What is going to save the wine world?
“What’s going to save the wine world, I think, is diversity,” said Master of Wine, leading wine importer and writer, David Gleave at a tasting in Marlborough last week.
We (a handful of New Zealand wine writers) were seated in a new tasting room on a hilltop in the Omaka Valley; the new home for Blank Canvas wines when Gleave led us through an inspiring line-up of diverse wines from Australia. Specifically, he was talking about McLaren Vale in South Australia, which is the home region to the Willunga 100 brand, which he co-founded in 2004 with John Ratcliffe.
The pair's initial focus was on classic South Australian grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz) but Grenache soon emerged as the cornerstone of the range. Today, Willunga 100 is also embracing Mediterranean white varieties that are well suited to warm growing conditions, which Australia has in abundance.
Picpoul, Grenache Blanc, Vermentino and Fiano are increasingly gaining attention for their ability to retain freshness and character in a changing climate, not only in Australia, but in other pockets of the wine world.
Willunga 100’s first Blewitt Springs Picpoul reflects that approach. Sourced from estate fruit grown on deep sandy soils, the wine combines stainless steel and oak-matured components before blending, resulting in a fresh, textural style with citrus, stone fruit and subtle phenolic grip. Just 2,500 bottles were produced.
The 2025 McLaren Vale Grenache Blanc continues the Mediterranean theme. A small proportion of Grenache Gris adds complex notes to a wine that is floral, savoury and completely dry, with impressive freshness.
Grenache, however, remains at the heart of the Willunga 100 wine portfolio. Many of the vineyards are located in Blewitt Springs, one of McLaren Vale’s best known subregions for the variety. Deep Maslin sands over clay and ironstone, combined with old dry-grown bush vines, provide ideal conditions for producing wines of fragrance, detail and finesse.
The 2025 Willunga 100 Estate Grenache captures the house style, balancing purity and freshness with around 12% whole-bunch fermentation and aging in a combination of seasoned French oak and stainless steel. Three single-vineyard wines further explore the influence of site, from the richer, more generous Blind Spot Grenache to the savoury, finely structured Smart Grenache.
More broadly, the range reinforces Gleave’s belief that diversity is about more than alternative varieties. It is also about recognising the individuality of vineyard sites and allowing regions to evolve in response to changing conditions.
Wine of the Week
2024 Willunga 100 Trott Vineyard Grenache AU $70
Planted in the 1950s on sand over ironstone in Blewitt Springs, the Trott Vineyard produces a Grenache of lifted aromatics and structure with 10% whole-bunch fermentation bringing bold fruit richness which combines with noticeable tannin structure and aromas offering layers of cherry, raspberry and red berry fruit, supported by subtle spice. Elegant and powerful, this was my stand-out of the Willunga 100 line-up - and it puts forward a compelling case for the greatness of Grenache.
