A quick update from HQ together with a flood of new releases… 

Thank you for all your 2021 Standish orders. As predicted, pre-arrival sales are a smidgeon down on the 2020 collection and reason we kept to a shrewd strategy of reducing our margins, thus supporting last year’s prices. My favourite, The Schubert Theorem is the best seller and has been for the past few years. 

Our pre-arrival campaign closes at 9:00am Monday 13 March. We will remove all traces of the offer from our website along with the ability to purchase the new collection. They will reappear (at their full RRPs) once our trade customers have had their turn… Interestingly, I took a few opened bottles home with me on Thursday evening which I re-sampled on Saturday and Sunday. Absolutely delicious and still no signs of obvious oxidation. Quite extraordinary given these were decanted on Monday evening.  The remainder bathed beef short ribs for three-hours in the oven. I agree, decadent and perhaps a waste of great, Aussie Shiraz. In my defence, I had spent an intimate week with them all, and believe I served them well. I will say, the beefy / Standish gravy was good enough to bottle. Perhaps a new line for The Vinorium. Absurdly expensive gravy – organic of course…

Despite ordering over 1,000 stems from Zalto, our stocks are, and quite astonishingly, very low (75% sold within two weeks). Several stems have sold-out with the remainder coming close… We have a much smaller order pending with an ETA mid-year however, we can never really judge. As previously mentioned, Zalto have increased their 2023 prices and their RRPs. This week, we received a polite email asking us to increase our prices however, we reminded Zalto that we paid 2022 prices and believe it is only right and proper that sales prices should be in line with our costs. The Vinorium will not join the long list of ‘advantage taking’ businesses. For the first time, existing Vinorium customers have purchased more glassware than newbies (non-wine buying customers) which is great to see. I do hope you are enjoying them and a word of warning; avoid using a tea-towel to dry them. They are dishwasher safe (if you have a glass care system). Let them dry off – perhaps a light exterior polish with a fine, wine cloth. 

Utopos Kym, as we like to call him, is chomping at the bit, “I’m keen to know if you had tried the samples of the 21 wines yet and what you thought of them.  I’m biased, but in my opinion I’m very excited by them.  I think that I’m getting close to where I want to be with the vineyard.” The new ‘sample’ collection has been waiting patiently since January. If truth be known, I have been waiting for the right time to sample them and to share the news with you all. Without being too crass, I must sell a few cases too… Is April the right month to release the following, new wines on a pre-arrival basis?

2021 Shiraz, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 Cabernet / Shiraz, 2021 MSG and 2021 Block 1. It’s over to you – simply vote with your feet and we will obey your wishes It’s really simple – follow this link…

Wild Duck Creek Estate: Erratic wi-fi signals aside, Liam and I had a good-old chinwag over Zoom. The Aussies are as interested in the UK as I am in their domestic market. We’ve agreed to work a little harder on our relationship which includes Liam providing wines only available to their faithful members and for me to sell them / more of them. A fair compromise, which of course, requires you to partake! Sparkling (Shiraz) Duck and their Fortified Duck being hot topics too. Firstly, and to quell the excitement, yes, we will be shipping a small allocation of their brilliant Sparkling Duck which will be here at some point during Q3 / early Q4. Sadly, and for fans of their Fortified Duck, this is a non-starter and may well be for a decade or more. Liam explained - aged (circa 24 years) brandy used to fortify the wine is no longer available as domestic sales for aged brandy have shot through the roof resulting in panic bottlings and much bigger sales prices for the owners of once, hard to sell barrels. Accordingly, Liam is buying young brandy (by the barrel) and plans to age it himself. Let’s reconnect in ten-years or so…

The ugliness of commercial life has bitten again. Sadly, we have parted company with Tassie producer, Ghost Rock on the grounds of high price increases. Our first order was a roaring success – their Supernatural Pinot Noir was a dream and was the first wine my team and I pinched at the end of the week. Their estate Chardonnay and both sparkling beauties also found favour (with us all) however, and after receiving their new sample collection (our order pen at the ready), we received the bombshell. Price increases of some 35%.  Of course, everyone is feeling the pinch and prices must be adjusted if necessary, however not by such a colossal number. Domestic sales at the winery are huge, as is their demand, and perhaps the reason why we have seen the huge jump in price. Cost hikes aside – do I believe the quality has risen by 35% which is how my wine barometer works? No, and this is why we have amicably parted ways. We wish Justin and his hardworking team continued success.

