2024 S.C. Pannell Nero, McLaren Vale

Steve (S.C.) Pannell is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most thoughtful and forward-looking winemakers and has built a reputation for championing alternative Mediterranean varieties as better suited to McLaren Vale’s warm, dry climate than many of the region’s traditional plantings.

The 2024 Nero is his iteration of Sicily’s Nero d’Avola, a grape variety that takes the heat of McLaren Vale’s growing season in its stride without losing any of its inherent freshness. The fruit was handpicked from the Olivers Road estate vineyard over two days in the first half of March. Both parcels of fruit were simply crushed and fermented and the wines pressed, blended and settled before spending almost two years maturing in large, seasoned 2,800L French oak vats. The twice racked wine was bottled without fining or filtration in February 2026.

A lively, juicy and succulent red, this is light- to medium bodied red that is more ninnolo rosso than robusto nero, the wine is perfect for Mediterranean country style cooking: think smoky baba ghanoush with grilled flatbread, charred octopus with Nduja and Kipfler potatoes or spaghetti dressed with mushroom and thyme ragù.