- By Brenden Robnik (02/06/2026)
Why These Events Matter
The Golden Grenache Era is in full flight, but what’s the state of play like in the industry?
An event that I have been looking forward to and a style that I will continue to evolve and grow, my greatest enjoyment is seeing a room full of people fully engaged in total open discussion madness. The way we communicate and educate in wine currently is vital to the growth and survival of wine, sounds extreme but I truly believe it. There is room for all styles of events to exist, none being better or more important than the other, co-existing and offering choice is a wonderful part of any industry. You may love my style of loathe it and that’s perfectly fine, I’m not for everyone and nor do I wish to be. What I do want though is for you to understand and respect my decision to promote and help the industry in a way that suits me, I am deeply passionate about people and wine and how we can connect the new and next generations to wine.
The Grenache Deep Dive
The Grenache Deep Dive was designed to showcase a variety that is booming all around the world, especially here is Australia with many wines winning major awards and trophies all around the country. A style of wine that merges the delicacies of Pinot and power of Shiraz but with its true own identity, something that needs to be admired. Growing incredibly in multiple regions and climates the main key that I took away from this event was how well grenache vines handle heat, sand and lack of moisture, a staple in most Australian regions. Amelia from Alkina explained the extensive lengths they have gone to understand each parcel of land within their estate, the soils and rocks below the surface, digging over 200 soil pits to learn and understand. It is clearly apparent to me now that the more effort that goes into understanding each single vine and the soil it is growing in is a direct correlation to the quality of the wine. As with any industry the more you understand and learn the better the outcome, it’s almost so simple yet seems to be lost amongst many producers. Something that they cannot be blamed for, financial pressures, the general state of the wine game and other factors can force decisions that in other circumstances would not be made.
The Reality for Growers
Let’s just take a second to understand that in a very simple and basic essence, these people are farmers, agriculturalists and grape growers, they do not sit at a desk from 9-5, hardly head out for fancy lunches to say farewell to staff and pretty much never answer their phones, some I know still repping an iPhone 6, how does that still exist!!! The knowledge of their land is the only thing that supports their family, then to make things even harder, mother nature can literally swoop in and ruin an entire crop without warning in seconds. The stress and pressure faced is astronomical, its anxiety provoking at every turn, how do they ever sleep peacefully. What they all seem to be though is deeply engaged and passionate about their land, looking for ways to improve the health and vigour of the land. A change that I could see clearly whilst driving and exploring the Barossa over the past few days. Dry, dusty and in need of rain yes, but still green highlights and healthy looking vines, some with fruit still hanging (22nd April) by choice and some due to the downturn in wine. Looking and wandering through some vineyards helps you understand a wine variety and its regional style much better, feeling the dirt, smelling the dirt and cover crops may seem a touch strange but it does help. The grapes left to rot and fall off due to having no buyer or winemaker is a stark reminder of the difficult times we are in, in what world would we have thought that growers simply have no market to sell their grapes, demoralising and deeply impactful on so many levels. Complete livelihoods destroyed and in limbo for the future, fracturing relationships and friendships formed over years of trust and respect.
A Quick Reflection
Well that turned deep and negative quickly hey, sometimes once I start typing I simply cannot stop, it may be out of sync and not articulate to perfection but it’s my honest thoughts and views, remember I’m just a tradie.
The Wines and the Producers
Alkina, Thistledown, Vanguardist, Swinney, Syrahmi and Ben Murray Wines all jumping on board to showcase Australian Grenache, a focus on what makes it special and unique and why you should be drinking Australian. I threw in a blind wine from France at a very similar cost to the other wines, to showcase just how incredible the Aussie wines are with only 1 person choosing the French as their favourite from the entire crowd!! What soon became apparent with each wine and flight was the quality of Australian wine, it’s beyond what we could have imagined and better than we get credit for internationally.
What Comes Next
This event will be hosted in Brisbane and Melbourne in the near future, if you are keen please register online for more details. Winemakers and a good time are promised to be had!
Wine Animal Out.