Pernod Ricard Winemakers has launched a new wine brand, Aces & Arrows, with a creative and collaborative approach to winemaking.
The new Aces & Arrows range, which consists of four wines, was created by four different winemakers, each experimenting and crafting a wine of their choosing using their favourite wine variety.
This release includes a 2022 Riverland Vermentino, 2020 Adelaide Hills Grüner Veltliner, 2022 Central Otago Pinot Noir and 2019 Barossa Valley Grenache.
Dan Swincer, Chief Winemaker at Pernod Ricard, spoke about the unusual approach: “We gave our winemaking team the opportunity to have extra creative input, play and have fun when it comes to their craft. No idea was to be left unturned, that’s how Aces & Arrows was born.
“Every bottle is a direct portal to the inner workings of the winemaker; liquid labours of love, full of heart and skill in spades. When you select a bottle of Aces & Arrows, you can be sure that every drop contains the creativity, passion and spirit of the craftsman who made it.
“A peek behind the proverbial curtain, an all-access discovery pass to the winemaker’s playground – these are the wines that rarely see the light of day.”
The first wine in the release, the Vermentino, uses grapes sourced from South Australia’s Riverland, fermented in tanks and matured in oak by winemaker Allira. The result is a wine with nashi pear and stone fruit flavours, best enjoyed chilled.
Winemaker Tim’s mission is to bring lesser-known wines to the spotlight, using Grüner parcels from the Adelaide Hills which were harvested and pressed at night to retain aromatics and fruit integrity. The Grüner Veltliner is a blend of 10 per cent old oak and 90 per cent tank-fermented and matured, resulting in balanced light fruit flavours with subtle spice notes.
The Pinot Noir, crafted by Greg, is a one-off which represents the best of Central Otago’s 2021 offering. For this wine, the grapes were wild-fermented to add weight and complexity, before being matured in fine-grained French oak to deliver a touch of spice.
Finally, the Grenache is a result of winemaker Mick’s love of Spanish wine which led him to experiment with the varietal at home. Sourced from four different old-vine vineyards across the Barossa valley, the wine has fresh fruit notes.
“I am proud to be a part of this new brand born out of the passion projects of our Pernod Ricard winemakers. We’ve allowed of our winemakers to push the boundaries and experiment with different varietals in capacities that hasn’t been done before,” added Swincer.