Ten-years to the month, The Vinorium doors opened, and it’s been quite the journey… Join us next week as we share a full timeline, fun facts and figures along with some great photos.

Until then, keep safe, well and I look forward to reading your feedback on the new, 2021 Utopos collection.

Cheers,
Stu

JC's Own Greenock Shiraz 2020

SINGLE VINEYARD GREENOCK SHIRAZ, STRONG BUT SENSUAL

Jaysen Collins “I cut my winemaking teeth in the heavy red soils of the north west of the Barossa, where Greenock is the jewel of the crown in my opinion. My winery is here, the pub does a good burger and by chance there’s some pretty good shiraz vineyards knocking about.

A few vintages ago I came across a vineyard just on the north of the Greenock township that hides behind some big gum trees. It runs down a small hill facing east, with lean soils, cooler afternoons, tiny yields, small berries - how asleep had I been to drive past this vineyard for several years? But I’m definitely alert now!

I like shiraz that is big on fruit intensity but is more supple and svelte on the palate, powerful yet velvety, structured but sensual - I could go on but I think I’ve conveyed my point.

So, this is a rare single site treat from my part of the world and a true connection to my beginnings in making wine.”

£41.95 per bottle

Launch offer

£37.95 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

Only 60 bottles available

JC's Own Rock: It Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2020

GRENACHE, SHIRAZ, MATARO, CO-FERMENTED, FULL AND FIRM

Jaysen Collins “I grew up across the road from a famous old school winemaker who was known to be one of the best blenders of his generation. So, for years I followed this ideal in the wines I was making. For a hands-off winemaker, you actually feel like you are doing something!

One day pondering life, the universe and everything I thought about why I hadn’t challenged this notion. Grenache and friends work well together - I’ll just pick them within a few days of each other, chuck it all in one fermenter and let the ferment rock it in its own way.

So, my theory is that the different varieties bring something complimentary, but they also bring something individual - so equal but opposite reactions in the ferment. I then remembered my high school physics and worked out it’s actually the same way a rocket works. Go figure.”

£32.50 per bottle

Launch offer

£29.55 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

Only 60 bottles available

JC's Own Angaston Foothills Grenache 2021

150 YEAR OLD BUSH VINES IN THE ANGASTON FOOTHILLS, A RARE TREAT

Jaysen Collins “Old vine Barossa grenache vineyards are a rare treat. Walking amongst the old bush vines gives me such a wonderment of what has transpired in the years gone by to get to this moment in time. It’s like i am breathing the air of times past - it can be truly something quite moving and somewhat magical.

I’ve been working with Barossa grenache since my first vintage and whilst versatile, it can easily become overly sweet and some people can even call it lolly water. But not this special site - no way josé. It gets cool air draining from the Eden Valley across the red sands, so I’ve found it leans more toward complexity and structure, which is what pushes my buttons.

How do i treat such a special site - pretty simply is the answer. 100% whole bunches get a foot treading over several weeks, I press it to large oak barrels and bottle it unfined and unfiltered.

That means when i taste this wine I’m still caught up in the magic from the vineyard that has transpired for well over a century. I’ll wipe the tear from my eye as i have another glass.”

£32.50 per bottle

Launch offer

£29.55 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

New arrivals from Massena

Massena Cellar Blend Barossa Shiraz Mataro 2020

Jaysen Collins: Each parcel of Shiraz we receive is handled separately for the length of its maturation. Destemmed to open fermenters and then allowed to spontaneously ferment, daily pump overs and plunging over the course of its fermentation means the extraction is gentle and the skin tannins are integrated at the time pf pressing. Matured in seasoned oak casks on lees for 15 months, we then go through the cellar and pick out the spicier and more fragrant parcels to blend with some aromatic Mataro to give an early drinking, more savoury style of Barossa Shiraz. After maturation the wine is racked and bottled without fining or filtration.

£18.50 per bottle

Launch offer

£16.50 per bottle

Only 60 bottles available

Also available to buy under bond

Massena Old Vine Grenache Mataro 2020

Old vine Grenache and Mataro sourced from the ancient red soils of the Reiverland in South Australia. Wild fermented, basket pressed and bottled without fining or filtration.

