Light & Bright Reds Pack
Light & Bright Reds Pack
The rise and rise of lower alcohol reds that are begging to be banged in the esky is one of the best modern developments in Australian wine.
The world of light Aussie reds is one of the most exciting vinous wormholes you can fall down at the moment. Here's the pack to get you started!
- 2025 Two Tonne Tasmania TMV Pinot Noir
- 2025 Garagiste Le Stagiaire Pinot Noir
- 2025 Spinifex Papillon
- 2025 Swinging Bridge M.A.W. Pinot Noir
- 2024 Uva Non Grata Gamay
- 2025 Dune Tirari
2025 Two Tonne Tasmania TMV Pinot Noir
This is the wine that started it all for Ricky Evans, and after 14 vintages, it remains the definitive snapshot of the Tamar Valley. The TMV is a clever puzzle of fruit sourced from three distinct areas of the valley - a mix of estate blocks and long-term leased sites that Ricky knows inside out.
The 2025 season was another warm one, forcing an early start to the harvest. Because sugars were moving fast, Ricky focused on picking for freshness, being light-handed in the winery to avoid over-extraction. He stayed cautious with the whole-bunch component, settling on a 10% inclusion across the final blend to add just enough spice and aromatic lift without overshadowing the fruit.
The result is a classic, pretty Pinot that captures the Tamar wonderfully. It’s loaded with bright red berries - think raspberry and wild strawberry - wrapped in fine, chalky tannins. Spending 11 months in oak (only 10% new) has kept the palate juicy and vibrant. It’s a fragrant, effortless Pinot that’s made for immediate enjoyment, though it has enough structure to keep things interesting. As always with Two Tonne, it’s dangerously drinkable and stocks never last long.
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2025 Garagiste Le Stagiaire Pinot Noir
Every year, Barney Flanders takes a selection of some of his favourite Pinot parcels from his Mornington sites - Balnarring, Red Hill, Merricks Grove and now Merricks North - and throws down a Pinot that makes the rest of the $35ish crowd in the region look a bit undercooked.
Merricks North leads the blend this year, with plush, perfumed Dijon clones lifting the deep, structural MV6 from the other sites. Whole berries, wild ferments, a short spell on skins, then time in large oak and concrete before bottling it with no fining and no filtering.
It’s got a real Mornington weight and presence to it. Ripe red fruits, a flicker of spice, and a smooth ride of tannin through the finish. When we tasted the 2025, we commented that it feels like Barney's pulled back on the structure and upped the slurpability in this release. It's hard to picture a better value entry into Mornington Pinot than this little beauty.
This is one of our most popular wines every year. How Barney manages to get this quality at this price point never ceases to amaze us but we're glad he does and hope he never stops!
95 points
"The value belies the quality as there’s always a lot of detail to this range, yet it's so approachable... A wine you want to drink on a cold day while staying toasty in front of a fire."
- Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)
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2025 Spinifex Papillon
Peter Schell's Papillon is one of the most gluggable reds in the Barossa Valley!
The Spinifex wines cover a wide spectrum, from rich, full-throttled old vine Shiraz all the way to this, a light bodied, energetic Grenache Cinsault blend made for easy day-time drinking.
These styles are certainly in vogue but as usual, winemaking wizard Schell’s winemaking know-how elevates Papillon far beyond your average light red. Sourced from old, dry-grown vines (many over 70 years old) across the Barossa and Eden Valleys, it combines purity of fruit with layers of complexity
Papillon is one of our go-to's and just unbeatable value. What a producer Spinifex is.
95 points
"I just love this wine. The word 'smashable' shines with overuse, but the Papillon consistently offers such an ease of drinking that it is just a no-brainer every year... A brisk mineral cadence and a sweetly balanced, chalky tannin array. It is just bright, joyous drinking. Bonkers value here, too."
- Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)
92 points
"This is a delicious wine. It’s light and frisky but sweet and rusty. It has character but it also has a straight-forward juicy drinkability... Personally I’d buy and drink this in a heartbeat."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
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2025 Swinging Bridge M.A.W. Pinot Noir
Excluding his terrible banter, Pinot Noir might just be Tom Ward’s great passion. The M.A.W. - named for his father, Mark Andrew Ward - is where he introduces drinkers to his vision for Orange Pinot. It’s not about grand gestures or cellar swagger, but rather about charm, clarity and drinkability.
The 2025 vintage gives exactly that. It's fully destemmed and fermented as whole berries and sees mostly older oak - all designed to capture the energy and vibrancy of the vintage. Bright red cherries, raspberries and a flicker of spice leap from the glass, the palate supple and juicy with just enough savoury grip to keep things interesting. It’s light on its feet, and certainly shaped for early enjoyment.
Think of M.A.W. as your entry point: a window into the style and potential of Orange Pinot, without the wait or the price tag of Tom’s single-vineyard bottlings. A youthful expression that's ready to rip, and it's absolutely delicious.
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2024 Uva Non Grata Gamay
Gamay from near Beaujolais but not quite in Beaujolais - that's how you get a tasty, super slurpable regional French red for not very much money.
Uva Non Grata is a bouncy red that is simply labelled as Vin de France, though it comes from vineyards to the north-west of Lyon on the way to Beaujolais itself.
Traditional carbonic maceration (where the juice starts to ferment inside the grape before the skin is broken by crushing) ensures the aromatic red berry boom and a fruit vibe throughout.
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2025 Dune Tirari
Dune continues to offer up some of the best bang for your buck in McLaren Vale, and here again, the Lloyd brothers have created a medium-bodied red that’s juicy, characterful, and seriously easy to love.
The Tirari is a unique blend of Negroamaro, Touriga, and Mataro, with just a dash of Grenache. The result is a wine that feels perfectly balanced between juicy fruit and savoury depth. Sourced from their organic Blewitt Springs vineyard, this blend speaks to the Vale’s future - varieties that thrive in the warmth while delivering freshness and elegance.
It smells of wild berries, dried herbs, and a hint of spice. On the palate, it’s plump and supple, with bright red fruit, a touch of earthiness, and fine, chewy tannins that lead to a savoury, moreish finish. It’s the kind of wine that begs for food - think woodfired pizza or chargrilled meats - but it’s just as good on its own for a casual midweek pour.
A wine with personality and versatility, and just a downright bargain.
95 points
"The Lloyd brothers do savoury, light- to mid-weight reds ridiculously well... It’s a Dune staple, and this is my favourite thus far... Such a smart offering, such a good food wine, and such stupidly good value."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
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