The Other Wine Co

The Other Wine Co. is a new venture that aims to make wines from the right grape, grown in the right place. That may sound obvious, but it’s a principle honoured more “in the breach than the observance.” Really good matches of variety and place take a long time to become entrenched, but when they do, the proof is in the glass.The first two wines from The Other Wine Co. are classic matches of region and variety. Grenache from McLaren Vale has often been overshadowed by Shiraz and even Cabernet Sauvignon, but in the last decade it has become more and more clear that Grenache is the gem of the vale. The old bush vines, grown without irrigation, that are in their prime for making great Grenache are, in our view, among the viticultural treasures of Australia. Pinot Gris, like Grenache, can be and has been under-valued at times in Australia. It has often been grown in warm climates, cropped too high, and made without much ambition. But it’s worth remembering that Pinot Gris is Pinot Noir’s white twin, genetically the same, but a very different personality. In the high-altitude, high-rainfall hills to the east of Adelaide, Gris is perfectly placed to perform, and to give wines of texture that retain freshness and character. The Other Wine Co. wines are vinified and bottled at the Shaw + Smith winery in Balhannah. The wines are ‘other’ because they give the winemakers the opportunity to make wines from varieties and/or regions that fall outside of Shaw + Smith’s rigorous definition. Stylistically, the wines avoid over-ripeness, oak and power in preference to freshness, balance and overall drinkability. These are made to drink and enjoy. That’s it!