The Great Grenache Showdown – Barossa vs McLaren Vale Value 6-Pack

🔥 The Great Grenache Showdown – Barossa vs McLaren Vale Value 6-Pack

McLaren Vale vs Barossa Valley – Six Outstanding Grenaches Go Head-to-Head

Three Wines from Each Region | Six Different Producers | Every Wine Rated 94–96 Points

96 Points | 95+ Points | 95 Points | 95 Points | 95 Points | 94 Points

Barossa Valley & McLaren Vale, South Australia

RRP $218

Two legendary South Australian wine regions.

One grape variety.

Six outstanding wines.

And one hell of a tasting.

WELCOME TO THE GREAT GRENACHE SHOWDOWN.

We've selected three brilliant Grenaches from McLaren Vale and put them head-to-head with three outstanding Grenaches from the Barossa Valley.

And these aren't random bottles.

Every wine in this pack has received between:

94 AND 96 POINTS

from some of Australia's leading wine critics.

You've got:

McLaren Vale

2025 Bondar Rayner Vineyard Grenache – 95+ Points Halliday Wine Companion

2024 Willunga 100 Grenache – 96 Points & Top 100 Wines, The Weekend Australian

2025 Thistledown Thorny Devil Grenache – 95 Points Halliday Wine Companion

Against:

Barossa Valley

2025 Spinifex Papillon Grenache Cinsault – 95 Points Halliday Wine Companion

2023 Brothers at War Peacekeeper Grenache – 95 Points Halliday Wine Companion

2022 Sigurd Hoffmann Vineyard Grenache – 94 Points Halliday Wine Companion

McLAREN VALE vs BAROSSA.

Same basic grape variety.

Two great regions.

Six completely different expressions.

Which style will you prefer?

That's the fun part.

In the McLaren Vale Corner

2025 Bondar Rayner Vineyard Grenache – RRP $41

95+ Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Bondar has become one of the names to watch in modern McLaren Vale wine, and Rayner Vineyard Grenache is a brilliant example of why.

This is Grenache built around perfume, freshness, purity and texture.

Expect vibrant raspberry and red cherry, floral perfume, spice, dried herbs and beautifully fine tannins.

There's plenty of flavour, but never excessive weight.

Perfumed. Energetic. Fine. Seriously delicious.

And with 95+ points from Halliday Wine Companion, it's a hell of a way to start the McLaren Vale side of this showdown.

2024 Willunga 100 Grenache – RRP $32

96 Points & Top 100 Wines – The Weekend Australian

This is ridiculous value.

Willunga 100 has been one of the great champions of McLaren Vale Grenache, consistently producing wines that seriously overdeliver for their price.

And the 2024 is an absolute cracker.

96 POINTS

and selected among:

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN TOP 100 WINES

At an RRP of just:

$32.

Expect juicy raspberry and cherry fruit, floral perfume, spice and savoury complexity wrapped around beautifully supple tannins.

It's vibrant.

It's incredibly drinkable.

And it demonstrates exactly why McLaren Vale Grenache has become such an exciting category.

96 points for $32 is extraordinary value.

2025 Thistledown Thorny Devil Grenache – RRP $35

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Thistledown has built an outstanding reputation around Grenache.

And Thorny Devil has become one of Australia's benchmark value expressions of the variety.

The 2025 delivers everything we want from modern McLaren Vale Grenache.

Bright raspberry and cherry.

Wild strawberry.

Floral lift.

Spice.

Savoury herbs.

Fine tannins.

Freshness.

Juicy enough to be immediately delicious.

Serious enough to earn 95 points.

At $35 RRP, this is another outstanding example of just how much Grenache quality you can get without spending a fortune.

McLAREN VALE

Three wines.

95+ | 96 | 95 POINTS

And now:

LET'S HEAD NORTH.

In the Barossa Valley Corner

2025 Spinifex Papillon Grenache Cinsault – RRP $32

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Spinifex has long been one of the most interesting producers in the Barossa.

And Papillon takes Grenache in a wonderfully aromatic, energetic direction.

The addition of Cinsault brings even more fragrance and freshness to the Grenache.

Expect raspberry, strawberry and red cherry with flowers, spice, herbs and beautifully juicy acidity.

It's medium-bodied, vibrant and dangerously drinkable.

This isn't old-school blockbuster Barossa.

It's fresh.

It's perfumed.

It's alive.

And at $32 with 95 Halliday points, it's exceptional value.

