A word from A Respected Voice
Best Selling Bottled Sunshine
" Delicious, acclaimed, low intervention wines. Hand crafted by our family to
exacting standards to capture the McLaren Vale sunshine. "
Affinity 2024 Grenache Mourvèdre is a key flagstone wine for us. We are known for our Grenache and Mourvèdre, and our Affinity is a perfect example of complex, delicious wine that is much greater than the sum of it's premium parts.
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"This blend keeps improving through successive vintages, with less width and more sustained tension in the flavour profile due to Mack’s keen attention to detail." - David Sly for Decanter
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Meet the Affinity
Variety: An 85/15 blend of McLaren Vale Grenache and Mourvèdre.
Summary: A blend of single vineyard McLaren Vale Grenache and single vineyard Willunga South Mourvèdre results in a wine with oodles of complexity. Good roundness of fruit flavour on the mid palate leads to a savoury finish with powdery tannin.
Tasting Note: A beautiful and crisp savoury edge runs through this wine from aroma to palate. The whole bunch ferment characters appear in the form of spicy herbal complexity whilst the youthful Grenache component keeps the feel fresh and vibrant. Savoury, spicy, complex.
Goes With Food: Matches well to lighter red meat dishes such as venison or rare lamb, but is equally well suited to a vegetarian lasagne. Versatility is a key component of this wine.
Goes With Cheese: An aged cloth bound cheddar or mid strength parmesan matches the subtle tannin profile of The Affinity.
Goes With Music: PJ Harvey – Down By The Water.
Goes With Life: Laughter and languid lounging with loved ones.
Serve At: 18 degrees Celsius.
When to Drink: Ready to drink now, but will continue evolving through to 2031.
Vineyard: The Grenache fruit comes from the Romano family’s single vineyard in the Seaview sub-district of McLaren Vale. The Mourvèdre is from the Lacey family’s single vineyard in Willunga South..
Winemaking: Both parcels of wine that make up this blend were fermented and aged separately before blending. A portion of stems was used in the Grenache ferment. Some pre-ferment cold soak was used with the Mourvèdre portion. The wine was then matured for ten months in neutral French puncheons and hogsheads prior to bottling in February 2025.
Unfiltered | Unfined | Vegan
ABV%: 14.2%
Production: 220 half-dozen produced under screwcap.
Accolades:
94 points David Sly for Decanter
93 point Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion
"A silky blend of Grenache with Mourvèdre provides an intriguing embrace of alluring elegance with backbone and drive...Instead, the pretty wild raspberry perfume of Grenache rises high from the glass and provides a sweet opening kiss, before the palate opens to show deep red fruits and a hint of smooth blackberry, embraced by the mild spice and firm structure of supple Mourvèdre. This blend keeps improving through successive vintages, with less width and more sustained tension in the flavour profile due to Mack’s keen attention to detail." - David Sly for Decanter
"85/15% grenache from Seaview/mourvèdre from Whites Valley; 15% whole bunch. Strawberry, raspberry and morello cherry, intensely rendered – though with plenty of airspace, transparency and flow – along with scrubby herbs, dried bay, turned earth, blood orange, cracked pepper and some darker spices. It has volume but not weight on the palate, the tannins finely wrought yet chewy, a burst of freshness to close." - Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion
Select between a 6 bottle pack or 12 bottle case to Buy the Aphelion Affinity 2024 Grenache Mourvèdre.
Grenache is our specialty. This pack curated by Rob "Mr Grenache" Mack is the best way for you to discover the breadth of flavour possible from Grenache grown in McLaren Vale.
Each six pack includes:
1 x bottle Welkin Grenache 2024 RRP $28
1 x bottle Callow Grenache Blanc 2024 RRP $42
1 x bottle Confluence Grenache 2024 RRP $42 each
2 x bottle Affinity Grenache Mourvedre 2024 RRP $42
1 x bottle Rapture 2022 RRP $150
RRP $346. Special pack price: $310. Save $36 and 10%!
(N.B: 12 bottle cases contain double these amounts).
Each of our Grenache wines has its’ own distinct personality.
Why not gather some friends and open all five different bottles at once?
About The Wines
Welkin Grenache 2024 is a juicy and vibrant wine with outrageous aromatics. Designed to be enjoyed immediately, with goat chevre, tapas or as an aperitif on its' own.
