Australian Wine Funky Labels Case

Good Luck Cabernet Sauvignon

The dual-facing label to shows either The Good Luck Club (front) or The Bad Luck Club (back) illustrated in that most animated of media: 19th Century Japanese Kabuki masks. It’s about the highs, lows, ayes and noes of winemaking, chance and the mad undulations of human existence.

The Smalltown block was purchased in 2016, 40 hectares of 28 year old Shiraz and Cabernet in the premium Ebenezer District of the Barossa Valley. This wine was aged in new and tertiary French oak for 24 months. The oak lends a subtle texture and structure to the fruit leaving the palate fresh so this is a bright, varietal Cab that wears its oak lightly as a structural veil rather than anything more monstrous

Summer pudding reaches from the glass, there is an abundance of blackberry and cassis fruit with a naughty creaminess of oak that marries on the palate for a bold pastiche of old vine Barossa Cabernet.
It’s a big glass of juicy theatre.
FOOD MATCH
It’s lovely with steak tartare, seared tuna, roast Mediterranean veg and some crunchy, matured hard cheese

Click here for more information about the winery

This is a partnership between Barossa Valley winemaker, Rolf Binder and UK wine merchant, Noel Young. Established in 1993 when Mourvèdre and Grenache were largely forgotten varieties, these two Rhône-philes have adapted that great larrikin of the Australian sky – the magpie – as their mascot. Driven by the desire to highlight the Barossa Valley’s rich resources of Rhône Valley varieties and to have a good laugh along the way, Magpie Estate claims Mourvèdre, Grenache and Shiraz as its own. The pair create a range of superbly crafted varietals and blends that collectively represent the many personalities and expressions of these three noble varieties in the Barossa.

To see our full range of Smalltown Vineyards’ products go to our website

Good Luck Cabernet Sauvignon

Smalltown Rag & Bone Riesling

The rationale behind this label is a quirky one! Our product manager found out that due to the tiny production of a particular wine, half the vineyard fruit was to be discarded….so he stepped in to say we would be interested to play with this other half given the quality of the wine over previous years. This lead to thinking about up-cycling the near-discarded, how one man’s trash is another man’s treasure etc and whilst humming over a potential moniker for the wine, God’s honest truth, a rag & bone van parked up outside his house calling for any old iron etc. Albeit a man in a white van, rather than horse & cart, the name stuck. The label reflects a collection of discarded items which together make up an eclectic assortment greater than the sum of its parts.

The nose classically expresses the vineyard… it’s like a fresh lime crushed gently over minerals… literally lime on the rocks. The palate is bright and zingy, singing with natural acidity and vibrant citrus and floral characters. Lovely delicacy and purity of fruit lifted and a crisp, bracing finish, an outstanding example of cool climate Aussie Riesling.

Eden Valley Riesling is prized for its vibrancy, purity and longevity and has produced many of Australia’s greatest Rieslings. The fruit for Rag & Bone is sourced from a single vineyard, high up on the Eastern side of Eden Valley. Warm days and cool nights ensure that the grapes develop ripe, intense fruit flavours whilst retaining appealing zing and acidity. The fruit was delivered to the winery immediately after harvesting in the cool hours of the morning, then processed very gently through our tank press. The juice was cold settled and 3 days later the clear juice was transferred into fermentation tanks.

Well suited to seafood dishes, spicy cuisine and anytime in the company of those who enjoy a quality
riesling! Try chilli prawns, green thai curry, fish and chicken laksa (with chilli, coconut, ginger and
lime).

Click here for more information about the winery

This is a partnership between Barossa Valley winemaker, Rolf Binder and UK wine merchant, Noel Young. Established in 1993 when Mourvèdre and Grenache were largely forgotten varieties, these two Rhône-philes have adapted that great larrikin of the Australian sky – the magpie – as their mascot. Driven by the desire to highlight the Barossa Valley’s rich resources of Rhône Valley varieties and to have a good laugh along the way, Magpie Estate claims Mourvèdre, Grenache and Shiraz as its own. The pair create a range of superbly crafted varietals and blends that collectively represent the many personalities and expressions of these three noble varieties in the Barossa.

To see our full range of Smalltown Vineyards’ products go to our website

Smalltown Rag & Bone Riesling

Old Bean Truck ShirazCabernet

Deep red colour. Lifted aromatics dominated by cassis, eucalypt and mint. Concentrated palate displaying both Cabernet and Shiraz character. Earth, berry fruit and mint. Med bodied with chalky tannins.

This is a great, honest, earthy Australian red made by the Osborn family from Langhorne Creek fruit. The aromas evoke strawberries and dusty blackcurrants over red earth, baking under a blazing Aussie sun. There are hints of eucalyptus, mint and Italian Amaro. A cracking wine, and great value.

From entry level to iconic, all d’Arenberg wines have been basket pressed, reds and whites, with all red ferments foot trod during fermentation.

Walking the vineyard rows and tasting grapes, Chester Osborn classifies and determines the ideal picking time for each individual vineyard.

Small batches of grapes are gently crushed, then transferred to five tonne headed-down open fermenters, all batches remain separate until final blending. The red wines are foot trod two thirds of the way through fermentation, and then basket pressed.

d’Arenberg is one of the only wineries in Australia to basket press both white wines as well as reds, making for a labour intensive process, but the quality of the results makes this worthwhile as the action is controlled and extremely gentle.

White wines are basket pressed before fermentation to ensure no colour or tannins are extracted from the skins, and the reds are pressed afterwards. After pressing, reds are transferred to barrel to complete fermentation, and then aged on lees to slow aging and keep the wine fresh, while also reducing oak influence.