2023 Brothers at War Peacekeeper Grenache – RRP $38

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Another brilliant example of the new face of Barossa Grenache.

The Peacekeeper Grenache delivers the region's natural generosity but keeps everything beautifully fresh and energetic.

Expect ripe raspberry and cherry, red plum, spice, floral notes and savoury complexity.

There's richness through the middle, but the wine remains beautifully balanced by fresh acidity and fine tannins.

Generous without being heavy.

Ripe without becoming jammy.

Classic Barossa fruit through a modern lens.

And another:

95 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

2022 Sigurd Hoffmann Vineyard Grenache – RRP $40

94 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

And now for something a little different.

Sigurd has become one of the exciting names in the modern Barossa wine scene, producing wines with freshness, perfume and genuine personality.

The Hoffmann Vineyard Grenache brings together classic Barossa fruit richness with a more savoury, energetic expression.

Expect raspberry, cherry and red plum alongside spice, dried flowers, herbs and earthy complexity.

And with the benefit of the 2022 vintage, there's already some additional development beginning to appear.

Savoury. Spicy. Textural. Complex.

94 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

A brilliant final wine for the Barossa side of the showdown.

So What's the Difference?

This is where the pack becomes seriously interesting.

Both regions can produce extraordinary Grenache.

But put them side-by-side and you start seeing differences in personality.

McLaren Vale

Think:

Perfume

Raspberry

Red cherry

Floral lift

Fine tannins

Freshness

Savoury spice

The best modern McLaren Vale Grenaches can have an almost Pinot-like perfume and transparency while still retaining that beautiful Grenache generosity.

Barossa Valley

Think:

Raspberry

Strawberry

Red plum

Spice

Herbs

Texture

Generosity

The best modern Barossa Grenaches combine the region's naturally expressive fruit with freshness, perfume and increasingly refined tannins.

But forget the theory.

OPEN THE SIX BOTTLES AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.

That's exactly what this pack is designed for.

Six Wines. Six Producers. Six Outstanding Scores.

Look at the quality:

2024 Willunga 100 Grenache – 96 Points

2025 Bondar Rayner Vineyard Grenache – 95+ Points

2025 Thistledown Thorny Devil Grenache – 95 Points

2025 Spinifex Papillon Grenache Cinsault – 95 Points

2023 Brothers at War Peacekeeper Grenache – 95 Points

2022 Sigurd Hoffmann Vineyard Grenache – 94 Points

NOT ONE WINE BELOW 94 POINTS.

And the total RRP?

$218.

That's extraordinary value for six highly rated South Australian Grenaches.

The Ultimate Grenache Tasting

Here's how I'd drink this pack.

Get a few friends together.

Put the wines into two flights.

FLIGHT ONE – McLAREN VALE

Bondar Rayner Vineyard

Willunga 100

Thistledown Thorny Devil

Then:

FLIGHT TWO – BAROSSA VALLEY

Spinifex Papillon

Brothers at War Peacekeeper

Sigurd Hoffmann Vineyard

Taste them side-by-side.

Don't look at the scores.

Don't worry about the prices.

Just ask:

Which wines do you keep going back to?

Which region suits your palate?

Can you pick McLaren Vale from Barossa blind?

That would make one hell of a Grenache night.

Food Pairings

Grenache is one of the great food wines.

Perfect with:

• Chargrilled lamb
• Roast pork
• Porchetta
• BBQ chicken
• Moroccan-spiced lamb
• Wood-fired pizza
• Charcuterie
• Mushroom dishes
• Mediterranean vegetables
• Hard cheeses

And don't serve these wines too warm.

Give them 20–30 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Grenache absolutely sings with a slight chill.

Why We Love It

Because this pack shows just how exciting Australian Grenache has become.

Not with $100 bottles.

Not with trophy wines that nobody can afford.

But with six wines between:

$32 AND $41 A BOTTLE.

And look at the scores:

96

95+

95

95

95

94

These are wines made by producers at the forefront of modern Australian Grenache.

And you're getting to compare two of Australia's greatest Grenache regions in one box.

BAROSSA VALLEY

vs

McLAREN VALE

Three wines from each.

Six different producers.

Six highly rated Grenaches.

RRP $218

Same grape. Two great regions. Completely different personalities.

👉 Grab The Great Grenache Showdown, get some friends together and put Barossa against McLaren Vale. The only question left is which side of the Grenache divide you'll prefer.