Home > Wines We Love > 2025 Grosset ‘Springvale’ Riesling

Grown biodynamically above a seam of blue slate no one knew was there until the vines went in, Springvale is the site that was recently named Australia’s Vineyard of the Year — and Jeffrey Grosset turns it into one of the country’s most quietly electric Rieslings.

Producer
Grosset
Region

Clare Valley
RRP

$58
Vintage

2025
Variety/Varieties

Riesling
Alc./Vol.

12.3%

Think beeswax with lime zest, green apple and a squeeze of tonic water, with a silky, mouth-watering finish that has you reaching for the next sip before you’ve swallowed the last. Dry, fresh, and dangerously drinkable.

Springvale sits within Grosset’s larger Watervale vineyard in the Clare Valley, a 5.3-hectare pocket planted in 2001 at 450–470 metres — among the highest sites in the district. What makes it extraordinary wasn’t visible on any map when the vines went in: red-brown clay over limestone, and three metres down, an unexpected seam of blue slate. Viticulturist Matthew O’Rourke, who has worked the site since 2011, explains that the slate acts as a natural barrier, limiting root penetration and concentrating what the vines can draw up — while the limestone beneath buffers pH and lends the wine its mineral spine.

The vineyard has been certified organic since 2014 and biodynamic since 2019, farmed as a living ecosystem rather than a production line. Densely planted and deliberately low-yielding, it produces small volumes of intensely concentrated fruit. Grosset and O’Rourke both point to something they’ve only recently begun to see: a silky phenolic texture in the wine that wasn’t there twenty years ago, one they attribute to the vineyard’s deepening biodynamic rhythm. The result sells out every year it’s released — and in 2026, Springvale was named Young Gun of Wine’s Vineyard of the Year.

Tasting note

There’s a whiff of struck match on first pour, the kind of reductive spark that tells you something serious is going on underneath — before it gives way to gardenias, lime zest, fuzzy white peach and beeswax. Gala apple, lightly dusted with cinnamon, hovers in the background. On the palate it’s citrus through and through: lime pith and lemon balm sliding into yellow apple and pear, all wrapped in a chalky, silky texture that frames rather than fights the fruit. It’s dry, it’s precise, and it carries real concentration — a product of the warm, early season pushing ripeness while the site’s natural tension keeps everything honest.

Riesling’s calling card is acidity, and Springvale has it in spades — but resist the urge to drink this too cold, too fast. Let it sit and warm a little in the glass; the acid softens, the texture opens up, and the wine reveals more of itself with every ten minutes. However you approach it, it’s a mouth-watering, faintly hypnotic drink that rewards a bit of patience.

When to drink

This is the sort of wine you can bust out as an aperitif with salty snacks at a dinner party where you’re trying to impress. Or take it along to a sprawling spring lunch with mates over picnic blankets and shared plates — those prawn-stuffed rice paper rolls you brought will vanish within minutes of opening this. But it doesn’t need any of that to justify itself either. Pour it on a hot afternoon when you’ve got nowhere to be, or crack it open solo after a long day, chilled right down and sipped slowly while it warms in the glass and shows you something new each time. Think of it less as a pairing exercise and more as a mood: bright, cleansing, a little bit contemplative.

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Clare Valley

A couple of hours north of Adelaide, the Clare Valley is home to some of Australia’s most famous riesling vineyards, with the grape accounting for almost 40 per cent of the plantings, with shiraz a close second, though cabernet sauvignon is also made to good acclaim. The soils vary across the five subregions, from terra rossa over limestone, to grey loams over slate, to fertile alluvial soils in the north. With a continental climate, the warm conditions benefit from the cool nights, retaining acidity in the grapes while the ample sunlight pushes the fruit to ripeness during the day.

