We are proud of the fact that our own-label wines always offer seriously good value for money. Despite rising costs and increases in duty, we have committed to maintaining prices across the range and introduce new wines, like those below at the most attractive price we can. It’s thanks to the way The Wine Society is run and to our members’ ongoing support that we are able to do this.
Colin McBryde & Jen Gardner – Adelina Wines
The people behind: The Society’s Exhibition Clare Valley Riesling
Clare Valley riesling is one of the great wine styles of Australia and one of the most distinctive, so it felt like a gap in our Exhibition-label portfolio. Buyer Freddy Bulmer was looking for a partner who could make reliably consistent wines with access to great fruit and someone with an open mind. Colin McBryde fitted the bill perfectly and when Freddy asked if he would be interested in creating a wine especially for us, happily he said yes! Freddy has been a fan of Col’s wines for years: ‘The ‘Some Young Punks’ wines that Col and his wife Jen set up together were some of the first I really got into when I first joined the wine industry.’ Freddy had met Col a few times over the years and liked his direct, no-nonsense approach. Not only does he make great wines, he’s also open to working collaboratively and was up for making a wine to the specification Freddy felt we needed.
About Col and Jen and Adelina Wines
Col set up Adelina Wines with his wife Jen Gardner in 2002. Vineyard and cellar (which are owned by Jen’s parents) are in Springfarm, just south of the town of Clare, South Australia. They grow 6.5 hectares of vines, all red, some originally planted in 1915. The vineyards are nestled between those of their well-established neighbours, Wendouree, whose wines Col has always admired.
For the whites, Col and Jen source grapes from across the Clare Valley and its sub-regions from growers and friends who share their philosophy. The fruit for our Exhibition Riesling comes from sites in Polish Hill River and White Hutt and from vines 20-30 years old. The wine is made at Adelina in the couple’s little winery which Col says is ‘relatively basic’, joking that the most elaborate piece of equipment is the coffee machine!
A native New Zealander, Col has been in the industry more than 30 years, making wine across New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Italy. He came to Australia in the late 1990s on a scholarship to study oenology (where he met Jen who was doing a PhD in microbiology) going on to complete a PhD based around wine yeast and evolution. It’s the drive to experiment and reimagine Clare Valley wines while keeping things authentic that sets Col and Jen apart.
What’s the wine like?
Our Exhibition Clare Valley Riesling, while still classically styled, really hits the brief that Freddy gave Col. Clean and vibrant, in a super-focused citrus-driven style, it’s accessible and easy to enjoy. Perfect for drinking with shellfish, pre-dinner nibbles, or on its own on a warm day, we’re confident you’ll enjoy this gateway into a great Australian wine icon.
Bischöfsliecher Weingüter
The new people behind: The Society’s Mosel Riesling
Our connection to this wine producer goes back to the 1970s when they went by the name of Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, known since 2022 as Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier. Buyer Fiona Hayes tells us that former buyer Marcel Orford-Williams had stopped by regularly to taste the wines, and had watched them get better and better over recent years.
Owned by the church (previously as three separate estates) their winery is in the middle of Trier – quite the logistical headache, Fiona says, just getting all the grapes to the winery and processing them on different floors. Crucially, the group owns some impressive vineyards around Saar, Mosel and Ruwer, giving them access to great fruit and allowing them to produce a wine for us that’s highly consistent from vintage to vintage.
What makes them special?
Despite their size, the winemaking is focused on a commitment to producing terroir-driven wines that truly reflect the unique characteristics of these legendary steep slopes. The vineyards, spanning approximately 120 hectares, include 12 prestigious growths such as Graacher Himmelreich, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, and Trittenheimer Apotheke, showcasing a diverse range of microclimates and soil types.
The winery is also home to an extensive cellar network beneath the historic city of Trier, covering around 30,000m² and home to the world’s largest operational fuder (foudre – large wooden barrel) cellar.
What about our Society wine?
Our wine is very much an entry-level one for this winery and as such it really overdelivers for the price! Keen to showcase the special taste of Mosel riesling, with its crisp acidity and fantastic vibrant juiciness, the winery has put its heart and soul into this new wine.
Just off-dry, it is refreshing and versatile and coming from a cool climate, it is naturally lower in alcohol. Delicious with smoked salmon, smoked-trout tartlets or a cheeseboard, a stand-out pairing they recommend is with Caesar salad. Try it for yourself!
Try a bottle of The Society’s Mosel Riesling 2023 (with or without a Caesar salad).
Vincent Eymann of Weingut Eymann
The winemaker behind our new Exhibition Spätburgunder
The quality of spätburgunder (pinot noir) has been on the ascendancy for several years in Germany, thanks in part to warmer summers, improved winemaking and vineyards planted with the best clones reaching maturity. The perfect time, then, to introduce a wine to our range under our Exhibition label.
Fiona turned to a young winemaker in the Pfalz region to make the. Vincent Eymann represents the new generation of winemakers that are establishing themselves in the industry. Vincent took over the family estate in 2015. They have been pioneers of biodynamics and organic viticulture since the 1980s and Vincent continues to elevate the estate by fine tuning his winemaking, travelling and tasting widely to constantly improve what the estate is doing.
Although experimental in their outlook (they explore other varieties such as chardonnay, pinot gris, pinot blanc and gewurztraminer), riesling and pinot noir are the focus. Vincent strives to express the terroir and character of the vintage in the most compelling way – all in the most hands-off way possible.
What’s special about their spätburgunder?
Weingut Eymann only work with pinot noir grapes produced by massal selection from Burgundian vines (a traditional way of propagating vines by taking cuttings from established vineyards). The grapes from these vines have much smaller berries than most of those of German origin, leading to more colour and tannin than you generally find in German spätburgunders. The grapes are particularly suited to the heavy loess soils of the region making for rich, powerful wines.
What about our Exhibition wine?
Our wine is made from a mix of estate-grown grapes and fruit bought in from a friend of Vincent’s (also a Demeter-accredited, biodynamic practitioner). The wine sees two winters in traditional wooden barreld and is bottled without fining or filtration. The inaugural 2022 vintage is regarded as one of the best vintages for pinot noir in recent years. Generous and fruit-forward, there are hints of wild strawberries and cherry underpinned by subtle smoky notes. Enjoy lightly chilled with a wide variety of cooking but great with wild-mushroom risotto, baked salmon, simply grilled steaks and schnitzel, naturally!
