Robin Day, well known for his past work with Orlando Wyndham, Pernod-Ricard and his international wine judging and consultancy, is a champion of some pretty rare and unusual grape varieties.
    Grown on his own estate in South Australia's Mount Crawford region are the four now being added to the Woods Wines portfolio: Garganega (pronounced "ga ga ney ga"), Lagrein, Sangiovese and a quite exceptional Riesling.  His Garganega is actually the first planting of the variety anywhere outside of Italy's Alto Adige region, and only one grower has beaten him to plantings of Lagrein (also from the Alto Adige) in Australia.
    Both wines make a compelling case for further plantings, the white Garganega being a surprising combination of explosive fruit and satisfying minerality, while the red Lagrein is juicy, fruity and savoury with beautiful tannins and a wonderful compatibility with food.
    Sangiovese - Tuscany's primary grape variety - is becoming quite well known here now, and this is an excellent example.  You won't be disappointed by the Riesling either: James Halliday's Wine Companion 2013 has rated it 94 points, and it's destined to live and improve for at least another 10 years, assuming anyone can resist drinking it that long!
    If you're interested in getting to know any of Robin's wines, call us.  We'd be more than happy to talk to you!

We'll do a fuller report soon, but David Anderson dropped in this week and mentioned they'd completed their pick for the year, and some of it looks surprisingly good.  Fans know that his super-premium "Duck Muck" Shiraz is only made in exceptional years when the grapes manage super ripeness while retaining good acidity.  Well, it's not certain yet, but there could well be a Duck Muck this year!  Fingers crossed. . .