AUSTRALIA

Masters of Grenache

In 2004, friends and colleagues David Gleave MW from the renowned wine importer Liberty Wines in London, John Ratcliffe from Oddbins, and Michael Hill Smith MW from Shaw + Smith decided to taste through the entire Australian wine range available in England at the time. They realized there was a big gap between the simpler wines in the grocery trade and the well-known prestige wines. David Gleave and John Ratcliffe teamed up and founded Willunga 100 in McLaren Vale, just south of Adelaide. The fruit comes from some of the area’s best vineyards, some over 100 years old. The very first vintage was awarded 5 stars by the Australian wine journalist and judge James Halliday in the 2008 wine guide and named the winery as one of Australia’s top 10 newcomers. Willunga 100 produces balanced, fresh wines with brilliant concentration and length.