ALPHA BOX & DICE ENIGMA BARBERA, MCLAREN VALE 2021

Appearance: Arterial blood

Nose: Reveals wild berries, rhubarb and custard

Palate: Dense, concentrated and brooding opening to a rich mid-palate with cherry-stone fruit and bitter plum and a long finish with a gentle brick-like texture

Food Pairing: Gamey meats or delicious on its own

About the wine: Riddle me this… What is the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end and the end of every race? It’s “E” of course.

The AB&D Enigma is a puzzle well worth solving, as a puzzle has many sides, only some visible at first, but the deeper you dig the more is revealed. Barbera is the grape variety here – thought to have originated in the hills of Piemonte, Italy, it’s high in natural acidity, low in tannin, tricky in the vineyard, tricky in the winery, but by the beard of Zeus does it ever shape-shift into a soifalicious drink in the glass when all the panels of the vinous Rubik’s Cube align. Barbera you saucy, puzzling little minx

Country: Adelaide Hills, Australia

Grape Variety: Barbera

ABV: 14.7%