Dara Dozen Wine
Find out more about wineries
The full range of wines donated by each winery is displayed below, however the wines selected in each dozen or six pack will represent a mix from this range. We appreciate your understanding that we are unable to accommodate special requests or swaps of particular wine types.
Clonakilla
2023 O’Riada Shiraz
Best drinking: Now to 2030
The 2023 vintage was the third cool growing season in a row and our latest harvest in over a decade. The spring in particular was cool and wet and the vines were slow to get going. Thankfully some genuine warmth arrived towards the end of summer flowing into a gentle and generally sunny autumn, delivering some gorgeous flavours in the grapes.
The O’Riada is a quintessential Canberra Shiraz, fully charged with spice, floral notes and ripe red fruits.
2024 Riesling
Best drinking: Now or cellar for 10 to 30 years
Murrumbateman’s cool, continental climate and decomposed granite soils are perfectly suited to Riesling. 2024 is a beautiful vintage. Good spring rain, warm summer days, cool nights and a glorious early autumn. The grapes came in ripe and full of flavour.
Lifted floral notes, bright citrus fruit and river pebble freshness in abundance this year.
Tallagandra Hill
2023 The Prodigal Daughter – Vermentino
Best drinking: 2023-2030
Our 2023 vintage has proved to be a huge winner! Winning a trophy for Best Alternative Variety at the 2023 Australian Cool Climate Wine Awards.
Originating in Southern Italy, but with a strong Spanish influence, Vermentino offers vibrant cumquat on the nose and has characteristic wild herb and citrus flours.
2022 Elm Farm Pinot Noir Rosé
Best Drinking: 2022-2028
Made from Tumbarumba Pinot Noir, this wine is bottled under the Elm Farm collaboration label – reflecting the spirit of the McAvoy family farm in Ireland. The wine highlights Pinot’s rhubarb and forest berry tones in a vivacious, youthful Rosé. Full of floral character with a vigorous finish.
2022 The Gundaroo Cabbie – Cabernet Sauvignon
Best Drinking: 2023 -2033
Our Cabernet Sauvignon draws its character from the unique terrain and cool climate ripening period at Gundaroo in the Canberra wine district.
This vintage is a full-bodied wine with dark fruit characteristics, and refined tanins, savoury on the palate. While born and raised in Europe, it is a typical Aussie battler, with a rich character and lots of stories to tell. This wine celebrates the community of Gundaroo, a small town with a big heart. There are no cabbies in Gundaroo, just good people helping each other out.
Dionysus Winery
Dionysus 2022 Shiraz
Best drinking: Now to 2030
This 2021 Shiraz was crafted in a cool year giving it a perfumed nose that displays dark red fruit, spices and a subtle hint of white pepper. Its palate is smooth and full-flavoured, with layers of savoury and spicy flavours.
This Shiraz lingers long on the palate and pairs perfectly with red meats like lamb or a tasty cheese.
Dionysus 2022 Chardonnay
Best drinking: Now to 2030
This 2022 Chardonnay is a classic expression of its variety. Rich and complex, it offers a delicate balance between ripe peach and melon flavours and subtle spice notes. It has an elegant medium palate and finishes with vibrant acidity, making this a perfect accompaniment to any meal
Capital Wines
2019 The Foreign Minister Sangiovese
Best drinking: Now to 2029
An outstanding expression of Canberran Sangiovese, this wine is charming and has lots of spicy red berries – juicy cherry, a little peppered strawberry with some herbs and violets.
Enjoy with pizzas, tomato or cream based pasta dishes and smoked meats.
2022 The Ambassador Tempranillo
Best drinking: Now to 2027
This local derivative of the traditional Spanish chameleon-like variety, offers warmth, grippy smoothness, textural tannic grip and amplitude of ripe palate-pleasing aromas and flavours. Its generosity and abundance of primary ripe fruit in the mulberry and plum spectrum is very pleasing to the palate.
Enjoy as an accompaniment to robust dishes such as smokey chorizo.
2022 The Leader of the House Shiraz Viognier
Best drinking: Now to 2031
The Leader of the House demonstrates stature and standing in the parliament so to does Shiraz Viognier which is seen as a leader and flagship red wine in this region.
This classic blend of Shiraz Viognier which is ruby red in colour with black cherry flavours. This wine delivers a lush velvety textured mouthfeel with finely balanced tannins.
Kosciuszko Wines
2022 Kosciuszko Sauvignon Blanc
Best drinking: Drink now to 2028
Our Sauvignon Blanc shows apple and tropical fruit aromas and tangy avours of melon and lime with a touch of melon, fresh crisp wine read to drink now.
Matches well with a variety of seafood dishes or consumed as a versatile aperitif.
2021 Kosciuszko Chardonnay
Best drinking: Drink now to 2028
With a pale lemon colour and aromas of peach and citrus fruit characteristics. A lightly oaked style of chardonnay with a smooth texture that builds on the peach and citrus flavours with a fresh crisp finish.
Matches well with seafood and chicken dishes.
2022 Kosciuszko Rose
Best drinking: Drink now to 2025
Made from 100% Sangiovese, this wine is a beautiful vibrant pink colour with peach, red cherry and strawberry flavours with a long lingering and savoury finish.
Enjoy with almost any food and especially pizza and pastas with fresh salads.
