From the heart of the Barossa Valley comes our featured Wine of the Month: The Black Craft Shiraz – a bold, expressive red that captures the true spirit of this world-class region.
Produced by Smalltown Vineyards, this exceptional Shiraz is sourced from some of the finest vineyard sites in the Northern Barossa Valley, including Greenock, Western Ridge and the renowned Ebenezer district. These carefully selected sites deliver fruit of remarkable depth and character.
Smalltown has a “lazy” minimal-intervention philosophy, the wine is fermented in open-top fermenters, allowing gentle extraction and enhanced texture. During crushing, the blades are intentionally set wider apart, leaving a high proportion of whole berries in the ferment. The result? Generous, vibrant fruit and beautifully soft tannins.
After fermentation, the wine is aged for 11 months in a mix of French and American oak, adding complexity and structure while preserving the purity of the fruit.
This is classic Barossa Shiraz – dark, rich and powerful. Expect intense savoury flavours of thick blackberry compote, cracked black pepper and those distinctive iron-rich, meaty notes the region is famous for. There’s no jamminess or sweetness here – just balanced acidity, fine structure and a subtle dusting of cocoa powder on a long, compelling finish.
As the name suggests, black is the theme. Think chargrilled steaks, flame-kissed lamb, or anything straight from the barbecue – this wine thrives alongside bold, smoky flavours – and deep nutty cheeses like gruyere or appenzeller.
“The Black Craft” pays tribute to the German settlers who played a pivotal role in establishing some of Australia’s oldest vineyards in the Barossa. These settlers not only planted Shiraz vines but also brought printing technology with them. The printing press – once viewed with suspicion and a touch of mystique – was known as “The Black Craft” because of the inky hands it left behind.
This wine honours both the German influence on Barossa winemaking and the artistry of traditional letterpress printing – a fitting name for a wine that blends heritage with craftsmanship.