Baileys of Glenrowan boasts 143 hectares (353 acres) of organic vineyards in north eastern Victoria planted with varieties best suited to the region – Shiraz, Durif, Muscat and Muscadelle. But its range includes a new release Italian variety 2019 Nero D’Avola (RRP $20) and 2019 Fiano ($20) which join a 2016 Shiraz ($27), 2017 Durif ($27) and 2019 Small Batch Rosé ($20).

Certified organic in 2011, Baileys has adopted organic farming practices and was ahead of other Australian wineries who have adopted organic farming. The winery produced its first organic Shiraz in 2012. From vintage 2019, all of Baileys of Glenrowan table wines have been organically grown and produced, without synthetic chemicals, sprays, fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, or any other products that are not naturally occurring.

And the wines are a small price to pay for organic wines, especially given the Shiraz was produced in 2016, bucking the Australian trend to release red wines before they are ready, then charging a premium for it. The wine is elegant, and the nose and palate full of berry fruit, much more so than a Shiraz from the McLaren Vale or Barossa Valley. This Shiraz will age for many more years, beyond the 2022 recommended by the tasting notes, as it’s also slightly acidic than some red wines, perhaps too much so.

Overall, the end result is wines which possess the Baileys of Glenrowan unique finger print – depth of flavour, deep red colours and vibrancy. The winery is carrying on a long tradition, with Baileys of Glenrowan amongst the earliest pioneers of Victorian viticulture, with the first vintage in 1870. Reflecting its history, vine age ranges from well in excess of 100 years, giving powerful flavour to the reds, to the most recent organic plantings in 2012. Rugged granite hills feature in Glenrowan and at Baileys.