2022 Kosciuszko Pinot Noir
Best drinking: Drink now to 2027
A mellow and balanced Pinot Noir. With a light ruby colour with the nose full of strawberry, plum and cherry. Flavours of vanilla support these red fruity favours then lead into a well-structured finish.
Ideal with meat especially lamb, also matches very well with duck and classic tapas style dishes.
Wallaroo Wines
2019 Wallaroo Shiraz
Best drinking: Now to 2032+
This is a gold medal winning wine with those classic Canberra Shiraz characteristics of smooth and subtle flavours created by a cool climate and excellent winemaking.
2019 Wallaroo Riesling
Best drinking: Now to 2027
After an excellent growing season this is one of our best ever Rieslings with hints of apricot and lime with a lovely long finish. It’s ready to drink now but will develop as an aged Riesling if you can resist temptation long enough.
Wallaroo Sparkling Rose
Best drinking: Now to 2028
Wallaroo Wines was the first in the district to make a Sparkling Rose – crisp and fruity with lots of citrus and apricot – our sparkling wine is made in the full champagne method; bottle fermented for at least 15 months. A classic and never fails to please.
Wallaroo Sparkling Red
Best drinking: Now to 2028
A bottle fermented blend of Cabernet and Shiraz, rich red fruit, with a hint of raspberry. A classic in the making.
Sapling Yard
2023 Pirouette Chardonnay
Best drinking: Cellaring potential until 2029-2031
The Pirouette – meaning spin, twirl and swirl – is a complex chardonnay. The first aroma is the distinct struck match followed by aromas of ripe grapefruit, a rich mouthfeel courtesy of batonnage and 20% malolactic fermentation. Aged for 8 months in 20% premium new French oak, unfiltered and unrefined.
Match me with free-range roast chicken or triple cream brie.
2023 The Four Pinots
Best drinking: This is a perfect summer wine, not for cellaring.
This is a unique take on the pinot grape that straddles the line between orange and pink wine.
Pinot Gris (60%), Pinot Noir (20%) and Pinot Meunier (15%) sourced from Moppity vineyard in Tumbarumba, with a splash of Pinot Blanc (5%) from our vineyard in Braidwood. Dry and mouth watering with pink grapefruit, red apple and strawberry notes combing to create an elegant and versatile wine.
Food matches: seafood cooked with spices or a creamy goats cheese tart.
2021 Sur Lie Rosé
Best drinking: This is a perfect summer wine, not for cellaring.
Sur Lie – meaning left on lees – this Rosé is made from Mourvèdre from the Hilltops region. Aromas of red cherries, violets, thyme and smoked meats, barrel fermented for 8 months, the Sur Lie Rosé has texture, complexity and body.
Pair me with BBQ lamb, ratatouille or grilled marinated seafood such as octopus or salmon.
2022 The Extrovert
Best drinking: Now to 2034
Mal does love a red blend. And this blend from Hilltops is a classic with a twist 40% Mourvedre, 35% Shiraz, 25% Grenache. Aromas of violets, dark plums, ripe cherries and an earthiness that leads into a long palate, fine tannin structure and a very easy drinkability.
Food matches: pair me with aged rib eye, potato gratin, or portobello mushrooms baked in the oven with olive oil and garlic.
2023 Shiraz Viognier
Best drinking: Now to 2034 +
This wine has white pepper, mulberry, cedar and violet aromas, the palate is showing fine silky tannins , complexity and length.
Try this wine with rib-eye steak or slow-cooked shoulder of lamb.
Wimbaliri
2021 35th Parallel Chardonnay
Best drinking: now until 2032
Wimbaliri lies on the 35th parallel, near the village of Murrumbateman. Our distinctive chardonnay is produced from two separate blocks on a slope overlooking a small valley.
2019 First Vines Cabernet Merlot
Best drinking: now until 2029
Fruit is destemmed into vats where it ferments on skins with regular plunging. The wine is basket-pressed to French and American oak barrels and matures for 18-20 months prior to bottling.
Simpson Estate
2015 “Jenny” Cabernet Sauvignon
Best drinking: now until 2037
A slightly cooler and wet March enabled a longer ripening season in 2015, resulting in another excellent vintage. The hand-picked fruit comprised 92% cabernet sauvignon and 8% merlot, which was matured over 19 months in 40% new French oak. The nose provides dense fruit and some earthy tones, with mulberry, cassis, mocha, dried bay leaf, cardamom and cigar box evident. The palate presents rich, dark fruits, including dried plum. The wine is of fine, dusty tannins, well integrated oak and a long, elegant finish.
2017 “Jenny” Cabernet Sauvignon
Best drinking: now until 2039
The hand-picked fruit, comprising 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 4% Malbec, which was matured in 44% new French oak barrels for 18 months. A lovely deep mulberry red colour in the glass, the nose presents aromas of blackberry, mulberry, dark cherry and cedar. The medium-bodied palate has flavours of blackberry, cherry kirsch and dried herbs. The oak flavours deliver notes of vanilla and mocha. The palate presents incredible length and silky smooth tannins.
2020 “Elaine” Chardonnay
Best drinking: now until 2034
The fruit was hand-picked and hand-sorted, chilled overnight and gently whole bunch pressed straight to 40% new light toast French Burgundy barriques and puncheons for 8 months.
A pale straw colour with lime green hues. The nose exhibits aromas of citrus, lime curd, green apple and freshly picked cashews.
On the palate, we see lovely lime tart flavours, daikon, with saline minerally acidity, tightly wound.