Callow Grenache Blanc 2024 Our love affair with Grenache now extends to it's white wine form. Intense citrus and spice aromatics. A textural edge provides a food friendly aspect. Cinnamon and nutmeg spice complement the nashi pear and stone fruit flavours.
Confluence 2024 Grenache is the coming together of premium Grenache from a number of vineyards in the sandy soil dress-circle of Blewitt Springs. It showcases the best of McLaren Vale's elegant, savoury Grenache style.
Affinity 2024 Grenache Mourvèdre Here premium barrels of Brini Grenache and Lacey Mourvèdre are brought together to make a truly rounded and balanced wine with juicy acid, powdery tannin and the best of juicy red berries from Grenache and earthy mid and back palate from Mourvedre.
Rapture 2022 Grenache is our pinnacle of Grenache. The finest barrels from our portfolio of Grenache parcels. Elegant. Poised. Balanced. Built to age or to savour now.
Select between a 6 bottle pack or 12 bottle case to Buy the Aphelion Grenache Pack.
Regular bottled sunshine deliveries to your door – what could be more convenient than that? We sweeten the deal by making the club totally flexible, offering exclusive benefits, and free gifts as well.
Your commitment to us as a member is so important to the sustainability of our dream to make delicious wines to be enjoyed with food and your life’s best moments, that we offer a host of benefits to you, our Bottled Sun Lovers.
Why Join? How About These Benefits!
- Free Shipping: On your allocations and on any additional purchases throughout the year.
- Complete Flexibility: Choose your frequency and number of wines at the click of a button. And if your needs change, your club changes with you. Want more or less wines? No problem, it's easy to switch. Need a holiday from your deliveries? You've got it! With your members' area, you are in control.
- Very Special Wines: Exclusive access to pre-release and rare museum wines.
- Exclusive Discounts: Your packs will always be higher in value than what you pay. It starts with your pack discount (5, 10 or 15% off core range RRP). Everything additional you purchase from our online store comes at a 10% discount with free shipping. Plus exclusive discounts for our events and wine dinners.
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Exclusive VIP Cellar Door Tastings: At our cellar door or in the vineyard, tastings are always free for you and your guests accompanying you. Plus we will give you the VIP treatment you deserve, like pre-release, museum and premium tastings.
- Surprise Gifts: Well if we told you - it wouldn't be a surprise would it?
- Low Minimum Term: Our minimum term of membership is just one year and 12 bottles across that year.
- No Exit Fees: Changed your mind? We can reduce your frequency and/or pack size. There are also no exit fees after your one year minimum term.
How Does It Work?
- Your Choice: Choose your frequency of deliveries and the Number of bottles per delivery. You can change your choices whenever you like and even take a subscription “holiday” and skip a delivery. Even tell us if there are any particular wines you would like in your pack when you get your renewal notices, otherwise our winemaker Rob’s expert selection will be hand selected for you.
- Charged On the 1st: Your first pack will be charged for on the first of the month after you sign up. Your first pack will then be hand picked, hand packed and dispatched shortly thereafter. Your renewals will then be processed on the first of the month according to the schedule you chose (monthly, quarterly or six monthly).
- Reminders: You’ll get a handy email reminder a week before your pack is due to be sent – a good time to update your contact or payment details, or to let us know if you would like certain wines in your pack.
- Value Forever: Your pack will always be worth more than what you pay. For starters, you get 5%, 10% or 15% off the core range rrp. Then you have a special free shipping & 10% discount coupon for additional purchases. Then we add value by putting money-can’t-buy exclusives, bonus gifts and our higher value wines in your pack.
- Convenience: You deserve to enjoy receiving delicious wines to your door, sharing them with friends over dinner, at your favourite BYO restaurant, or on cosy nights in.
For Terms & Conditions (there aren’t many, don’t worry!) please view our “Club” page.
Aphelion began with Grenache.
Our focus is Grenache.
Our future is Grenache.
Our original 2014 "Grenache project" has evolved.
Presenting three exceptional McLaren Vale Single Vineyard wines.
Each made the same way with 100% whole bunches. Each highlights the diversity and beauty of Grenache, and the many terroirs in McLaren Vale.
Guided by the deft and gentle hands of Rob Mack they sing of their purity.
