A trio of red wines from the Di Giorgio Family of Coonawarra.

Di Giorgio Family Wines, Shiraz, Coonawarra, 2013

Meat and graphite merge with black pepper, red/blue fruits, and the faintest whiff of mushroom. Cedar like oak tries to give finesse, but it seems a touch out of kilter. Tart dark berries, plenty of pepper and fine, sandy tannins. Creeping alcohol content makes this the lesser of the wines for me.

RRP:$23

Alc: 14.5%

Di Giorgio Family Wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, 2013

All pencil box, black olive, crushed eucalypt, creamy  oak and dark fruit. Straddles the right line between just ripe blackberry and persistent, yet approachable Coonawarra tannins. Retains cabernet elegance: with a jewel of bright fruit shining bright against the velvet lining. A medium term prospect you don’t mind cracking sooner rather than later.

RRP:$23

Alc: 14%

Di Giorgio Family Wines, Emporio, Coonawarra, 2013

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc: modeled on the wines of Bordeaux, France. Smells of deep cassis/black currant, cedary oak, mint and plum pudding. Built for the long haul: Merlot’s sweet fruit pokes a small, flavoursome hole in the broad sheet of Cabernet’s structure and the Cab Franc is used like dusty violet seasoning. Black fruited, layered, elegant and structured.

RRP: $23

Alc: 14.5%

Wine samples courtesy of Di Giorgio Family Wines