Alternative Reality White Pack

'Alternative' grape varieties are causing an evolution in Australian wine, and changing the way winemakers and consumers think about our industry's future.

These emerging varieties are often better suited to sustainably grow in our warm climate, and provide a myriad of delicious new flavours, textures and food-friendly styles.

This pack allows you to discover some exciting new grapes for yourself, and sample some of the finest alternative grape variety wines in the country!

• 2025 Garagiste Tuerong Aligote
• 2025 Coriole Yinku Single Vineyard Fiano
• 2023 Ravensworth The Grainery
• 2025 CRFT K1 Gruner Veltliner
• 2025 Corymbia Chenin Blanc
• 2025 BK Wines Skin n Bones Savagnin

2025 Garagiste Tuerong Aligote

There is very little Aligote growing in Australia at present. Trust Barney Flanders to sniff some out.

Given Barney's love of Burgundian varieties, this grape slips nicely into the Garagiste lineup.

It's a very impressive rendition of the variety, where Aligote is often maligned in Burgundy and considered a bridesmaid to Chardonnay, Barney treats it with the utmost respect.

There's a distinct 'old world' vibe with this wine. Yes, it's fresh and focused and drives brilliantly through the mouth (as all Garagiste wines do), but there's something else here that takes you to another place from your first sniff.

2025 Coriole Yinku Single Vineyard Fiano

Coriole practically introduced Fiano to Australia back in 2005, so when they release a new single-vineyard expression, we pay attention. While we’ve long loved their McLaren Vale staples, the "Yinku" is a different beast entirely - coming from a new high-altitude site in Kuitpo in the Adelaide Hills. Sitting at 400m, it’s a much cooler spot that brings a completely different energy to the variety.

Duncan Lloyd has handled this with a light touch, using old oak for fermentation and maturation. The goal here isn't to mask the fruit with wood, but to build the classic Fiano texture while letting the cool acidity stay front and centre. It’s named after the little buttonquail birds found in the vineyard, and it feels just as lively as the name suggests.

It’s incredibly fragrant, jumping out with jasmine, peach blossom, and a hint of mint. On the palate, it’s all about nashi pear and cold-poached apple, backed by a flinty, mineral backbone. A fantastic new addition from the team we reckon is the country's premier Fiano producer.

95 points
"Such a charmingly fragrant and respectfully exotic wine, with a mineral undercurrent of wet stones and flint. It’s textural, acidity is vivid, there’s pithiness, and the flavour has nagging length. What a stunning new entrant to the swelling ranks of fiano."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)

2023 Ravensworth The Grainery

The Grainery has become one of the most distinctive white wines in Canberra – Bryan Martin’s Rhône-inspired blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. What makes it special is the way Bryan builds texture and shape without ever letting the wine feel heavy. Whole bunch ferments, time on skins, and a long élevage in demi-muids and foudre give it layers, but there’s always a line of freshness pulling it through.

The 2023 vintage is led by Viognier (48%) with Marsanne (32%) and Roussanne (20%) filling in the detail. A cooler season means a brighter, zippier edge to the usual stone fruit, ginger and honeyed notes. There’s lemon curd, orange rind, and a gentle floral lift, all wrapped in a savoury, textural frame. It’s complex, yes, but also very drinkable – the kind of wine you keep coming back to because it doesn’t give everything away at once.

This will age gracefully for a decade or more, though it’s already showing beautifully now. A standout for anyone who loves white wines with shape, savour and food-friendliness – proof that Ravensworth sits in a class of its own when it comes to textural blends.

2025 CRFT K1 Gruner Veltliner

Candice and Frewin from CRFT have a particular fascination with Gruner Veltliner, and are probably the first Australian producer to explore 'sub-regionality' with the variety.

This comes from Geoff Hardy's famed K1 Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills, and is a wonderfully pure and pristine expression of Gruner. It's early-picked and definitely a wine driven by acid and refreshment rather than overt flavour. Aside from a small amount of lees contact to add texture, the focus here is on clean and pure fruit.

As always with CRFT's wines, there is precious little added and it is vegan-friendly. Gruner is a grape excelling in the Adelaide Hills, and no one executes it with more thought and care than CRFT. Give it a go!

2025 Corymbia Chenin Blanc

Rob and Genevieve Mann at Corymbia have become the benchmark for modern WA Chenin. This is an excellent Swan Valley white; it’s a focused, dry-grown powerhouse from the Mann family's "Rocket’s Vineyard". Named after Rob’s dad, the legendary Test cricketer Tony “Rocket” Mann, this site was hand-planted by the father-son duo over thirty years ago and has never looked better.

The 2025 release is all about tension and freshness. Despite the Swan Valley heat, the fruit retains a crunch that’s hard to find elsewhere. Wild yeast, a bit of old oak, and plenty of time on lees but this simple recipe delivers a wine with massive personality. It’s got classic Chenin waxiness, but it’s the saline, sea-spray finish that really keeps you hooked.

Expect a wine that’s bright and plush at the same time. It’s packed with green apple and citrus, but there’s a savoury, herbal flicker underneath that screams for food. Whether you’re cracking it fresh at a BBQ or tucking a few away to see the honeyed complexity develop, this is a proper Swan Valley essential.

96 points
"Preserved lemons and sorrel leaves, a backseat full of beach towels baking in the sun. Margarita rims and melon rind. A masterclass in building texture in white wine without oiliness or clunky phenolics. A waxy sheen and taut saline seam like the finest flakes of fleur de sel have been sprinkled through. As good as chenin gets."
- Nick Ryan (The Weekend Australian)

95+ points
"The level of bang for buck here is ludicrous. One of Australia's more complex, exciting textural white wines lays in the glass... An impressive wine of detail in fruit, florals, minerality and yet one that holds attention for high-end drinkability, too."
- Mike Bennie (Halliday Wine Companion)

2025 BK Wines Skin n Bones Savagnin

Brendon Keys’ Skin 'n' Bones range is about texture over fruit. This Savagnin spent a full year in a 1000L barrel after being whole-bunch pressed, and he’s bottled it without any fining or filtration to keep that raw edge.

It’s got that classic Savagnin saltiness - think brine and a bit of aged cheese - alongside crunchy apple and a hit of honeysuckle. There’s a distinct grip on the palate, almost like a light red, and a long, savoury finish.

If you want a clean, simple white, look elsewhere. This is dry, funky, and built for people who like some "chew" in their white wines.