2020 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier, McLaren Vale

Chester Osborn’s children used to call kookaburras laughing magpies. The actual magpies have beautiful black and white plumage, and this is the reference for this wine, a co-fermented blend of the black Shiraz and the white Viognier.

Winemaking is typical for d’Arenberg reds: grapes crushed into open fermenters, the ferments foot trodden two thirds through the fermentation, the wine basket pressed in to oak barrels (in this case a combination of French and American sources) to complete fermentation and maturation on lees, with no racking before the final blend and bottling with no fining or filtration.

About this producer

The 1912 established d'Arenberg remains a family business, with fourth-generation Chester Osborn crafting bold, characterful wine with winemaker Jack Walton that continuing the family legacy of pushing the boundaries of the region.

The estate vineyards are substantial, with the family owning or leasing roughly 200 hectares in McLaren Vale, in addition to sourcing grapes from contract growers in the Adelaide Hils and the Fleurieu. Their own vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic, making family one of the largest biodynamic farmers in Australia.

The range of wines on offer is notable, with the winery vinifying nearly forty varieties in most seasons. The work at the winery remains highly traditional and labour-intensive despite their large scale, with all white and red wines pressed with gentle basket presses, and the red ferments foot-trodden by cellar hands in the original open concrete fermenters. The red wines are bottled without fining or filtration.