Biodynamic farming

Biodynamics takes organic viticulture a step further, treating the vineyard as a single, self-sustaining organism rather than a collection of separate inputs to manage. Developed from the early twentieth-century teachings of Rudolf Steiner, it works with composts, herbal preparations and the lunar and cosmic calendar in place of synthetic sprays and fertilisers. In Australia it remains a minority pursuit, practised by only a small handful of producers, but a growing one – embraced by growers chasing greater

Explore Further

Vineyard Arofile

Grosset – Springvale Vineyard, Clare Valley

The Grosset Springvale Vineyard is a 6.12-hectare riesling site within the larger 17-hectare Watervale vineyard in the Clare Valley’s Watervale subregion – chosen purely on the basis of geology, altitude, elevation and aspect, and dedicated entirely to riesling across three clones and five blocks. What makes Springvale distinct, even within the Watervale subregion, is an unusual geological layering: red-brown clay over limestone over friable gradational clay loam, with blue slate lying approximately 3 metres below the surface – a formation unique to this site, and one that was not fully understood until after the vines were in the ground. Planted between 2000 and 2003 at 450 to 470 metres elevation – among the highest sites in Watervale – and certified organic (2014) and biodynamic (2019) by Australian Certified Organics, the vineyard is managed by Matthew O’Rourke, who has worked the site since 2011. The Grosset Springvale Riesling sells out annually and is among the most collected wines in Australia.

Vineyard Awards

Australian Wine the Real Winner at 6th Annual Vineyard of the Year Awards

Four trophies. Forty-five vineyards. One argument that Australian wine’s future is being built in the soil, not the winery. Meet the winners of the 6th annual Vineyard of the Year Awards – and the community of growers changing the way Australia grows, thinks about, and drinks wine.

Deep Dive

Clare Valley’s Best Riesling

Riesling may have originally come from Germany, but it has found its Australian home in the Clare Valley. The Clare Valley grows a larger share of Australia’s riesling than any other region by a long margin – it’s currently responsible for 35% of the country’s total annual harvest. And that fruit is nearly-always turned into an instantly recognisable style of wine – crisp, fresh, high in acidity, and bone-dry – that is beloved by wine drinkers across Australia and the world over. In fact, for many people the Clare Valley approach to riesling defines Australian riesling in general. But is there more to Clare riesling than its famous mineral tension and razor-sharp acidity? We took a Deep Dive into the subject to find out.

Wine 101

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Home > Wines We Love > 2023 Werkstatt Riesling

This is thrilling stuff. Scented with lime, tart grapefruit and wet stone. A small amount of unfermented grape sugar is electrified by the acidity, gifting weight and texture while drying out through the considerably long finish.

Producer
Werkstatt
Region

Mount Gambier
RRP

$32
Vintage

2023
Variety/Varieties

Riesling
Alc./Vol.

10.5%

Bridget Mac’s choice to make a pét-nat in 2023 due to the cool vintage and intense acidity also saw her opt for a little more balancing residual sugar in her still riesling than her debut vintage (that was from Victoria, though), but it’s easily swallowed by that acid drive. From a cool vintage and a cool region, this is thrilling stuff, scented with lime, tart grapefruit and wet stone. The small amount of unfermented grape sugar is electrified by the acidity, gifting weight and texture while drying out through the considerably long finish.

Tasting note

This sits at 10.5% alcohol with about 17 grams of sugar per litre, but that sugar is perfectly balanced by the intensity of the acid. That kick of sugar also transforms the nose, with the rapier citrus notes of the pét-nat accompanied with elements of pink grapefruit pith, green apple, makrut lime zest, brine and wet stone. There’s an understandable generosity to the front palate, but that’s mustered into a drilling line with the aforementioned crispness.

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Mount Gambier

Mount Gambier is a cool region on South Australia’s south-east coast. It’s part of the Limestone Coast Zone, which also encompasses the wine regions of Mount Benson, Robe, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Padthaway. Predictably, limestone is a major geological feature of Mount Gambier, which sits on the gentle slopes of a dormant volcano. With breezes from the Southern Ocean a major feature, the temperate maritime climate is suited to white varieties and cool climate reds.

Home > Wines We Love > 2023 Werkstatt Petillant Naturel Riesling

The second release from Werkstatt sees a pét-nat join the roster, and what a vibrantly racy wine it is, rippling with citrus, apple and floral notes and driven by bracing acidity that is cushioned by pulpy texture.

Producer
Werkstatt
Region

Mount Gambier
RRP

$33
Vintage

2023
Variety/Varieties

Riesling
Alc./Vol.

11%

From riesling specialist Bridget Mac, this is her first take on the grape as a pét-nat. That decision to go the bubbly route was informed by the racy drive of both the cool, windswept location (from an organically farmed, though not certified vineyard) and the doubling down of a particularly cool vintage. And what a vibrantly racy wine it is, rippling with citrus, apple and floral notes and driven by bracing acidity that is cushioned by pulpy texture.

