Briar Ridge owner-general manager Jaclyn Davis says the $25, 2018 shiraz-verduzzo is an Australian wine industry first.

It’s a 70 per cent shiraz and 30 per cent verduzzo blend from grapes grown in the central-western NSW Orange vineyard of Hunter-based Pepper Tree Wines Pty Ltd, owned by geologist-turned-vigneron Dr John Davis and his family.

The Davis group also runs the Pepper Tree winery, in Halls Rd, Pokolbin, the Briar Ridge vineyard and winery and the Tallavera Grove vineyard in Mount View Rd, Mount View, and South Australian vineyards at Coonawarra and Wrattonbully.

The Pepper Tree brands have been producing zesty, fruity whites from its Orange verduzzo vines for more than a decade but the 2018 shiraz-verduzzo is the first red blend.

The architect of the wine is Hunter Wine Awards’ 2015 Rising Star of the Year Gwyn Olsen, who is Pepper Tree head winemaker and Briar Ridge consultant winemaker.

She and Briar Ridge winemaker Alex Beckett co-fermented the varieties’ hand-picked grapes and aimed for minimal tannin extraction to create an accessible and easy-drinking style.

Gwyn says the wine was a response to the growing demand for wines that are preservative-free and vegan-friendly by having no fish, animal or egg products used in the winemaking process.

Although a shiraz-verduzzo mix may be globally unique, blending white wine into reds has long been done in France, most famously where viognier is mixed with shiraz to add aromatics to such celebrated reds as Cote-Rotie.

In 1971 Tim Kirk was an Australian pioneer of the style with his Clonakilla wines and today shiraz-viogners are now commonplace.

As far back as 1960, however, Barossa legend Peter Lehmann made a blend of 80 per cent shiraz and 20 per cent white muscadelle grapes during his 19-year term as Saltram winemaker-manager. Muscadelle is the variety that produces many of our lush Aussie fortifieds and Peter’s creation sold as the Saltram 1960 Bin 28 Burgundy. After Peter quit Saltram in 1979 to set up his own company he made the Peter Lehmann Shiraz-Muscadelle reds from 2002 on.

Along with the Briar Ridge shiraz-verduzzo, all today’s reviewed reds have a dose of white wine.

Moppity Vineyard’s 2015 Reserve Hilltops Shiraz has 97 per cent shiraz and 3 per cent viognier while the Yarra Yering 2016 Dry Red Wine No 2 has an infusion of viognier and marsanne in the dominant shiraz and mataro (aka mourvedre).

THE Briar Ridge 2018 Shiraz-Verduzzo is a piquant drop with 13.8 per cent alcohol, bright crimson hues, jelly bean scents and zingy plum front-palate flavour. The middle palate has berry pastille, licorice, cloves and restrained cedary oak and the finish dusty tannins. It’s at the Mount View Rd, Mount View, cellar door and briarridge.com.au. 

PRICE: $25.

DRINK WITH:lamb koftas.

AGEING: four years.

RATING: 4 stars (out of 6)

THE Yarra Yering 2016 Dry Red Wine No 2 is a multi-faceted, inky purple,14.2 per cent-alcohol delight. It has scents of raspberries and herbs and vibrant cassis front-palate flavour. It displays a middle palate of Maraschino cherry, spice and mocha oak and a minty tannins finish. It’s atyarrayering.com and the Briarity Rd, Coldstream, winery.

 PRICE: $105.

DRINK WITH: roast pork.

AGEING: 15 years.

RATING: 5.5 stars

FROM Jason and Alecia Brown’s vineyard near Young, the Moppity 2015 Reserve Hilltops Shiraz has 13.9% alcohol, deep garnet hues and bramble jelly aromas. The front palate shows spicy blackcurrant flavour, the middle palate rhubarb, briar, spearmint and savoury oak and the finish peppery tannins. It’s at moppity.com.au and some wine shops.

PRICE: $80.

DRINK WITH: veal ragu.

AGEING: 12 years.

RATING: 5 stars