The Wild Pixie Shiraz
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, slow-cooked lamb shanks, earthy mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the ancient soils of McLaren Vale, d'Arenberg's 'The Wild Pixie' is a highly characterful red that showcases the winery's penchant for quirky innovation rooted in traditional techniques. The name playfully nods to the mischievous nature of the wild yeasts and the unexpected addition of Roussanne, a white Rhône variety, co-fermented with the Shiraz. This co-fermentation is a masterstroke; the Roussanne skins help stabilize the deep color of the Shiraz while imparting an exotic, stone-fruit lift and a velvety texture to the finished wine. True to d'Arenberg's heritage, the grapes are gently foot-trodden in open-top fermenters and basket-pressed before aging in a combination of new and older French and American oak barriques, resulting in a rich, multi-layered wine with a wild, aromatic edge.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, d'Arenberg stands as an iconic pillar of McLaren Vale viticulture, stewarded today by fourth-generation chief winemaker Chester Osborn. The estate spans undulating coastal landscapes influenced by the moderating maritime winds of the Gulf St Vincent, resting upon complex, ancient geologies ranging from calcareous Terra Rossa to sandy loam and weathered limestone. Viticulture is rigorous and certified organic and biodynamic across all estate-owned and leased vineyards. While renowned for formidable Rhone-style reds, d'Arenberg's white winemaking upholds identical artisanal rigor: gentle whole-bunch basket pressing ensures minimal phenolics and purity of expression. From the racy, textural The Money Spider Roussanne and crisp The Dry Dam Riesling to the lusciously layered botrytised expressions The Noble Semillon and The Noble Botryotinia Fuckeliana, the wines epitomize balance, crystalline minerality, and vibrant natural acidity.
🍇 Grapes
Shiraz, Roussanne
🍷 ABV
14.0-14.5%