Tasting note

This has an agreeable haze to it with a lemony hue, and that citric theme carries through to the nose. More lemon than lime, with crisp barely ripe golden apples, yellow grapefruit pith and white florals. Super zesty and bright the palate is fleshed out with the pithiness of that leesy sediment (it provides the haze), giving mid-palate flex, before a whip crack of acidity drives things home with achingly pleasant mineral dryness.

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Pét-nat

Pét-nat is short for ‘pétillant naturel’, which means naturally sparkling. It’s a relatively modern term for sparkling wine, but it points to an ancient method, often referred to as ‘méthode ancestrale’. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of alcoholic fermentation, and in these wines, it is captured in the closing stages of fermentation by bottling before the wine is fully dry. The final few degrees take the wine through and create the bubbles. How much depends on how much sugar is left.

Mount Gambier

Mount Gambier is a cool region on South Australia’s south-east coast. It’s part of the Limestone Coast Zone, which also encompasses the wine regions of Mount Benson, Robe, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Padthaway. Predictably, limestone is a major geological feature of Mount Gambier, which sits on the gentle slopes of a dormant volcano. With breezes from the Southern Ocean a major feature, the temperate maritime climate is suited to white varieties and cool climate reds.

Home > Wines We Love > 2022 Smallfry ‘Tangerine Dream’

‘Orange’ wine with a perfect balance between savoury tension, in both flavour and feel, with citrus peel and subdued blossom flecked with warm spices and earthy notes, a prudent amount of grip adding structure.

Producer
Smallfry
Region

Barossa Valley
RRP

$36
Vintage

2022
Variety/Varieties

Muscat Pedro Ximénez Riesling Roussanne Semillon
Alc./Vol.

12%

This is our favourite vintage for Smallfry’s orange wine, with a perfect balance between savoury tension, in both flavour and feel, with citrus peel and subdued blossom flecked with warm spices and earthy notes, a prudent amount of grip adding structure.

Tasting note

A blend mainly made up of semillon and pedro ximénez, with riesling, roussanne and muscat in support, this has seen a good dose of skin contact, which is evident from the deep orangey gold colour. It’s firmly in orange/amber wine territory but it doesn’t trade in all the brightness for savouriness. Candied citrus peel, Meyer lemon, carraway and a savoury take on bitter orange marmalade all feature on the nose, with a dusting of clove and ground ginger and a sandy, earthy note. There’s grip, of course, a plum skin chew, with some fleshy pockets of fruit richness providing ballast, a hint of fennel seed closing out.

Themes of this wine

Skin Contact

The skins hold the colouring matter and lots of tannin. Leave them in contact with the juice/wine and you’ll extract those elements. Most conventional white wine sees no skin contact, rosé a little bit to get a blush, and red wine plenty to get the colour and structure. Skin-contact whites… well, they have some skin contact. Yep. More colour, more tannin and a different flavour profile.

Semillon

In league with sauvignon blanc and muscadelle, semillon is responsible for the dry whites of Bordeaux, as well as the great sweet wines of Sauternes, Barsac et al. In Australia, semillon found its own unique niche in the Hunter Valley, making low alcohol, super-bright and zippy wines that age for decades, while in Margaret River it is more often than not blended with sauvignon blanc to make the region’s signature aromatic white.

Pedro Ximénez

Pedro ximénez is a Spanish grape that is best known for a varietally labelled Sherry that is dark in colour and lusciously rich and sweet, with strong flavours of dried fig and date. The variety prospered in this country when fortified wines were the dominant species, and suffered equally after their massive decline. Today, the variety still goes to making some Sherry (called Apera here now) styles as well as dessert wines, but most has been removed from vineyards. However, there are makers now using the grape to investigate new styles based on heritage plantings, and some brave souls are even planting it.

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Roussanne

Hailing from France’s Northern Rhône, roussanne is slowly making a mark in Australia, with the grape well suited to warmer climates, producing wines of texture, fruit depth and freshness, while also making compelling expressions in cool climate zones. With aromas of orchard fruits, in the pear and golden apple spectrum, roussanne also typically displays herbal aromas, though not in the grassy spectrum, more akin to alpine herbs and sage.

