Called The Philosophy, the 2012 vintage is made from small parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz grapes grown in the Clare Valley and Langhorne Creek in the Barossa, with McGuigan keeping aside the best quality fruit for the blend.

Boasting “deep layers of cassis, blueberries and plum underpinned by vanilla and chocolate”, the “rich and full-bodied” red spends two years in French and American oak before bottling, and a further two years in bottle before release.

Speaking to db during the London Wine Fair this week, chief winemaker Neil McGuigan said that sticking with the UK market despite the uncertainty of Brexit was starting to pay off.

“Two years ago Brexit hurt us and we lost half our profit in the UK but we decided to continue investing in the market with a big London Underground ad campaign.

“We have worked hard to extend our footprint in the UK as we can’t walk away from a country that has supported us from day one. We could have backed off but our continued investment is paying off now,” he said.

“As a wine business you’ve got to respond to consumer trends and continue to innovate in order to keep consumers engaged and enthused.

“We’re pushing harder on the accelerator rather than taking our foot off the gas and will be planting an additional 240 hectares of vines over the next two years.

“We’re planting more in cooler climate regions like the Adelaide Hills and are experimenting the Carmenère and Grüner Veltliner,” he added.

Always on the move, McGuigan has recently been in the US, where he spies an opportunity for Australian wine to make inroads.

Read More at Source: TheDrinkBusiness