Alkina: Dirt, Terroir + Grapes. The New Barossa Grenache

The Barossa Valley in South Australia is Australia's most well-recognised region. It has been historically known for ultra-ripe, intense, Shiraz and is a significant part of why Australian wine is known outside of Australia. Scoot forward to 2023, and we know so much more detail and have so much more data to support the diversity of terroirs within the Barossa Zone (Eden Valley + Barossa Valley), and its capacity to produce very high quality wine made from a variety of grapes. In this video, I taste through four Grenache wines (and reference a fifth international interloper) from Alkina in the Barossa Valley. Under the guidance of dirt guru Pedro Parra, Alkina has sought to understand the micro-terroirs within their property in Greenock. The property and winery are certified Organic and Biodynamic, the wines are ultra-high quality; eloquent expressions of the dirt in which the vines are grown, and unfettered by oak (qvevri, amphora and tulip).
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0:00 - Intro
0:26 - Key Players in Alkina
3:42 - 2020 Polygon 5 Grenache, (Schist grown; energy vitality), Greenock 13.7% alcohol
4:56 - 2020 Polygon 3 Grenache, (Limestone grown; lightness, elegance), Greenock 13.3% alcohol
7:05 - 2019 Rippon Tinker's Field Pinot Noir (Schist grown), Wanaka NZ
8:35 - 2022 Ex Libris Grenache (Limestone grown), Greenock
10:41 - 2022 Kin Grenache, Greenock
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To better understand the diversity of the Barossa terroir, see the Barossa Grounds Project. Super maps, dirt detail and climate data: https://barossawine.com/vineyards/bar...
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Who is Pedro Parra? For lovers of video (hey, that's us!) check out the Vimeo link here: https://www.alkinawine.com/Video
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Any review you see on my socials (  / erinllarkin  , this channel and my website (https://www.erinlarkin.com.au) are never paid for by wineries or anyone else: the wines are featured on their merits - because they have risen to the top in tastings. If you try the wines I recommend and you like them - good! Because so do I.