Muscat

An ancient group of grapes, the muscat family, which has something like 200 documented variations, all have a linking characteristic of being headily aromatic, with floral, grapey and musky notes. The opulence of the grapes makes them ideal for sweet and fortified wines, which they are predominantly used for.

Barossa

The Barossa is arguably Australia’s most revered wine region. It dwarfs many other fine wine regions for scale, while firmly maintaining a quality profile, with its distinctive style and character recognised worldwide. It is dripping in history, has far and away the largest resource of old and ancient vines in the country, and fifth- and sixth-generation growers and makers proliferate. It is fair to call it the cornerstone of Australian wine. It is the home of powerful red wines, established names making established styles, but there are also makers finding new meaning in the territory.

Biodynamic

An organic farming method created by Rudolph Steiner in the 1920s, biodynamics is a slightly mystical approach, employing elaborate organic ‘preparations’ to restore the natural balance of the soil and encourage microorganisms. It also observes the lunar cycle to prescribe actions in the vineyard and winery. Why some of it works is not clearly understood, but it is used by some of the world’s greatest producers.

Home > Wines We Love > 2021 Entropy Wines Riesling

Stepping away from classic Australian riesling, time in oak gives texture to match the ripe fruit weight, but the citric core of the variety slices through in ideal balance, a saline, waxy quality adding depth.

Producer
Entropy
Region

Gippsland
RRP

$50
Vintage

2021
Variety/Varieties

Riesling
Alc./Vol.

13.5%

Ryan Ponsford is producing some stellar reframings of classic varieties, with meticulously tended vines in Gippsland producing fruit of intensity and freshness. His riesling is a case in point, with time in oak giving it texture to match the generous fruit weight, but the citric core of the variety slices through, each dimension in ideal balance, with a saline, waxy quality adding depth.

Tasting note

This is certainly a step away from classic Australian riesling, with the making closer to a chardonnay approach employing wild ferment in old oak with all the lees left in to build texture. It’s also a clip up in ripeness, measuring at more a chardonnay weight, but riesling it is, with a fin of acidity slicing through the wine, carrying nutty, saline and waxy notes to match the grapefruit pith, green pear and lemon leaf. That extra plump of texture fills out the wine, balancing the dry zip, making for a powerful, vibrant but quietly subtle wine of real character and verve.

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Gippsland

A vast region, Gippsland stretches from Westernport Bay right across eastern Victoria to the New South Wales border. And although many of the wineries are on the western end of the GI, with a concentration in the unofficial subzone of South Gippsland, the region still has a complex array of macroclimates and geological variations. Even with that variability, it’s safe to say that pinot noir and chardonnay are the regional strengths, with generally cool conditions and good rainfall consistent themes.

Home > Wines We Love > 2020 Eden Hall Reserve Riesling

A riot of citrus, apple and jasmine, the wine is marked by its powerful intensity allied with poise, and generous texture paired with laser-like acidity, the extremes working in perfect concord.

Producer
Eden Hall
Region

Eden Valley
RRP

$35
Vintage

2020
Variety/Varieties

Riesling
Alc./Vol.

11.8%

Made by Phil Lehmann from the impeccable Eden Hall Vineyard (2021’s Vineyard of the Year), this is a stunningly individual wine, an ode to a special block within a special site. A riot of citrus, apple and jasmine, the wine is marked by its powerful intensity allied with poise, and generous texture paired with laser-like acidity, the extremes working in perfect concord.

Tasting note

A selection from the best block of the season, this was made entirely from Block 7, a consistent top-performing parcel. The nose is intense yet fine, with lifted notes of lemon leaves, lime pith, jasmine and green apple, leading to a palate of both generosity and drive. The flavours hit powerfully, cresting on a wave of texture, with ample acid cutting a path through a long finish. There’s a classic Australian riesling thread here, but the concentration of flavour and sheer intensity mark it as highly individual.

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Eden Valley

Eden Valley is the higher altitude section of the Barossa zone, nestling up against the Adelaide Hills and being meaningful cooler than its neighbour, the Barossa Valley. Riesling and shiraz are the key varieties, both typically being cast in an elegant light, with shiraz fragrant and lifted, though still with plenty of power, while riesling is characterised by race and verve.

