Need to find a gift for the wine-loving father in your life? Because an appreciation of vino goes well beyond a well-stocked cellar. Here’s a clutch of wine-themed gifts for Dad, from a celebrated bottle produced by one of Australia’s most storied vineyards, to some brilliant glassware and the latest edition of the country’s best wine guide.
Riddoch The Pastoralist Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
Riddoch Coonawarra is honouring its founder with a series called Vocation, which singles out different facets of John Riddoch’s pioneering life in the late 19th century. Riddoch planted the first vines in South Australia’s Coonawarra wine region with the aim of making the finest wine in the country. The Pastoralist Cabernet Sauvignon is inspired by that stint in government. This smooth red offers fresh blackcurrant aromas with underlying cedar oak. The Pastoralist won gold at the 2022 International Cool Climate Wine Show. It can be enjoyed immediately or enjoyed later with careful cellaring.
Plumm red wine glasses
Don’t pour a good wine into any old glass. Melbourne brand Plumm employs extensive industry research to produce European-sourced crystal vessels for specific styles of wine. Its range caters to full-bodied drops such as cabernet and shiraz as well as medium and lighter reds like sangiovese and pinot noir. There are vintage and everyday options, as well as stemless versions, and even a pair of unbreakable glasses for picnics and other outdoor revelry.
TS Makers timber serving board
TS Makers specialise in handmade products lovingly crafted by Sydney spouses Tim and Sarah Ford. Combining their carpentry and design knowhow, the pair focus on homewares that make the most of reclaimed Australian timbers, including various gum trees. TS Makers’ rectangular serving board is super sturdy and functional, and boasts an eye-catching chequerboard pattern that contrasts blackbutt with Queensland spotted gum. And it has more than enough surface area to host the most epic cheese or charcuterie board to enjoy with dad, paired with a delicious red wine.
Riedel Ultra Decanter
A good decanter allows a wine to breathe and deepen in flavour and aroma, and helps separate sediment from liquid in older wines. Riedel’s Ultra Decanter is an elegantly designed centrepiece fit for your dad’s next triumphant bottle opening. This handmade crystal-glass vessel has swooping curves and a wide base, giving it a large surface area for the wine to be exposed to oxygen during the decanting process. This is a practical addition to any wine lover’s arsenal, but doesn’t skimp on aesthetic appeal.
Halliday Wine Companion
Your father might already have past editions of pre-eminent wine authority James Halliday’s annual tome, but odds are he won’t have the latest one – it only landed in bookshops at the start of August. It has more than 750 pages of wines and thousands of tasting notes. Included in the guide is a handy ranking system, with Riddoch Coonawarra’s The Pastoralist Cabernet Sauvignon awarded 93 points, among other award winning wines. It also doubles as a guide for when Dad gets out to wineries again in-person, with updated details on vineyards and related destinations all across Australia.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Riddoch Coonawarra. Riddoch Coonawarra’s The Pastoralist Cabernet Sauvignon is now available to purchase at BWS and Dan Murphy’s.