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The Brini Single Vineyard Grenache 2024 is sourced from the upper tank block owned by the Brini family in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale.
This block has been a staple of Aphelion from our first vintage and forms the backbone of the Confluence Grenache.
The roundest and most intense wine in the range, dark plum fruits dominate with earth and forest floor characters to create a wine of depth and richness. Sandy based loam soils provide fruit that gives intensity and a brooding edge.
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Unfiltered | Unfined | Vegan
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Production: 800 bottles produced under Diam Origine.
ABV: 13.5%
Accolades:
95 points Erin Larkin for Robert Parker Wine Advocate
95 points Huon Hooke The Real Review
93 points Gary Walsh for The Wine Front
92 points Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion
"It’s a little sinewy and spicy, and also edgy in a savoury way... There are floral notes present, if a little restrained, a little compressed. Give it a year or so and it will soar." - Marcus Ellis
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Note: Please email if you wish to buy a 3 pack.
Select between a 3, 6 or 12 bottle case to Buy the Aphelion Brini Single Vineyard Grenache 2024. Psst...Like the sound of our exclusive pre-sale access, Members pricing ($81) plus perks like free shipping? Step right this way...
Discover Brini Single Site Chenin Blanc 2024 from McLaren Vale's best vineyards in Blewitt Springs. Premium Australian white wine, abundant with terroir expression.
Aphelion began with Grenache. Our focus is Grenache. Our future is Grenache. And the white variety we champion is Chenin Blanc.
Guided by the deft and gentle hands of Rob Mack it sings of its' purity and place.
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"Beautifully refined and elegant" - Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion
"(A) perfumed finish of excellent length, some lemon zest in the aftertaste. Complex and composed." - Gary Walsh for The Wine Front
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Sourced from the 52 year old house block owned by the Brini family since we first produced Chenin Blanc in 2019.
Golden apple, white pear, green melon, and fennel seed, with subtle oak notes from its Stockinger puncheon. It has a chiselled, mineral texture, and is electrified by bright, natural acidity. Reserved in its youth, it promises excellent complexity and length with more time in the bottle.
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| Unfined | Vegan
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Production: 600 bottles produced under Diam Origine.
ABV: 13.5%
Accolades:
96 points Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion
94 points David Sly for Decanter
93+points Campbell Mattinson for The Wine Front
"This may be McLaren Vale’s, indeed the country’s, top-priced chenin blanc. But why not?...Beautifully refined and elegant, oak a calm chaperone, with golden apple, white pear, fennel seed, a little oatmeal and a maritime thing, lit up with oyster shells and sea breezes. It’s chiselled, mineral, subtly textural and electrified by ripe, natural acidity. Lovely. Only 600 bottles made." - Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion
"(A) perfumed finish of excellent length, some lemon zest in the aftertaste. Complex and composed. It does show a bit of oak scaffolding, though it’s very nice oak mind you, and will almost certainly improve with more time in bottle." - Gary Walsh for The Wine Front
"Lovely finish. Will be excellent in time." - Campbell Mattinson for The Wine Front
"(S)oft, round and flavoursome in its youth, with more to show in the future. The finish is crisp and refreshing with appley acidity and crunch. Slightly coconutty. This needs more time." - Huon Hooke for The Real Review
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Note: Please email if you wish to buy a 3 pack.
Select between a 3, 6 or 12 bottle case to Buy the Aphelion Brini Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2024. Psst...Like the sound of our exclusive pre-sale access, Members pricing ($81) plus perks like free shipping? Step right this way...
Aphelion Callow Grenache Blanc 2025
McLaren Vale Grenache Blanc | Organic Single Vineyard | Limited Release
Aphelion Callow Grenache Blanc 2025 is a vibrant, textural and spice-laced expression of Grenache Blanc from a certified Organic and Biodynamic vineyard near Kangarilla in McLaren Vale.
Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, this wine balances purity and freshness with subtle oak complexity. Bright acidity and layered texture make it both immediately compelling and capable of medium-term cellaring.
Only 250 six-packs produced.
Tasting Notes
Intense and vibrant fruit aromatics mingle with citrus and spice. A fine textural edge gives the wine a distinctly food-friendly feel. Cinnamon and nutmeg spice complement nashi pear and stone fruit flavours, finishing long and precise with refreshing acidity.
