Winter Reds – June 2026

Barry Weinman – June 2026

There has been a remarkable evolution in Australian cabernet and shiraz over the last three decades. In general, the wines have become ever more polished and refined. There is still great fruit quality and intensity, but the way the tannins and acids are now polished in the winery makes the wines so much more approachable than wines of old.

With improved hygiene, refrigeration and winemaking in general, there is also much greater consistency at all price points.

This is great news for consumers, as we are spoilt for value and choice. This tasting highlighted this with some brilliant wines at a variety of price points.

Happy Days!

Reviewed

Evoi Wines – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2023. I really like this a lot. The fruit is ripe, but in the more elegant, finer spectrum. There is remarkable depth and intensity, despite the more subtle approach. The palate is a lovely amalgam of blueberry, violet and supple, texturing tannins and oak. With a virtually seamless palate, this is brilliantly made. Delightful now, but better in ten years. 14.0% alc | 95pts | $42.00.

Singlefile – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – 2024. OK, so this is a contender for value wine of the year. Beautiful fruit and beautiful winemaking combined in a wine that can be picked up for around $30.00.
This is a superb-value wine. The way it balances depth and elegance is remarkable. Berry fruit is ripe and vibrant, but it is the way that it has been married into the oak that makes it quite remarkable. I could not imagine a better-drinking young cabernet, given the seamless nature of the palate. Yet medium-term cellaring will be rewarded with increased complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barriques for 14 months (30% new). 14.5% alc | 94–95pts | $33.00.

Evoi Wines – Malbec – 2020. Structured, powerful, intense and, in some ways, reminiscent of Bordeaux. But there is also ripe fruit that is most attractive. In fact, this is utterly delicious, in a profound sort of way. Something of a Goldilocks wine, as it is just right for current drinking, but also worthy of a decade in the cellar. The oak, fruit tannin and acid management are spot on. A super wine. 14.0% alc | 95pts | $42.00.

Singlefile – The Philip Adrian – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2022. Wow! What a wine. This has all the ripe, vibrant fruit that one would hope for, combined with a degree of power and gravitas, thanks to the texturing oak and finely polished tannins. A wine of clarity and focus. As good as it is today though, this will be so much better with 15–20 years in the cellar, which will allow the fruit to unfold and the secondary characters to add impact. However, if you choose to drink this now, you will not be disappointed. 100% Houghton clone cabernet sauvignon, the wine spent 14 months in French oak barriques (40% new). 14.4% alc | 96pts | $115.00.

Rowe – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2024. This may be my favourite wine of the tasting, given the way it manages to combine delicious approachability with refined structural components. It is not necessarily the best wine, or the most powerful or opulent. Rather, it sits in a lovely middle ground, balancing fine tannins and acidity with subtle berry fruit. 14.0% alc | 95pts | $60.00.