All parcels remain separate until final blending, an extensive barrel tasting process is undertaken to determine the final wine. There is no racking until final blending, and the wines do not undertake fining or filtration prior to bottling.

To find out more about the d’Arenberg winery go to https://www.darenberg.com.au/

To see our full range of d’Arenberg product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/darenberg/

Old Bean Truck ShirazCabernet – another great entry level wine from the d’Arenberg winery

Y Series Sauvignon Blanc by Yalumba

Pale straw in colour with a green hue, the Y Series Sauvignon Blanc displays lively aromas of freshly squeezed citrus and wildflowers, with captivating aromatics from the wild fermentation. The palate is vibrant and bursting with life and zest. There is a freshness of nettles and lemon with crunchy acid that sweeps along to finish this enjoyable wine, showing all the hallmarks of fruit driven Australian Sauvignon Blanc; line and length with generosity of flavour. Enjoy with a citrus dressed BBQ calamari salad.

At Yalumba they believe that one good wine leads to another. The Y Series was created with that belief in mind. The Y Series represents a collection of iconic classics and exciting new varietals. Each authentically crafted with fruit from South Australia’s most celebrated wine regions.

To view our full selection of Yalumba wines please take a look at https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/yalumba/

For more information on the Yalumba winery click here

For more information on the Yalumba winery click here
Yalumba has been developing its own sustainable viticulture program since the mid 1990s. This starts in the vineyard and extends to every aspect of winemaking, production, packaging and distribution. Many awards and milestones have resulted due to sustainability now being at our core. All Yalumba wines were announced vegetarian and vegan friendly as of 2011. Yalumba is the first wine company in the world to receive the Climate Protection Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007. These benefits are most obvious in your wine glass.
“Apart from economic viability and social equity, for us, sustainability is about biodiversity in our vineyards,” says Winemaker Louisa Rose. “To encourage it, we’ve done a number of things: we’ve reduced the amount of chemicals we use, incorporated an integrated pest management system, and encouraged biodiversity of vegetation in our vineyards”. All in the name of better winemaking.

Y Series Sauvignon Blanc – great wine from a great winery

Smalltown Vineyards Songlines Grenache

The ancient people of Australia navigated the vast emptiness of the continent using mind maps; instructions remembered in song and passed down the generations. Kind of like a pre-GPS Tom Tom. This enticing wine celebrates this near-lost tradition and the Barossa’s well-trodden red earth in its deep, warbling fruit, a very song of the soil.
100% Grenache
HOW IT’S MADE
This is a single vineyard Grenache. The grapes come from the Gomersal sub-region of the Barossa. Partially wild yeast fermented with around 30% whole bunches. Aged only in stainless steel to preserve a crunchy freshness.
TASTING NOTES
Versatile, super juicy, young, and bright. Brace yourself for a damson torpedo! Earthly notes beneath lovely warbly fruit. This is a really aromatic wine that captures the colorful and vibrant Aussie surroundings.

The perfect match for herb infused grilled meat and ratatouille or pasta dishes.

Click here for more information about the winery

This is a partnership between Barossa Valley winemaker, Rolf Binder and UK wine merchant, Noel Young. Established in 1993 when Mourvèdre and Grenache were largely forgotten varieties, these two Rhône-philes have adapted that great larrikin of the Australian sky – the magpie – as their mascot. Driven by the desire to highlight the Barossa Valley’s rich resources of Rhône Valley varieties and to have a good laugh along the way, Magpie Estate claims Mourvèdre, Grenache and Shiraz as its own. The pair create a range of superbly crafted varietals and blends that collectively represent the many personalities and expressions of these three noble varieties in the Barossa.

To see our full range of Smalltown Vineyards’ products go to our website

As of the 1st July, 2019, Australia changed from its previous sustainable programme called EntWine to Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. Smalltown Vineyards is a participant in this programme, which assists with tools and resources to enhance business sustainability, meeting customer sustainability requirements and sustainability claims made by participants.

Smalltown Vineyards Songlines Grenache

Y Series Pinot Grigio

Y Series Pinot Grigio is pale straw in colour with green highlights. It has aromas of fresh pear juice with white flowers, a hint of feijoa and cinnamon stick. Initially the palate opens with Nashi pear and jasmine, followed by baked apple and cinnamon through the mid-palate. Although the generous fruit flavours are complemented by a rich mouth-feel and a creamy, lingering finish.

To see our full range of Yalumba product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/yalumba/

For more information on the winery go to http://www.yalumba.com/about-us

Fiercely independent, extremely progressive and committed to looking after the land and its people, Yalumba acknowledges that the reputation of their wine is only as good as the next bottle a customer drinks.

In 1847 a 37-year-old brewer called Samuel Smith left his home in Wareham, Dorset with his wife Mary and their four children. Boarding a simple three-masted barque they left Plymouth and began the long and arduous journey to Australia, arriving in Port Adelaide. From there they trecked north to Angaston where Samuel took a job as a gardener. It was arguably this brave decision to start a new life in a remote and distant land, together with the hardship that they endured, that formed the strong sense of family unity that has been the bedrock of the family business ever since. In 1849 he started the wine farm that would grow over the next 5 generations to become one of Australia’s leading wineries, with a winemaking culture that is internationally recognised and respected. To embrace the native culture, Samuel decided to adopt a local name for his farm, calling it “Yalumba” meaning “all the country around’’ in the indigenous Peramangk language.

Yalumba operates the Southern Hemisphere’s only fully operational Cooperage, crafting bespoke oak barrels that elevate the wines aged within them. Our Nursery is a global leader in wine innovation, growing, evaluating and supplying quality grape vines to the Australian wine industry.

Y Series Pinot Grigio is a part of their Y Series range of excellent value wines.