- Variety: Grenache Blanc
- Region: McLaren Vale (Kangarilla)
- Vineyard: Certified Organic & Biodynamic Yangarra Vineyard
- ABV: 13.2%
- Closure: Screwcap
- Vegan Friendly
- Serve: 8–10°C
- Cellaring: Drink now or cellar 5–8 years
Winemaking
Hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed. 60% was fermented in stainless steel to retain freshness and varietal purity, with the balance fermented in one new Austrian oak hogshead and seasoned French oak barriques.
A slow, cool ferment preserved aromatics. The wine remained on full lees with regular battonage until bottling in December 2025, building texture and complexity while maintaining precision.
Goes With
Goes With Food: Bouillabaisse — the body and spice of the wine mirror the dish beautifully.
Goes With Cheese: Comté — structured yet not overpowering, allowing the spice characters to shine.
Goes With Music: Muse – Stockholm Syndrome.
Goes With Life: Textural and aromatic, perfect as the first glass of the evening or paired with the feature dish of the night.
Why Buy Callow Grenache Blanc 2025?
- Rare McLaren Vale Grenache Blanc
- Certified Organic & Biodynamic vineyard source
- Textural, spice-driven white wine
- Cellar-worthy for 5–8 years
- Limited production — only 250 six-packs
This is a wine for lovers of Rhône-style whites, Chenin Blanc drinkers looking for something textural, and collectors of small-batch McLaren Vale releases.
Buy Callow Grenache Blanc 2025 Online
Select between a 6 bottle pack or 12 bottle case to Buy the Callow Grenache Blanc by Aphelion 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Grenache Blanc taste like?
Grenache Blanc typically shows citrus, pear and stone fruit with spice and texture. The Callow Grenache Blanc 2025 highlights nashi pear, cinnamon and nutmeg with vibrant acidity.
Is this a dry white wine?
Yes. Callow Grenache Blanc 2025 is dry, textural and balanced with fresh acidity.
Can I cellar Grenache Blanc?
Yes. Thanks to vibrant acidity and lees maturation, this wine will cellar well for 5–8 years.
Is this wine organic?
The fruit is sourced from a certified Organic and Biodynamic vineyard in McLaren Vale.
What food pairs best with Grenache Blanc?
Bouillabaisse, seafood stews, roast chicken, and alpine cheeses like Comté pair beautifully with this style.
1.5L McLaren Vale Grenache Magnum | 95 Points | Only 100 Made
BRINI + PLAISTED'S VINEYARDS · BLEWITT SPRINGS · HICKINBOTHAM VINEYARD · CLARENDON · McLAREN VALE
Twice the Confluence. Twice the reason to gather around the table.
Aphelion Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 Magnum is a 1.5L bottle of our 95-point McLaren Vale Grenache — equivalent to two standard 750ml bottles — made for sharing with friends and family.
Only 100 Magnums were bottled.
Meet Confluence Magnum 2025
There are bottles you open for dinner.
And there are bottles that make dinner feel like an occasion.
This is the latter.
At 1.5 litres, a Confluence Magnum holds twice the wine of a standard bottle. Put one in the middle of the table and it becomes part wine, part centrepiece, part declaration that nobody needs to rush home.
More wine to pour. A second glass for everyone. And one very good reason to gather your favourite people around the table.
Why Choose the Confluence 2025 Magnum?
🍷 1.5L Magnum · $90
Twice the volume of a standard 750ml bottle of Confluence, in a showstopping large-format bottle made for sharing.
🥇 95 Points · Halliday Wine Companion
The Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 wine received 95 points from Marcus Ellis.
📍 McLaren Vale · Blewitt Springs + Clarendon
80% Blewitt Springs fruit from the Brini and Plaisted's vineyards, with 20% from the Hickinbotham vineyard in Clarendon.
🌿 30% Whole Bunch
Adding savoury complexity, aromatic lift and fine structure.
✨ Only 100 Magnums Made
A genuinely limited large-format release from our small family winery.
🍽 Made for the Table
A bottle designed to be opened, shared and remembered.
What Does Confluence Grenache 2025 Taste Like?
Confluence opens with a savoury core of olive and briar, before crunchy raspberry and cranberry begin to emerge.
The palate brings Satsuma plum, wild strawberry and fine sandalwood, with fine tannins carrying the wine through a long, savoury finish.
