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Description
This pack celebrates six exceptional Australian female winemakers.
These wines come from all corners of the country, showcasing a wide range of varieties and winemaking styles.
- 2023 Rieslingfreak No. 11 Mosaik Eden Valley Riesling
- 2024 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Schatz Sylvaner
- 2023 Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper Fiano
- 2024 Stargazer Rada Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir
- 2022 Billy Button The Alluring Tempranillo
- 2024 Ochota Barrels Where's the Pope? Syrah
2023 Rieslingfreak No. 11 Mosaik Eden Valley Riesling
John Hughes, the mastermind behind Rieslingfreak, has a knack for pushing Riesling into exciting new territory. His No. 11 “Mosaik” Eden Valley Riesling is no exception, blending classic Eden Valley purity with a touch of creative flair.
For this release, Hughes aged pristine Eden Valley fruit in seasoned French oak barrels for a year, adding depth and texture without overshadowing the wine’s natural freshness. The result is a Riesling with beautiful layers of citrus zest, fresh pineapple, and a hint of salted nuts, all wrapped in a silky, creamy texture. The time in oak also brings subtle spice and structure, balancing the zippy acidity that Riesling lovers crave.
Whether you’re a diehard Riesling fan or just starting your exploration, the No. 11 is a brilliant wine. Pair it with fragrant Thai dishes, a creamy cheese board, or enjoy it on its own as a conversation starter.
This is an outrageously delicious and complex offering from John & Belinda Hughes. It's exclusively available at Different Drop. Riesling lovers, you can't miss this.
2024 Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown Schatz Sylvaner
So many interesting new things emerging from the Vigneron Schmolzer & Brown cellar at the moment.
With their core range of Pret-a-Blanc, Rouge and Rose consistently delivering value, and their single vineyard wines from cooler sites in Beechworth and the Whitlands region finding their way onto premium wine lists and into considered cellars, they are now experimenting with smaller batches of fruit to make a few curios that add colour to the range.
This Sylvaner is a serious look at the variety. A little barrel ferment and a touch of skin contact for a little grip have done wonders for this often-times neutral variety.
The flavours are subtle, all flowers, spice and a pristine line of refreshing acidity. Small amounts made but 100% worth a look.
94 points
"Kasia Sobiesiak described last year’s Schatz Sylvaner as an “aromatised bitter white wine with a dazzling texture” and given that the same kind of descriptor applies here, I can’t top that. This is so floral and so detailed and so well flavoured and so lingering, but the grainy, rind-like, dry tension of the texture is what really captivates. A kind of salty, tonic-like, sea-spray aspect doesn’t hurt either. VS&B are really on a winner here."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
2023 Unico Zelo Jade & Jasper Fiano
"One of those white wines that can suit almost any situation calling for a good glass - it's destined for the lunch table."
- Brendan & Laura Carter
The Unico Zelo owner/winemaking dynamic duo of Brendan and Laura Carter are hugely passionate about Fiano, and they wholeheartedly believe in this variety's suitability to Australia's climate and culture.
So do we, it's a winner.
This comes from the ancient sandy limestone soils on the iconic Ricca Terra Farms vineyard in the Riverland region of South Australia. Like in previous years it's a wonderfully textural wine, with the detail and balancew improving each and every year.
All up it's delicious to drink, perfectly built for enjoying with food and great value for money.
2024 Stargazer Rada Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir
This is a delicious lighter styled red from the talented hands of Sam Connew.
Here, Sam blends Pinot Meunier from Pipers Brook with Pinot Noir from the Coal River Valley to give a summery red wine that can be enjoyed while the weather is warm.
There's sweetness from the lively Pinot Noir fruit, a touch of savouriness from the Meunier. It's packaged beautifully and ready to rip into.
If you like to have something that's red but crisp and crunchy in your glass, this is a fine choice.
2022 Billy Button The Alluring Tempranillo
Jo Marsh's Billy Button 'The Alluring' Tempranillo is a classic cool-climate Temp with a little attitude.
Jo selects two parcels of fruit each year from two different vineyards in her beloved Alpine Valleys. One parcel has fruit which is a little brighter, the other a little more savoury. Together they create just the right amount of 'allure' in the wine, a Tempranillo which is ready to go, right now, whenever you are.
Made in typically small amounts (as is the Billy Button way), you'll need to be quick if you want to give this a whirl.
2024 Ochota Barrels Where's the Pope? Syrah
This wine only entered the Ochota Barrels fray a few years ago, the cryptically named Where's the Pope? Syrah.
This comes from younger vines planted in 1996 on the Green Room Grenache vineyard in McLaren Vale.
Of course, it's not your run of the mill McLaren Vale Shiraz: it comes with all the perfume, lift and energy that you expect from the wines of Ochota Barrels.
Prettiness is not a character you would typically use to describe Shiraz from this region, but this is made with a gentle hand, some soft foot-stomping and a short time in old barrels.
It's lively, fresh and super silky to drink. McLaren Vale Shiraz at its most elemental. Delicious stuff.