Home > Wines We Love > 2021 Swinney Riesling

A lemon-scented nose accented with white flowers and talc ushering in a linear and mineral palate of great precision but also gentle texture.

Producer
Swinney
Region
RRP

$33
Vintage

2021
Variety/Varieties

Riesling
Alc./Vol.

12%

Swinney can do no wrong at present, with a brilliant suite of reds, but the Riesling is just as good, with a lemon-scented nose accented with white flowers and talc ushering in a linear and mineral palate of great precision but also gentle texture.

Tasting note

This opens with an elegant but intensely flavoured nose of white florals, talc, lemons and limes and a flinty mineral note. There’s race here, but there’s also a gentle textural play, giving the mid palate a little flex that is whip-cracked into line with a super-racy line of natural acidity carrying the flavours long – pure, refined, racy but packed with flavour.

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Frankland River

A subregion of Western Australia’s sprawling Great Southern, Frankland River is in the north-west corner of the region. Although it is inland, cooling sea breezes carry through across the subregion, moderating the warm days, while the nights are cool, making for wines of intensity and freshness. The regional heroes are riesling, shiraz and the cabernet family.

Home > Wines We Love > 2021 Rieslingfreak No.4 Riesling

John Hughes’ mastery of the riesling grape has already been amply proven, but in the superb 2021 vintage that dial’s been turned up to new limits. This is an intense play of jasmine and lime, effusive but not overly exotic, with tension and effortless balance through a long finish underlining its pedigree.

Producer
Rieslingfreak
Region

Eden Valley
RRP

$27
Vintage

2021
Variety/Varieties

Riesling
Alc./Vol.

11%

John Hughes’ mastery of the riesling grape has already been amply proven, but in the superb 2021 vintage that dial’s been turned up to new limits. Rieslingfreak’s Eden Valley offering is an intense play of jasmine and lime, effusive but not overly exotic, with tension and effortless balance through a long finish underlining its pedigree.

Tasting note

Such a youthful wine, but it’s dazzling already and with a serene harmony that young riesling rarely shows. On the nose there’s jasmine, kaffir lime, white florals, citrus blossom and lime pith, with a craggy minerality adding complexity. There’s intensity and verve here, with a seamless integration of the two, acid thrilling but ripe, dry but with gentle texture and presence, balance pitch perfect.

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Riesling is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, capable of making styles from aridly dry to lusciously sweet, plus everything in between, and with a transparency that reflects where it was grown like few – if any – other grapes. Hailing from Germany, it’s equally embedded in France and Austria, while the style made famous in the Clare Valley that once defined Australian versions has now been joined by a multitude of expressions, and from right across the country.

Eden Valley

Eden Valley is the higher altitude section of the Barossa zone, nestling up against the Adelaide Hills and being meaningful cooler than its neighbour, the Barossa Valley. Riesling and shiraz are the key varieties, both typically being cast in an elegant light, with shiraz fragrant and lifted, though still with plenty of power, while riesling is characterised by race and verve.

2025 Grosset ‘Springvale’ Riesling Clare Valley

Think beeswax with lime zest, green apple and a squeeze of tonic water, with a silky, mouth-watering finish that has you reaching for the next sip before you’ve swallowed the last. Dry, fresh, and dangerously drinkable.

Tasting note

When to drink

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Clare Valley

Biodynamic farming

Explore Further

Vineyard Arofile

Grosset – Springvale Vineyard, Clare Valley

Vineyard Awards

Australian Wine the Real Winner at 6th Annual Vineyard of the Year Awards

Deep Dive

Clare Valley’s Best Riesling

Wine 101

Riesling

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Mount Gambier

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Pét-nat

Mount Gambier

This is our favourite vintage for Smallfry’s orange wine, with a perfect balance between savoury tension, in both flavour and feel, with citrus peel and subdued blossom flecked with warm spices and earthy notes, a prudent amount of grip adding structure.

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Skin Contact

Semillon

Pedro Ximénez

Riesling

Roussanne

Muscat

Barossa

Biodynamic

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Gippsland

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Eden Valley

Swinney can do no wrong at present, with a brilliant suite of reds, but the Riesling is just as good, with a lemon-scented nose accented with white flowers and talc ushering in a linear and mineral palate of great precision but also gentle texture.

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Frankland River

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Riesling

Eden Valley

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