[March 26, 2023]

Pinot Grigio

A name that everyone recognises, Pinot gained an undeserved reputation for being well, a bit ordinary. But customers are exploring different styles - our biggest seller comes from Hungary - and trading up to premium examples.

One grape capable of making two totally different styles of wine - the crisp, tangy and refreshing Pinot Grigio tends to come from Italy and Eastern Europe while the more opulent, weighty Pinot Gris from Alsace is peachy, nutty and creamy with higher alcohol and more sweetness.

Alessandro Gallici Pinot Grigio comes from a winemaker we've worked with for over 15 years and. He was born in Friuli, but doesn't come from a long line of winemakers. His dad was a truck driver, but everyone in the village used to have a few rows of vines. This fascinated the young Alessandro and inspired his career ambitions.

Orange wine

Despite its name, there are no oranges involved in the production of orange wine. It’s made with white grapes, but unlike with white wine, the juice is left to ferment with the skins. The pressed juice is left on the skins and seeds, sometimes for as long as a year, in an amphora – a large concrete egg-like vessel. 

Because the wine is fermented on the skin, orange wine can have big tannins like red wine, as well as flavours of honey and bruised apple. 

It might feel new, but orange wine has actually been around since the dawn of time,

Sherry

Sherry is experiencing a true retro revolution, with trendy bars dedicated to the Spanish fortified wine popping up all over the place.

We're not talking about the sweet cream sherries enjoyed by nans at Christmas though, the traditional Spanish sherry world is completely different.

From dry, pale Fino sherry and nutty Amontillado to dry-fruit scented Oloroso and lusciously sweet Pedro Ximénez, the styles are all vastly different and offer a different experience.

Sparkling red wine

You might think we left sparkling reds behind in the 80s, but they're back! This style is fun, fruity and best served chilled ... a perfect party wine.

We love L'Occhiolino which directly translates to 'The Wink' - it's been part of life in Italy's Emilia-Romagna since Roman times. But it's still a bit of a secret. So think of this tip as the sort a sommelier would give you for a wine that isn't listed on the menu.

And at 7.5% it's lower in alcohol than many wines so is designed to be enjoyed socially. Serve it at your next brunch!

Chardonnay

In the 90s Chardonnay got a little too okay, so all you could find was the clean, unoaked examples. But oak is unapologetically back and we're loving some of the styles coming into our range.

It's the most versatile white wine grape in the world. You'll find it grown all over the world - from France to South Africa and onto Australia.

Grown in cool climates, you can expect to find wines brimming with orchard fruit flavours and a stony minerality, but reach for a bottle grown somewhere warmer and you'll be treated to rip stone and tropical fruits which can stand up to a bit of light oak ageing and buttery malolactic fermentation.

Try Harmonie Rox Chardonnay - a crisp, fruit-filled RedHeads creation from cool-climate Coonawarra.