There's concentration without heaviness, structure without severity and enough going on that you'll probably find something different every time you return to the glass.
Which is handy when there's twice as much of it.
A Bigger Bottle for Bigger Moments
A Magnum doesn't need a formal occasion.
Sometimes the larger bottle creates the occasion.
The dinner that wasn't meant to go this long
You booked for seven. It's now pushing ten. The plates have been cleared, nobody is checking the time and someone asks the question every good dinner eventually gets to:
“Should we open another bottle?”
With a Magnum on the table, you already did.
Sunday lunch that becomes Sunday afternoon
There are more people around the table than you planned for. Someone has brought bread. Someone else has brought cheese. Nobody seems particularly interested in leaving.
A larger bottle means a second glass for everyone.
When you're bringing the wine
Walk into dinner carrying a Magnum and nobody wonders whether you've brought enough.
It's generous without being showy — although, sitting in the middle of the table, it certainly knows how to make an entrance.
The table that deserves a centrepiece
Birthdays. Anniversaries. Christmas lunch. A long-table dinner with friends you don't see often enough.
Flowers are lovely.
A 1.5L bottle of Grenache you can actually drink together is better.
Or no occasion at all
Six people. Dinner on the table. Phones put away.
Sometimes that's enough.
Make Moments Count.
Made for the Table
Goes With Food
Pan-seared duck, roast meats, mushrooms or a generous Mediterranean-style spread.
Confluence has enough savoury structure for the main event, while its freshness and fine tannins keep everyone reaching for another glass.
Goes With Cheese
Camembert or a washed-rind cheese.
The earthy, mushroom character of the cheese complements Confluence's savoury side without overwhelming its perfume and delicate structure.
Goes With Music
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Jubilee Street.
It starts with restraint, then keeps building — another layer, then another, until something that seemed almost understated has completely captured your attention.
Confluence does something similar in the glass. The first impression is savoury and intriguing; give it air and the fruit, perfume and structure begin to reveal themselves. And like the song's long, insistent build, the finish doesn't disappear quietly.
Why Buy Your Magnum Direct from the Aphelion Family Winery?
This is one of just 100 Confluence 2025 Magnums bottled.
When you buy direct from Aphelion, you're buying from the small family winery that made the wine - closer to the vineyards, the growers, the winemaking and the stories behind the bottle.
It's also where you'll find limited releases and formats that may never make it as far as a restaurant, wine bar or bottle shop.
Thank you for supporting our family winery directly.
Psst... Our Wine Club members receive early access to new and limited releases, exclusive wines, complimentary tastings, member pricing and free shipping.
DISCOVER THE APHELION WINE CLUB →
More About Confluence Magnum 2025
The Vineyards +
Confluence isn't a single-site wine.
That's the point.
The 2025 vintage brings together Grenache from several remarkable McLaren Vale vineyards:
| Origin | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Blewitt Springs | 80% of the blend, from the Brini family and Plaisted's vineyards |
| Clarendon | 20% of the blend, from the acclaimed Hickinbotham vineyard |
Grenache can express the personality of an individual place with remarkable clarity. Confluence explores the other side of that idea: what happens when different sites are deliberately brought together to create something greater than any one parcel.
How We Made It +
The Grenache fruit was hand-picked, with 30% fermented as whole bunches in stainless steel and small concrete open-top fermenters.
The wine was matured in a combination of:
- 1,500L Drunk Turtle cocciopesto
- Seasoned French 2,800L foudre
- Demi-muid oak
The aim is structure and complexity without allowing oak to dominate the fruit or vineyard character.
Bottled February 2026 · 14.0% ABV · Screwcap · Unfiltered · Unfined · Vegan
Pairings + Cellaring +
Drink: Now through 2035.
Serve: Approximately 18°C.
If you're opening your Magnum now, give it some air and a little time in the glass. Confluence becomes increasingly expressive as it opens.
For the table, think pan-seared duck, roast meats, mushrooms and savoury Mediterranean dishes. For cheese, Camembert and washed-rind styles work beautifully.
And most importantly: put the Magnum in the middle of the table and share it.
Critic Recognition +
95 points — Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
Confluence 2025 combines the things we love most about Grenache: perfume, savouriness, freshness, fine structure and genuine drinkability.
