This incredible blend of Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon is a uniquely Australian blend that pays homage to the great Aussie wines of yesteryear.    With plenty of sweet spice and brambly black fruit comes a concentrated blackcurrant and vanilla aroma following on to a rich, full-bodied palate. The flavour is full of crunchy black fruit with soft tannins, refreshing acidity and subtle vanilla sweetness.

The name Rod & Spur acknowledges the contribution of Rockford’s growers who spend the cold Barossa winters hand-pruning their vines in the traditional rod and spur method. This wine is a return to the great Australian reds of the 1950’s and 60’s, when Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon blends dominated the premium market. This very Australian wine is not common in any other region of the world.

Like all Rockford reds, the grapes for this wine go through a 1880’s Bagshaw de-stemmer, are open fermented and then gently basket pressed. All components are aged separately in a combination of seasoned American and French oak hogsheads and large oak casks for two years. This allows the tannins to soften and colours and flavours to consolidate, before being bottled under the highest quality cork.

The 2018 vintage was described by Rockford’s winemaking team as ‘One of those years when things just fell into place. Despite the season being one of the driest in many decades, it lacked any prolonged heat waves or significant rainfall events. The Eden Valley Shiraz components, in particular, were standout in the warm dry conditions. The 2018 wines have striking colours, outstanding structure, richness and mouthfeel.