Wine Brain

Name: Wine Brain
Address: 31/7 Drewery Lane, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, AU
Telephone: +61413120385

W**E BRAIN (brand story, strategy, web/social content, comms, export, trade/consumer experience for

11/09/2026

In Glass Conversations: Grenache - really interesting collab between W**e Companion and 67 Pall Mall on Sat 29 Aug.

Anna Webster ed. **ecompanion hosted panellists Amelia Nolan **e Stephen Pannell and Giles Cooke MW **es – all making some of the most exciting w**es in Australia today.

2022 Alkina ‘Polygon 3’ Grenache, Greenock, Barossa Valley
Grown on 27 h of schist and limestone. No oak contact, vinified in concrete (10% porosity of oak) and temperature controlled for a cool ferment, 50% whole bunch. Lilacs, spice, red cherry, raspberry, pink peppercorn, cool minty, snappy acid; incredible power and drive. (97pts Halliday, RRP $295.)

2022 S.C. Pannell ‘Sunrise’ Grenache, Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale
From a then 99-yo vineyard, on sandy soils, destemmed and vinified in decade old vat. Lavender, black cherry, strawberry, leather, warm spices, oolong tea, beetroot, dusty tannins; great power, length, and tension. (98pts Halliday, RRP $250.)

2022 Thistledown ‘This Charming Man’ Grenache, Clarendon, McLaren Vale
Named after the Smiths song. Wayne Smart’s 100 yo vineyard, which was close to being pulled but (luckily) the grant was rejected. At 30 m alt., on heavier clay soils. Baking spice, strawberry, raspberry, Campari, dried orange peel, cured meats, snappy acid; excellent length, complexity and drive. (97pts Halliday, RRP $80.)

Read more https://www.w**ebrain.com.au/news/2026/8/31/in-glass-conversations-grenache

12/08/2026

Viennese inspired waltz – Schmölzer & Brown ‘Prét-à-Blanc’, King Valley – full of lemon blossom, elderflower, yellow pear, golden delicious apple, kiwi skin; following on palate with Meyer lemon, spicy white pepper, heady, aromatic cedar and incense, with prickly pear and granitic notes to the slippery, glycerol texture. (Tasted 28 Jul ‘26, Fruit Day.)

W**emaker, Tessa Brown, based in Beechworth blends Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Sylvaner, and Riesling from the Upper King Valley on Taungurung country. Like Prét-à-porter, this is ready-to-wear, inspired by the dry, refreshing, Viennese field blends, Gemischtersatz.

From the **ebar Winter Deadman’s Dozen.

**eTasting **es

10/08/2026

Voluptuous, wintry white – 2025 Sigurd Chenin Blanc, Barossa Valley – notes of honeysuckle, croissant, Meyer lemon, lemon thyme, magnolia on the nose; following on the palate with lemon curd, elderflower, fresh cut hay, cashew, and quince. Mouth-filling weight, balanced by zippy acid. 12% Alc./Vol. Tasted 25 Jul with marinated goats’ cheese and pickles.

W**emaker Dan Piwko-Graham named Sigurd after his grandfather and uses minimal intervention. Fruit sourced from Barossa Valley (85% from Vine Vale on sandy soils and Light Pass floor) and Clare Valley (15% from an elevated, 60-yo vineyard in the north of Clare).

A firm press brought out phenolics, then fermented on lees 8-20 days, 100% MLF in French and Slovenian oak puncheons, 1000L cask and 3200L foudre. All racked to stainless for 6 weeks and bottled with minimal sulphur.

From the **ebar Winter Deadman’s Dozen.

**eTasting **es

07/08/2026

Last week, the Drink Victorian trade tasting at Marvel stadium was a blast. 200 producers, 1000 w**e pros, and a great chance to taste some new stuff and reacquaint with old favs. Highlights for me:

**e Alpine Vista, a high country Vermentino, Barbera, Sangiovese bracket from Jo Marsh
**es Matthew Aulich’s Heathcote ‘Vita’ Nero d’Avola, Sangiovese, Schioppettino
Mark Walpole showed lovely Verdicchio and ’22 Tempranillo with some bottle age
had a really serious Prosecco and a great Montepulciano
**e Raquel Jones had outstanding Beechworth Albariño and Tempranillo; she’d found a new-to-Aus clone during a research project
**es Bri Conway had an excellent pair of Chardonnays, Gamay and Pinot Noir from YV
Mayer Yarra Valley’s Timo and Rivan Mayer’s fantastic Close Planted Pinot and Bloody Hill Villages Rouge
**e lovely Circle of Fifths Chardonnay and Pinot, and Primavera Pinot from Yarra Valley
Andrew and Pat showing the new Macedon Vermentino and Reserve Pinot Noir

Beautifully expressed Italian and Spanish varieties alongside Chardonnay and Pinots. And great to have Victorian producers of all sizes together under one roof.

