperjack Barossa Red 2012
Barossa Valley, Australia. A blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Grenache, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo. “This wine was matured in a combination of French and American oak for 12 months. Rich dark red in colour with a dark purple rim. “This wine has lots of upfront fruit while having a soft round structure and a slight hint of oak. The aromas and flavours show fresh berries, plums and vanilla. The palate is rich and plush with good structure. The soft velvety tan-nins provide balance and length. This wine can be enjoyed now, but will also improve with short term cellaring”. – Richard Mattner (Winemaker).” $15.99

“Penfolds Bin 8 has been crafted in the traditional Penfolds style. Ripe, balanced fruit flavours are supported by softly integrated oak resulting in a silky, smooth red wine. It was introduced in response to an interest in Cabernet Shiraz blends – a classic Australian wine style that caught the attention of the international wine media. Although Bin numbers were originally named after the original binning location after bottling, Bin 8 was given its number because it uses older oak previously used for Bin 128, Bin 28 and Bin 389 – with ‘8’ obviously providing the common thread.”

Penfolds Bin 8 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2011
South Australia (Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Padthaway and Langhorne Creek). 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Shiraz. Aged for 12 months in French and American oak, 13% new oak (French). “An instantly recognisable Cabernet Shiraz aromatic propulsion…with Cabernet notes more prominent than Shiraz at this stage. i.e. black olive, graphite and red-berried fruits. Not quite that simple, however, with anchovy, crackling and meat salt (Shiraz ?) complexities lurking in the background. Vibrant, with excellent grip – via a defined and focused (linear) structure. Ripe, varietal Cabernet apparent – neither herbal nor leafy. Rhubarb, red-fruits and red jelly-crystal notes… verging toward a good, old-fashioned summer trifle treat. Palate bound by integrated oak and compliant tannins.” $17.99

Sileni Estates
“Sileni Estates is a major vineyard and winery development in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s oldest established vineyard area. The first vintage was in 1998 and since then the wines have won world wide acclaim. Sileni Estates is named after the Sileni who featured in Roman mythology alongside Bacchus, the god of wine. They celebrated good wine, good food and good company. Sileni boasts a state of the art winery designed to crush over 1500 tonnes of grapes. Our Winemaking Team have honed their winemaking skills in wineries around the world and we strive to maintain high standards in environmentally sustainable viticultural and winemaking practices. Sileni Estates produce hand crafted wines that reflect the unique characteristics of the vineyards.”

Sileni Estates Sauvignon Blanc Reserve The Straits 2013
Marlborough, New Zealand. “A classic regional style, this wine has intensely aromatic gooseberry and passionfruit characters. The palate is rich and full with a long finish. Best served lightly chilled to accompany white meats and most types of seafood from oysters to crayfish.” $13.99

Sileni Estates Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2013
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. “This ripe, deeply coloured food wine has concentrated black cherry aromas which follow through to the palate where dark berry flavours are supported by soft tannins. Perfect for early drinking but capable of cellaring for up to 6 years.” $13.99

“Doña Paula’s innovative spirit is reflected in our incessant and meticulous search for diverse terroirs to elaborate high quality wines. We own estates in the best wine growing areas of Argentina, under different soil, height and climate conditions. We constantly introduce innovations in what respects to work in the vineyards according to each estate soil and climate conditions. For instance, we have implemented an alternative trellis systems such as Gobelet in the rocky soils of Finca Alluvia. This allow us to treat each plant as an individual and obtain a low yield in a natural way. Doña Paula’s diversity and innovation are also reflected in our choice of varieties that are not traditional in Argentina.”

Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec 2012
Mendoza, Argentina. “Harvest takes place in the second fortnight of March. The grapes are destemmed and the grains are barely broken. A cold pre-fermentation maceration is carried out to preserve primary aromas. Then, the must is cooled and traditional fermentation is carried out. Post-fermentation maceration lasts between 10 and 15 days. Malolactic fermentation is carried out after maceration. Intense purplish red color. Sweet, spicy and intense aromas, with notes of red fruits and herbs (such as Herbes de Provence). In the mouth, this wine is soft, velvety, fresh, and well balanced.” $8.99

Dona Paula Los Cardos Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Mendoza, Argentina. “The grapes are harvested between the end of March and the beginning of April. Destemming and gentle pressing are performed. A cold pre-fermentation maceration is carried out to preserve primary aromas. Then, the must is cooled and traditional fermentation takes place. Post-fermentation maceration lasts between 10 and 15 days. After that, malolactic fermentation is carried out. Deep ruby red color. In the nose, this wine is expressive and spicy, with black pepper, graphite and cassis aromas. In the mouth, black fruits and kind tannins are perceived. Compact and long.” $8.99