2025 Tar & Roses Pinot Grigio, Heathcote

The 2025 Tar & Roses Pinot Grigio from Heathcote arrives with serious momentum, coming hot on the heels of winning Halliday Wine Companion’s Pinot Grigio of the Year award. Tar & Roses, founded by Don Lewis and Narelle King, has earned a reputation for making beautifully detailed wines that combine European inspiration with Heathcote’s vibrant fruit character. Their Pinot Grigio consistently punches above its weight, and this vintage shows why it’s been turning heads across the Australian wine scene.

The fruit is sourced from premium vineyard sites in Heathcote, where the warm days and cool nights create ideal conditions for producing Pinot Grigio with both generosity and precision. The region’s red Cambrian soils provide excellent drainage and lend a subtle mineral backbone to the wine. Grapes are harvested early in the season to retain bright acidity, then gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel at cool temperatures to lock in freshness and delicate aromatics. No oak is used, keeping the focus on pure fruit expression and lively texture.

Pale straw with a glint of green. The nose is fragrant and precise, with aromas of nashi pear, green apple, citrus blossom, and a touch of almond. The palate is crisp and vibrant, with juicy orchard fruit, lemon zest, and a hint of minerality running through a refreshing, dry finish. It’s beautifully balanced, showing both fruit intensity and a clean, linear structure that makes it incredibly moreish.

This wine is perfect as an aperitif and pairs effortlessly with grilled prawns, fresh salads, light pasta dishes, or seafood with lemon and herbs. It’s also excellent with sushi or antipasti. Best enjoyed young and chilled to capture its lively fruit and floral lift, but it has enough structure to hold for a couple of years in bottle.