£18.50 per bottle

Launch offer

£16.50 per bottle

Only 60 bottles available

Also available to buy under bond

Massena The Surly Muse Viognier 2022

Winemaking: Each year we take a parcel of Viognier from a South facing vineyard in the Gomersal sub-region. The red iron ridge soils are harsh and the area is dry so we pick it early to preserve the natural acidity. Cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks and ageing ‘surlie’ (on lees) in French oak barriques, we then bottle the wine unfiltered and release almost immediately.

Tasting Notes: Light and cloudy in colour with enticing aromas of tropical and stone fruit. Flavours of nectarine, passionfruit and lychee dominate with subtle hints of spice from partial oak maturation.

£19.95 per bottle

Launch offer

£17.50 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

Coulter Wines C3 Pinot Noir 2021

                Jeni Port, Wine Companion “Hand-picked fruit, carbonic maceration; 25% whole clusters were tipped into fermenters, the balance crushed on top. Basket pressed to oak hogsheads for 8 months' maturation. Rests easy with a sweet plummy approachability that is very easy to enjoy right now. Brilliant, bright cherry-red hues. The scent suggests everything summery from strawberry, cherry and wild raspberry to red licorice and spice. It plays out on the palate in more of a beaujolais kind of way than anything else, so fresh and keen and ready to go.”

£22.50 per bottle

Launch offer

£20.00 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

Coulter Wines C2 Sangiovese 2021

Jeni Port, Wine Companion “Hand-picked fruit from One Tree Hill. Crushed fruit on top of 10% whole bunches to undergo 2-day carbonic maceration, then basket pressed straight to French oak for mlf and 7 months' maturation. Retains the essence of sangiovese's black-cherry-fruited and aniseed vibrancy with the added addition of sweet plummy, raspberry freshness and vigour. There's a whole lot of energy here in unison with chocolate and a touch of mocha oak. Easy, smooth tannins complete the picture.”

£22.50 per bottle

Launch offer

£20.00 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

Launch prices will revert on Monday 27 March at 9.00am

We’ve received lots of emails from customers expressing that the deluge of recent new releases came and went far too quickly, with many missing the opportunity to take advantage of their ‘introductory’ prices. The good news being that we have bowed to peer pressure and re-released many at their opening prices. Prices will revert on Friday 17th at 9.00am. The bad news – we are launching more, new wines today…

JC's Own 2021 Stratum Shiraz

Jaysen Collins “The Barossa has a love affair with hearty and rich red wines, with Shiraz being the jewel in the crown. Growers have tried other varieties over time that have similar hallmarks of sweetness, richness and ripeness, with Zinfandel being a leading candidate. So, a few decades back you’d find a few Zinfandel plantings popping up in vineyards to see if people would have a thirst for something new. It’s great to try new things, but sometimes you just have to realise tastes are not going to change – classics become classics for a reason.

What to do with these Zinfandel vines then - graft them to Shiraz of course, a layer of new vines on a mature root base. The vineyard I source this from is in my favourite Barossa sub-region, Greenock, where the soils have a layering of red clays over a limestone base. The fruit from this section of the vineyard is aromatic and bright, without the cloying sweetness that some Shiraz and Zinfandels can have!

So layers is a theme with this vineyard story, it would make sense to call this Layers Shiraz. Unfortunately, this was trademarked so I used the Thesaurus and Stratum was the next best thing.”

£26.50 per bottle

Special Launch Price

£23.50 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

Massena Old Vine Semillon 2021

Stuart McCloskey “Semillons are difficult to assess in their youth - the magic happens with cellaring. For now, the bouquet opens to lemon balm, melon, pear, apple, fennel and lime zest. Wonderfully refreshing with gentle, phenolic grip (a little chalky). There’s an obvious mineral feel to the wine which I really enjoy. This is in a great place for mouth-watering summer drinking (lovely it is too) however, and for me, it’s a tad understated and requires a few years in the cellar to add more character. Must also bear in mind that this is a £17.50 bottle of wine, perhaps I’m being overly critical? Do not overchill and I suggest serving in a large glass (it drank better in Zalto’s Bordeaux than it did in the Universal.”

