I used to surf a lot with a friend who constantly claimed he was getting barrelled and practically living in the green room. Maybe I’ll gift him a bottle of this delicious Grenache with its peppery, twangy tannin and bouncy juicy, pomegranate vibes. Just because we don’t surf together anymore, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be nice to share a wine.

Ochota Barrels Green Room Grenache 2024

We love wines with that characteristic, that age in the glass with incremental warmth and grow luscious and supple with cherry and a persistent granite. The thread holding it all together is the tannin, and here it’s dusty, and coiled in a tightly wrapped, but thin acidity.

Ochota Barrels Texture Like Sun Gamay 2024

This carefully handcrafted wine boasts purity in spades and is overflowing with character and charm. Fruit for this wine came from a unique vineyard overlooking the Goulburn River, sitting on rich alluvial soils in an area that’s home to many retired volcanoes—Dane has told us more than once that the quality of fruit from this spot is incredible! The Syrah is a blend of two separate ferments, which both underwent semi-carbonic maceration with 10 days on skins. In the glass, expect bright and lifted fruit flavours, with intermingling notes of bramble berries, boysenberry, and raspberry coulis. There’s a fresh acidity and energy to the wine that make it perfect for summertime drinking. It’s fantastic as is, but if we were you, we’d chuck this one on ice before drinking.