25/08/2026
This Saturday 29th August, Stephen joins Anna Webster of Halliday W**e Companion, Amelia Nolan of Alkina, and Giles Cooke MW of Thistledown for the opening session of In Glass Conversations, a panel-led tasting exploring where Grenache sits in the modern w**e world.
For much of Australia's viticultural history, the variety earned its place through reliability rather than reverence, destined for fortified w**es or generous blends where its contribution was often essential, but rarely celebrated. The vineyards themselves, however, never changed – home to some of Australia's oldest bush vines, quietly waiting for a generation of growers and w**emakers prepared to ask different questions.
Today, Grenache sits at the centre of a global conversation – of vine age, of provenance and of possibility. Producers in McLaren Vale and the Barossa have shown that old vines can deliver w**es of remarkable perfume, finesse and longevity, while their counterparts in the Southern Rhône and Priorat continue to challenge preconceptions of what the variety can express.
Rather than converging on a single style, modern Grenache explores a diverse spectrum of profiles which many are only just now beginning to explore. Is Grenache's recent rise a reflection of changing tastes, changing w**emaking or have we simply learnt to value qualities that were always there?
Through ten benchmark w**es and the perspectives of our panel, we'll explore a variety whose reputation has never been more dynamic – or more deserving of debate.
Saturday 29 August, 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Olive Room, HYDE Melbourne Place
130 Russell Street, Melbourne
Tickets through the link in our bio.