£17.50 per bottle

Special Launch Price

£15.50 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2019 Massena Stonegarden Grenache

97 Points - Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com “The 2019 Stonegarden Grenache is made with fruit from the Stonegarden Vineyard (bush vines planted circa 1858) in the Eden Valley. This is so good. It shows all of the mineralogy and graphite tannins that are so commonly found in the Eden Valley—part of what makes it such a special place. I was there recently, and driving up Mengler's Hill not only affords you a most epic view back over the Barossa Valley floor, but I find it the best place to understand the rocks in the earth that rise up out of the ground there. This wine has such endurance of flavor in the mouth that I can still taste it after having written the note. Hungarian salami, pink peppercorns, pencil shavings, raspberry pip, salted licorice, black cherries, cocoa powder... you want more? Also fennel seeds, pepper and blackberries. The tannins shape all aspects of this wine and carry it over the long (and fresh) finish.”

$75.00 per bottle to purchase direct from the winery

£33.95 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2019 Massena 'Verto' Shiraz

97 Points - Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com "This 2019 Vertø Barossa Shiraz is a super impressive wine. With density, blood and root vegetables (roasted beetroot and the like), this has lashings of licorice strap, fresh leather, aniseed, cocoa powder and Christmas cake spice. The intensity of the 2019 season is on show, and it is important to really lean into this wine, let it absorb you, because there are an infinite amount of folds and layers here to experience. The tannins are velvety and plush but not overblown. It's even a little savory. Fermented and matured in a combination of ceramic egg and French oak of varying sizes. Balance 101."

$100.00 per bottle to purchase direct from the winery

£39.95 per bottle

Only 15 bottles and two under bond cases remain

"These wines are so mouth-wateringly good it will make your pants tight, but alas they remain in tiny allocations."

2021 Nocturne Single Vineyard Chardonnay

Julian Langworthy "So in keeping with change this year sees a new site for Nocturne’s SV Chardonnay. The Forrest Vineyard in central Willyabrup.  My first and devastatingly brutal love, the tiny Tassel Park vineyard was wiped out in 2021 and in 2022 but hope springs eternal and I have learnt to love again. This pilot wine from this new site is pretty darn cool and whilst a change a very exciting one. Only 128 six packs made, I drank a few of them too.

The fruit is of course from a single site, the Forrest Vineyard in the Willyabrup sub-region of Margaret River.  Moreover this wine is from a tiny ridge section from within the middle of this vineyard selectively picked for this wine. Planted to the classic  WA Gin Gin clone it’s a wine of unbelievable natural acid presence and structural drive. The vineyard is otherwise largely flat and quite close to the coast some 3kms only and in common with Tassel Park is planted on deep silver-grey sands. The picking date is generally relatively early in the chardonnay season given the vineyard's low yielding nature.

The grapes were handpicked on 19th of February; and whole bunch-pressed directly to new, one and two-year-old puncheons, with no settling or fining processes. This juice was then carefully monitored and spontaneous fermentation kicked off on day four after pressing. After a four-week ferment the wine remained on gross lees unsulphured until August of that year. In December the wine was emptied from barrel, settled, filtered and bottled.

This is an exciting site that holds amazing acid structure and lovely al dente tannin. It needs some time to truly unfurl, unfold, and show its true colours but one sniff will show that it has the character that Nocturne’s SV Chardys are famous for. Flint, funk, just-ripe stone fruit, grilled limes and hope… In hope that change is always to grow and to hopefully improve. Get around this acid laden baby it’s a bright new future out there."

£33.95 per bottle

Launch Special 

£30.50 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2021 Nocturne Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Julian Langworthy "Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll if you please. Cabernet is back, you know it, you can’t deny it… Suggesting Cabernet is tannic and unyielding while sculling three-year-old Nebbiolo always left me a little bemused. The long and the short of it is that Cabernet, AKA the greatest grape, is a vinous dream and makes some of the world’s best, most accessible wines. Tannin? It’s a thing and a wonderful, cerebral thing at that. Something to be celebrated and embraced. If ya wanna drink cordial, find some overpriced Pinot and marvel at its lack of complexity.

2021, I’d be lying if I said it was easy, I lost hair, and the hair I had left went grey but we got there in the end…  Due almost entirely to the inherent quality of the Sheoak vineyard. Inheritably elegant is how this ‘21 Cabernet Sauvignon should be described: resolved, gentle tannins with lovely, lightly framed red fruits and great length.

