Why this wine matters
More than a famous label.
The 2022 came from a cool La Niña season and the estate explicitly prioritises balance and perfume over sheer power.
Shaw + Smith · Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Shiraz
Cool-climate Shiraz · red fruit · blue fruit · white pepper · medium-bodied
Shaw + Smith Shiraz is one of Australia’s clearest cool-climate counterpoints to the heavier Barossa style.
Country
Australia
Region
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Appellation
Adelaide Hills
Grapes
Shiraz
Style
Red
Realistic spend
£29–£35
Budget band: £20–£35
Best moments
birthdayfathers daybarbecuedinner partygift
A cool-climate Australian Shiraz for birthdays, Father’s Day and meat-led dinners.
How it is made
The decisions behind the style.
Fruit is hand picked and fermented as whole berries and whole bunches, then matured for about ten months in 500–600 litre French oak, around 20% new.
What does it taste like?
The shape of the wine.
Red and blue fruit meet white pepper and savoury spice, with grippy tannin, freshness and a medium-weight palate.
Body4/5
Acidity4/5
Tannin4/5
Sweetness0/5
Oak influence2/5
Freshness4/5
Aroma5/5
Serve it well
Serve around 16–18°C.
If this wine were human…
The understated heavyweight
If Shiraz were human, it would be carries far more presence than the lack of theatrics initially suggests.
substantialsharp-mindedstrong-willedunfussy
Does any of this sound suspiciously familiar?
Carries far more presence than the lack of theatrics initially suggests. You like confidence, but not the sort that needs to keep announcing itself.
At dinner, you are the person who quietly improves the seating plan without ever admitting there was a seating plan. Secretly, you like old-fashioned things when they are done with enough confidence to feel modern again.
In short: carries far more presence than the lack of theatrics initially suggests. cool-climate shiraz energy, translated into a person.
Purely for fun — this is the wine’s fictional personality, not a psychological reading of yours.
What to eat with it
And the cheese?
No dead ends.
Start with this wine and move straight into cheese, or build a whole tasting around it.
Keep exploring
There are 365 more wines where this came from.
Research sources
This profile is researched against producer or similarly authoritative material. Vintage-specific details are kept separate from the permanent wine identity.