Our new Nero d'Avola is here! 🍇

It's finally here: our 2021 Nero d'Avola!

I fell in love with the Nero d'Avola grape during my trips to Italy as a young winemaker.

The black grape from Avola is native to Sicily, the southern island at the tip of the Italian peninsula. I visited the vineyards of Avola, and was struck by their many similarities to our home in McLaren Vale.

Like Avola, the Vale is defined by its hot Summers and cooling sea breezes. My dream of a South Australian Nero d'Avola was born.

Now, decades later, we make a tiny batch of Nero d'Avola in the Vale, and the results don't disappoint.

After picking at full ripeness, we crush into our traditional open-topped concrete fermenters. We age the wine in seasoned oak barrels for one year before release.

This is a spicy, savoury red which bursts with black plum and cherry fruit flavours.

This wine is the ultimate match for Mediterranean cooking. I love serving it alfresco with simple pastas like my Fennel and Salami Recipe.

This is a tiny batch wine - it won't be available in bottle shops or restaurants. You can order from our website or taste and purchase at our McLaren Vale Cellar Door.

As always we are including a bonus bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and free shipping with every mixed or straight dozen.Life's too short to drink anything other than great wine!

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker

This wine is our best kept secret...

This is my best kept secret – the Virginia Vineyard Shiraz Merlot Cabernet.

This wine offers unbeatable quality at an everyday drinking price.

Each year, it’s released directly to our mailing list and sells out within days, if not hours. Today, I have good news – the 2021 vintage has arrived!

The new release is a smooth, generous style with mellow, lingering oak character. It has delicious flavours of plum, blackberry, chocolate, and spice. Click here to see me taste the new wine.

The Virginia Vineyard Red has over sixty 5-star reviews on our website. Here are a few:

“Stunning. Best value red in Australia - no doubt.” – Gerard C, Queensland 2021

"Simply a great drop. You will not find a better red at this price point anywhere else - I challenge you!" - Chris M, Victoria, 2021

Try Virginia Vineyard for yourself today. I guarantee your total satisfaction or your money back.

Because life's too short to drink anything other than great wine!

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker

 

The 2021 'Il Briccone' Shiraz Sangiovese has arrived!

Our newest red has arrived - the 2021 'Il Briccone' Shiraz Sangiovese!

In Italian, Il Briccone is ‘the rogue’ – a spirited, mischief-making rascal.

This wine is my mischievous blend of Shiraz and Sangiovese. 25 years ago, when I first dreamt up the wine, I was told that the combination would “only ruin great Shiraz fruit”.

I was a young Australian winemaker with Italian parents. To me, the idea of blending classic grapes with exciting new Italian varietals made sense.

Since then, Il Briccone has grown in reputation to become our most popular red wine.

Today, we make it by crushing McLaren Vale fruit into open-topped concrete fermenters. We age the wine in seasoned oak barrels for one year before release.

2021 was the kind of year that winemakers dream of. Ample rain in the 2020 Winter produced a healthy canopy in the vines. The cool, dry picking season gave us a harvest with bountiful yield and exceptional quality.

The result - a vibrant, full-bodied red brimming with plum, pepper, and spice. The Sangiovese adds a burst of cherry to the wine's savoury finish.

Il Briccone shines when poured alongside hearty, tomato-based cooking. We love serving it with my Mum’s Polpette Recipe – meatballs in a rich tomato sauce.

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker

Primo Pecorino in Halliday Top 100!

James Halliday has put our Primo Pecorino in his Top 100 Wines of 2021! 🐑✨

Here's what he had to say:

“The highly floral bouquet is left by the wayside by the richness and succulence (but not sweetness) of the palate. It strikes a further blow with its titanium backbone of acidity.” - 96 points, drink to 2025.

Grazie James! 🥂