We started picking Sheoak Cabernet on 7th April. Underwhelming at first, it’s a wine that’s grown in charm but possibly not stature from the start.  Instantly perfumed but lightly framed, the wine spent 12 days on skins with a peak fermentation temperature around 28˚C. The wine was pressed to tank and settled briefly, before being transferred to a combination of new (30%) and two and three-year-old barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine was only racked once in this time and, after 16 months in oak, was emptied from barrel.

100% Cabernet from 100% this very cool site.

The Sheoak vineyard makes expressive, medium-bodied, silky structured wines.  More red fruit in spectrum with crunchy cranberry characters framing the high notes of cassis and the suggestion of cedar like oak this is a very fine boned release of the Nocturne SV."

£33.95 per bottle

Launch Special 

£30.50 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2021 Nocturne Sub Regional Chardonnay

Julian Langworthy "Treeton: It’s a weird little area full of hillbillies, dairy cows and interestingly, some great Chardonnay vineyards. Cold at night, warm in the day with deep silver-grey sands that we think produce special Chardonnay. This wine is a combination of two awesome Treeton vineyards: Grace & White and Victory Point.

OK, maybe you will be happy to hear it if you’re super sadistic but ‘21 was tricky, especially for Chardonnay. It rained and rained, and it seemed to rain some more. We had super high acidities that didn’t know when to quit. As such, botrytis ate more grapes than I did, which is unusual for god’s own country of Margaret River. While avoiding the rain we picked these grapes quite early for the season and the region on 25th and 26th February, some six weeks earlier than 2019!

The grapes were harvested by hand and whole bunch-pressed directly to new, one- and two-year-old puncheons, with a smattering of barriques for good measure. We did no settling or fining. This juice was then very carefully neglected and allowed to undergo spontaneous fermentation, which kicked off on day five after pressing. After a four-week ferment the wine remained on gross lees unsulphured until August of that year. In November it was emptied from barrel, settled, filtered and bottled.

This wine is, unsurprisingly, super cool yet different. It’s pale green, smells of white stone fruits and resolved sulphide and something non-Margaret Riveresque - something distinctly international on the nose. Maybe it’s season, maybe it’s terroir but it’s pretty fkn cool. As with every Nocturne wine the texture and flavour are to die for, impeccably framed by hallmark 2021 acidity and al dente phenolic structure.  Chardonnay is what Jesus made when he turned water into wine; it’s also why we winemakers have a God complex.”

£24.00 per bottle

Launch Special 

£21.95 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2019 Nocturne Sub Regional Cabernets

The SR Cabernets is a welcome addition to the Nocturne family. It's made as a fleshier, more slurpable style of Margaret River Cabernet blend, built for drinking while you wait for the excellent Nocturne Single Vineyard Cabernet to mature.

The fruit comes from Yallingup, the Margaret River sub-region that Julian and Alana believe makes some of the best Cabernet blends in the world. The Cabernet component comes from their beloved Sheoak vineyard (the source of their SV Cabernet) and it's blended with 13% Merlot from the neighbouring vineyard farmed by the Simpsons.

It's a top value Cabernet blend from this dynamic duo. Easy drinking at a great price.

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front "Cassis and blueberry, baking spices, bay leaf and dark mint chocolate, old cupboards dusted with star anise, someone runs past with Dencorub on their buttocks, leaving just a whiff as they go. Medium-bodied, distinctly cool and ‘mineral’ feel to it, but warmed by spice and blue fruits, raspberry coulis, tannin has an emery board feel, lively, bright and long to close. All the spice, precision and charm of a cool vintage, and a lovely thing it is. Drinks beautifully."

£24.00 per bottle

Launch Special 

£21.95 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2021 Domaine Naturaliste Artus Chardonnay

Bruce Dukes, Chief Winemaker “Artus is an artistic translation of our local Gin Gin clone into wine. It is a provocative, complex and textural wine exuding the seductive spirit of “old world” chardonnay. The vines have been managed to allow only dappled light into the fruiting zone. This promotes flavor development, low tannins and bright levels of natural acidity. The fruit is farmed in the cool southern end of Margaret River. The tiny 100g Gin Gin clusters are hand harvested at first light to preserve freshness of fruit.

