Red wine takes its character from a combination of grape variety, climate, vineyard site and winemaking. The spectrum extends from fragrant, finely structured Pinot Noir and Gamay through to powerful Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo capable of developing for decades.
Australia is central to the collection, alongside established European regions including Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhône, Piedmont and Tuscany. Exploring by grape variety provides an accessible starting point, while region and producer offer a closer look at how individual styles differ.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is prized for fragrance, freshness and its ability to express differences in vineyard and climate. Typical characteristics range from red cherry, raspberry and florals to earth, spice and more savoury complexity with age.
Australia's cooler regions have become particularly important for the variety. Tasmania, the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland produce distinctly different expressions, with producers including Chatto, Bass Phillip and Giant Steps represented across the collection.
In Burgundy, Pinot Noir is interpreted through an intricate hierarchy of regional, village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines. Individual vineyards can take on considerable importance, making producer and site particularly useful considerations when exploring the region.
Shiraz & Syrah
Shiraz is one of Australia's defining red varieties, with a history stretching across many of the country's established wine regions.
The Barossa Valley is known for concentrated, structured expressions, while McLaren Vale, Heathcote, the Hunter Valley and cooler regions offer their own interpretations. Style can range from rich, dark-fruited and powerful to fragrant, savoury and medium-bodied.
Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape variety. The choice of name is generally stylistic or traditional rather than a formal indication of where or how the wine was made. Australian producers increasingly use both terms, while Syrah remains the traditional name in France's northern Rhône.
Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends
Cabernet Sauvignon combines dark fruit with tannin and natural structure, giving the variety considerable potential for bottle ageing.
Margaret River and Coonawarra are two of Australia's most established Cabernet regions, while the variety also plays an important role in the Yarra Valley and elsewhere.
Australia also has a longstanding tradition of blending Cabernet Sauvignon with Shiraz, represented at its highest levels by wines such as Penfolds Bin 389. Internationally, Cabernet is fundamental to Bordeaux, where it is traditionally blended with varieties including Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Grenache & GSM Blends
Grenache has undergone a significant reassessment in Australia, particularly as producers have turned their attention to old vines and more restrained expressions of the variety.
It can produce fragrant, medium-bodied reds characterised by red fruit, spice and supple texture, as well as richer and more concentrated wines.
Grenache is also central to GSM blends, where it is combined with Shiraz and Mourvèdre. The blend has strong associations with both South Australia and France's southern Rhône, although proportions and styles vary considerably between producers.
Nebbiolo & Barolo
Nebbiolo is the defining red grape of Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont, northern Italy.
Its relatively pale colour can be deceptive. Nebbiolo is known for pronounced acidity and tannin, with aromas often moving through red fruit, rose, spice and earthy or savoury characteristics as the wine develops.
Barolo is not a grape variety, but a regulated appellation produced from Nebbiolo within designated communes in Piedmont. Vineyard, producer and vintage can all have a significant influence on the resulting wine, making Barolo particularly rewarding to explore in greater depth.
Sangiovese
Sangiovese is one of Italy's most important red varieties and is particularly associated with Tuscany.
It forms the basis of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, among other regional wines, and is typically characterised by red cherry fruit, savoury complexity, acidity and firm but food-friendly structure.
The variety is also grown in Australia, where producers have increasingly explored Italian varieties in regions suited to their natural acidity and later ripening.
Gamay & Beaujolais
Gamay is most closely associated with Beaujolais, immediately south of Burgundy.
Known for freshness, fragrance and vibrant fruit, the variety can produce everything from light, youthful wines to more structured expressions capable of developing with bottle age.
The ten Beaujolais Crus, including Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent, highlight individual villages and terroirs and offer a useful way to explore the more serious side of the region.
Choosing Red Wine
Grape variety is often the simplest place to begin.
For fragrance and finer tannins, Pinot Noir and Gamay provide a natural starting point. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and their blends offer greater structure and concentration, while Grenache can provide a softer, more aromatic alternative.
Nebbiolo and Sangiovese bring distinctly Italian expressions built around acidity and tannin, while regional blends and less familiar varieties can be found throughout the broader Other Reds collection.
For wines intended for the cellar, producer, vintage and individual bottling matter as much as grape variety. Many structured reds can develop considerably with age, but longevity varies from wine to wine.
Shop Red Wine at Kent Street Cellars
Explore Australian and international red wine across Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Gamay and regional blends.
The collection spans current releases and everyday bottles through to mature vintages, limited allocations and collectable wines, with Australia-wide delivery and same-day delivery available across Sydney.