**etasting **e

05/08/2026

Supple, complex Cab Franc – 2025 Gertie Cabernet Franc, Clare Valley – notes of violets, blackcurrant, pencil shavings, kirsch, black plum, and mineral tension. Juicy and velvety with blueberry and raspberry, notes of rosemary, spearmint, and liquorice, tomato stem, and a twist of black pepper. Great length. 13.6% Alc./Vol.

Made by Ben Marx from Clare Valley fruit, wild yeast ferment, 3.5% whole bunch. Four weeks post-ferment maceration to build depth. Min. sulphur, not filtered, not fined.

A side project from his day job at Jim Barry. A small production, sourced from the last blocks of Cab Franc left in Clare Valley; only 300 doz produced. Tasted on 19 Jul, Root Day.

From the **ebar Winter Deadman’s Dozen.

**eTasting **es

01/08/2026

Nero siren song – 2025 Alpha Box Dice 'Siren' Nero d'Avola, McLaren Vale – aromatics of rosewater, lavender, and cassis; with strawberry, black cherry, chocolate bullets, olive tapenade; and grippier rhubarb, terracotta, oolong tea, cacao, and pink peppercorn. Balanced and plush, with lots of complexity to interest. 14% Alc./Vol.

Handpicked, wild ferment, 15% whole bunch; 2/3 on skins for 21 days, 1/3 for 150 days; matured 10 months in seasoned barriques, full, natural malo.

W**emaker Sam Berketa sources fruit from McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley. This one’s from organic, dark sandy loam over limestone site on the Tatachilla home block in McLaren Vale, 45m alt., near the ocean. The vines are Nero d'Avola MAT 1 clone on Merlot rootstock. Tasted on 14 Jul, Flower Day.

**eTasting

28/07/2026

Looks more dangerous than it is – 2020 Heartw**es ‘Danger’ Shiraz, Blewitt Springs – an inky glass, full of blackberry, blackcurrant/cassis, kalamata olives, black pepper; with notes of lavender and musk stick, vanilla pod, and sweet balsamic. Bit of age softens the mouth-filling tannins; delightful. 13.5% Alc./Vol.

Handpicked from organic 21yo vines in Blewitt Springs, the cooler, higher part of McLaren Vale (180m alt.). Natural ferment, 25% whole bunch, aged in old French barriques and one new French puncheon, min. sulphur.

Heartw**es is the small batch, non-interventionist side project of Melbourne w**e importer, distributor and retailer Randall Pollard and partner Paula Munroe. McLaren Vale master, the late Peter Fraser (’24 W**emaker of the Year, Yangarra) made this w**e. Gone too soon. Tasted on 11 Jul, Root Day.

**eTasting

25/07/2026

Lifted, pure, new wave Spanish grenache – 2023 El Galayo Vino Tinto Garnacha – shows raspberry on the cane, wild strawberry, thyme, tomato leaf, pomegranate, red cherry, rosehips, white pepper. Pure aromatics, snappy acid drive, great length. 14.5% Alc./Vol.

50-year-old, organic, bush vines grown on granite/slate/quartz stony soils at very high alt. (750-1100m!). Wild ferment in concrete, 6 months in large format French oak vats.

Made in the Cebreros DO (part of Castilla y Leon, near Madrid), by w**emaker Jesus Soto who helped rebuild the local co-operative of 200 w**egrowers in the village of Cebreros, in the Sierra de Gredos. Tasted 10 Jul, Fruit Day.

From the **ebar Winter Deadman’s Dozen. Imported by

**eTasting

22/07/2026

Snappy, aromatic, Italianate red – 2024 La Prova Sangiovese, Adelaide Hills – full of red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, dark chocolate; with savoury dried oregano, cherry tomato, balsamic, truffle salt. Zippy, vibrant acid and crunchy tannins. 13.9% Alc./Vol. Vegan.

Grown on The Blows Vineyard, Macclesfield on ironstone and sandy loam in a great vintage. Destemmed, open fermenter, skins for 1 month, matured in old, large FR oak for 9 months. Unfined, unfiltered.

W**emaker Sam Scott est. La Prova in 2008. He works with sustainable growers and is one of the early adopters of Italian varieties (Sang, Temp, Neb, Fiano) suited to a warming climate. This cool climate expression of Sangiovese is balanced, aromatic, and a great food w**e. Tasted 4 Jul, Flower Day.

Lovely foil to pan-fried duck with oyster sauce. From the **ebar Autumn Deadman’s Dozen.

**eTasting **es

19/07/2026

Great Sunday session in Melbourne... The Real Review Top 100 Tasting with w**e chat d'Arenberg
Walk on the Yarra then **es Beechworth Chardonnay and snacks Gimlet
Dinner Smith + Deli new vegan spot in the city
Digestif local Amaro Le Pub & Bottle Shop
**e Julie Belic | Photographer

Address

31/7 Drewery Lane
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Telephone

+61413120385

Website

https://www.winebrain.com.au/

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