Gold, Margaret River Wine Show 2022

James Halliday “A wine from the big end of town, built on a scaffold of French oak barrel fermentation and stiletto acidity. Grapefruit and nectarine fill in the masonry. It is layered and balanced.”

Ray Jordan “..butterscotch aromas with ripe stone fruit adds so much to the nose and palate.  It is a highly textured wine with a dry savoury minerality providing a beautiful finish.  A little gunsmoke brings a subtle new dimension.  Cellar 9 years.”

Cassandra Charlick, WinePilot “.. It’s confident and gorgeous – the epitome of a femme fatale resplendent with curves, shoulder pads, heels and red lippy. This wine knows what it is and is unashamed in flaunting all that it has going for it. There are so many reasons to applaud, not least the length that rivals that of Elton John’s farewell tour: it goes on and on, and for good reason. Every sip leaves you aching for more.”

£33.95 per bottle

Launch Special 

£31.50 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2017 Domaine Naturaliste Morus Cabernet Sauvignon

Bruce Dukes, Chief Winemaker “Our finest cuvee of Cabernet Sauvignon from the heart of Margaret River. The gravelly soils of the vineyard are flanked by the dominant native hard wood trees named Jarrah. Jarrah trees have become a favourable and exact biological indicator that the site is ideally matched to Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit expression from this site includes violets, cassis and mulberry. Indeed, mulberry is a very attractive fruit character which is a unique part of the terroir expression of Margaret River Cabernet and our local heritage clone. This cuvee is named to reflect this unique mulberry character; Morus australis being the genus and species name for the mulberry tree.”

James Suckling and Top 100 Australian Wines 2020 “Wow. This has a regal feel from the outset with cedary oak and fresh aromas of spiced blue plums, blackberries and blueberries. Hints of tobacco and slate here, too. The palate is so polished and lively with blackcurrants and blackberries on offer. It holds very fresh, long and even. There’s great potential here. Drink over the next decade or more.”

Erin Larkin, Halliday. “Cassis, mulberry, salted black licorice and Szchuan peppercorns.  Very long, very dense and lots going on.  In his wisdom, my uncle once told me “the secret to a good party is too loud, too busy and too dark.”  This wine has all the makings of a great party – everything crammed into the bottle with the endurance to go long.”

£41.50 per bottle

Launch Special 

£37.95 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

2021 Domaine Naturaliste Purus Chardonnay

Bruce Dukes, Chief Winemaker “Purus is a translation of pristine flavours, textures and climate of southern Margaret River Chardonnay into wine. The vines have been carefully managed to allow only dappled light into the fruiting zone. This promotes flavour development, low tannins and bright levels of natural acidity. The fruit is sourced from select parcels of Dijon clones grown in the cool southern end of Margaret River. The compact bunches of perfectly solarized berries are hand harvested at first light to preserve freshness of fruit. Pure perfumes of white pear, jasmine flower and wet granite are elegantly suspended above a palate carved from grapefruit pith and white nectarine flesh. Lashings of focused white fruit tannin and porcelain texture and length culminate in a sheer wall of quenching minerality and bristling tension.”

97 points – Gold Award, James Halliday “The glittering green hue is a pointer to what is to come. Complex barrel ferment aromas bring crushed cashew and a funky wreath of blanched almonds into play. It is the brightest and quicksilver-lightest on its feet of the three chardonnay siblings, with fantastic length and perfect balance”

£33.95 per bottle

Launch Special 

£31.50 per bottle

Also available to buy under bond

Winning review from February

The review drawn from the hat, to receive two bottles of wine this month, was Nick’s review of the Utopos Cabernet Shiraz blend… Congratulations to Nick whose prize will be arriving with him early next week. Please keep writing reviews for The Vinorium and each wine you order from us, not only do we find every response fascinating but you’re also in with a chance to win two bottles of wine every month.

Read what Nick had to say

“The pedigree and sourcing vineyards behind some of the Vinoriums's wines is incredible, and many are understandably only increasing in price as others see this taking many out of my price range.  If similarly indisposed, the Utopos Cabernet Shiraz Blend 2019 presents a lot of pleasure. Young still, some perfume and spice on the nose. The palate is richly fruited, a little oak in evidence but smooth tannins and balancing acidity giving a seamless whole.  More like shall we have a second bottle than second glass!”