An extraordinary piece of South Australian wine history has been honoured again, with fruit from vines planted nearly 80 years ago contributing to their third Halliday Grenache of the Year accolade.
Yangarra Estate’s 2024 Ovitelli Grenache has been named Grenache of the Year in the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion, putting a tiny two-hectare patch of Blewitt Springs vines in the national spotlight.
Planted in 1946 by Bernard Smart alongside his father and brother David, the dry-grown bush vines have survived decades of change, including Australia’s infamous vine-pull era, when growers were encouraged to remove old Grenache vines.
Today, those same vines are producing one of the country’s most acclaimed expressions of the variety.
And Yangarra is making the wine in a decidedly modern way.
The Ovitelli is made entirely without oak, with the hand-picked Grenache fermented in 675-litre ceramic eggs before spending a total of 11 months in the vessels.
Experimenting with ceramic eggs with Grenache began back in 2013, with the goal of refining tannins whilst preserving the purity of the fruit.
The result is a wine that brings together two very different chapters of Australian wine history: ancient vines in the vineyard, and innovative winemaking in the cellar.
Yangarra’s Grenache identity was shaped over more than two decades by winemaker Peter Fraser, who passed away in November 2025. This means the latest Ovitelli win also carries forward an important part of the winemaking team and the legacy he helped create.
And for wine lovers wanting to see the vines and ceramic vessels behind the award-winning bottle, there’s no need to travel far from Adelaide.
Yangarra’s cellar door sits among the vineyards in the foothills of McLaren in the Blewitt Springs sub-region, known for unique sandy soils and elevated vineyards sites. Visitors can look out across the estate and learn more about ceramic eggs and amphorae used in the winery through a guided tasting experience.
The cellar door is worth a visit too, having won the 2024 Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award for Architecture and Landscape.
There’s even a tasting dedicated to the estate’s favourite grape variety.
The Expressions of Grenache tasting showcases Yangarra’s passion for Grenache and blends. Including six wines total, the flight includes the lesser-known white varietal Grenache Blanc and finishing with Ovitelli Grenache Noir. Offering visitors the chance to explore the versatility of the variety and the nuances between vineyard sites.
The 2024 Ovitelli is currently available for $80 a bottle, making this latest piece of Australian wine history considerably more accessible than Yangarra’s icon wine the High Sands Grenache at $300 RRP. From the neighbouring vines on block 31, the High Sands vineyard is regarded by Decanter as one of the 10 Greatest vineyards in Australia, announced in June 2026.
With so many celebrations around the corner, the 2024 Ovitelli Grenache is a wine worth having on hand. Whether it’s a long lunch with friends, a special dinner at home or a gift for the wine lover in your life. It’s perfumed aromatics, vibrant red fruits and silky fine tannins make it equally impressive and approachable. Delicious to enjoy now and has all the hallmarks to reward careful cellaring.
Nearly eight decades after they first took root, these historic Blewitt Springs vines have survived the vine-pull years, found a home in Yangarra’s modern winemaking program and now sit behind a remarkable achievement of three Wine Companion Grenache of the Year titles. A remarkable legacy for a vineyard that continues to define the benchmark for Australian Grenache.
Yangarra Estate
Where: 845 McLaren Flat Road, Kangarilla
Where: Open daily from 11am to 5pm
Expressions of Grenache tasting: $30pp
Estate tasting: $20pp
2024 Ovitelli Grenache: $80
To book a tasting at the cellar door, click here.
To buy the 2024 Ovitelli Grenache, click here.
