Cricket Pitch Red
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1–5 years of vintage release to appreciate its fresh fruit character.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled lamb chops, classic beef burgers, roasted duck
✨ Technical Specifications
The story of Brokenwood's Cricket Pitch Red is intimately tied to the winery's playful and community-minded origins. In the early 1970s, the founders cleared a portion of their newly acquired Hunter Valley land not just for vines, but also to construct a cricket pitch—a site that quickly became a legendary social hub for local winemakers. First released in the mid-1980s, this wine was created as an approachable, vibrant red blend. Typically marrying the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the plush fruit of Shiraz and the softness of Merlot, it represents a classic, easy-drinking Australian style. The fruit is sourced from premium vineyards across South Eastern Australia, then carefully blended and matured in seasoned oak to preserve its bright forest-berry flavors and soft, approachable tannins.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1970 by Sydney solicitors James Halliday, John Beeston, and Tony Albert, Brokenwood Wines began on a ten-acre Pokolbin parcel initially intended as a cricket ground. Situated in the lower Hunter Valley against the Brokenback Mountain Range, the estate operates on alluvial loams and heavy clay soils, shaped by a warm, humid subtropical climate with cooling maritime breezes. While historically anchored by its renowned Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Brokenwood established equivalent global renown for its pure, cellar-worthy white wines. The estate practices certified viticulture under Sustainable Winegrowing Australia standards, supervised in cellar operations by Chief Winemaker Stuart Hordern following Iain Riggs's transformative tenure. Renowned benchmark expressions include the single-vineyard and aged ILR Reserve Semillon—celebrated for low-alcohol tension, racy citrus acidity, and nuanced toast developments without oak maturation—alongside single-site iterations like Stanleigh Park Vineyard Semillon and cool-climate chardonnays from Beechworth and Orange.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot
🍷 ABV
13.5-14.0%