Shipping +
We deliver Aphelion wines throughout Australia by Australia Post.
- South Australia: $15 flat-rate shipping per order.
- Rest of Australia: $20 flat-rate shipping per order.
- Wine Club members: Free shipping.
- Orders are usually dispatched within 2 business days.
- Delivery generally takes between 2 and 10 business days depending on location.
Wines cannot be shipped to dry zones and will not be delivered to anyone under 18 years of age.
Questions About Confluence Grenache 2025 Magnum
How big is a Confluence Grenache Magnum?
A Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 Magnum contains 1.5 litres of wine, equivalent to two standard 750ml bottles.
How many glasses of wine are in a Magnum?
A 1.5L Magnum contains twice as much wine as a standard 750ml bottle. It is an ideal format for sharing around a table when one standard bottle simply won't stretch far enough.
What is Confluence Grenache Noir 2025?
Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 is Aphelion's original McLaren Vale Grenache, made from fruit grown across distinctive sites in Blewitt Springs and Clarendon. It is aromatic, savoury and finely structured, with raspberry, cranberry, Satsuma plum, wild strawberry, olive, briar and sandalwood characters.
Where does Confluence Grenache 2025 come from?
The 2025 Confluence blend is 80% Blewitt Springs Grenache from the Brini family and Plaisted's vineyards, with 20% from the Hickinbotham vineyard in Clarendon. All three vineyards are in McLaren Vale, South Australia.
Is the wine in the Magnum different from the standard Confluence 2025?
No. The Magnum is a 1.5L large-format bottling of Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 — twice the volume of the standard 750ml bottle.
How many Confluence Grenache 2025 Magnums were made?
Only 100 Magnums of Aphelion Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 were bottled, making the 1.5L format a very limited release.
Is a Confluence Magnum good for a dinner party?
Yes. A 1.5L Magnum contains twice the wine of a standard bottle, making it particularly useful for long lunches, dinner parties, celebrations and tables where you'd like everyone to have another glass. The large-format bottle also makes a striking table centrepiece.
Is a Confluence Magnum a good wine gift?
Yes. The limited 1.5L format makes Confluence Magnum particularly suited to milestone birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, hosts, Grenache lovers and anyone who enjoys sharing good wine around the table.
Has Confluence Grenache 2025 received a critic score?
Yes. Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 received 95 points from Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion.
Can I cellar Confluence Grenache 2025 Magnum?
Yes. Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 is drinking beautifully now and has the concentration, structure and tannin to continue developing through to 2035.
Is Confluence Grenache 2025 vegan?
Yes. Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 is unfined, unfiltered and vegan.
About Aphelion Wine Co.
Aphelion is a small, family-owned winery in McLaren Vale, South Australia, specialising in Grenache.
We work closely with growers and make small batches of wine from remarkable vineyards and specific sites across McLaren Vale.
Our wines are made to express place, season and the character of Grenache — and, most importantly, to be opened and enjoyed with good food and good people.
Aphelion began with Grenache. Our focus is Grenache. And our future is Grenache.
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McLaren Vale Grenache from Multiple Remarkable Sites | 95 Points | Limited Release
Aphelion Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 is a $42 McLaren Vale Grenache made predominantly from Blewitt Springs fruit, with a touch of Clarendon, and awarded 95 points by Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion.
What happens when you bring some of McLaren Vale's most distinctive Grenache sites together?
You get Confluence.
Our original Grenache.
A wine that has been with us from the very beginning.
And if you want to understand why we're so obsessed with Grenache, this is a pretty good place to start.
Meet Confluence Grenache Noir 2025
Confluence is our expression of what happens when different sites, different soils and different expressions of Grenache come together.
The 2025 vintage brings together fruit predominantly from Blewitt Springs, with a touch of Clarendon, creating a McLaren Vale Grenache that is aromatic, complex, structured and remarkably easy to drink.
It's serious enough for dinner.
Relaxed enough for the back deck.
And interesting enough that you'll probably find yourself going back to the glass to see what changed.
That's Confluence.
Why Buy Confluence Grenache 2025?
🍷 McLaren Vale Grenache - $42 a bottle
An approachable way to discover Aphelion's Grenache obsession, available by the bottle or in 6- and 12-bottle quantities.
📍 Blewitt Springs + Clarendon
80% of the fruit is from Brini, and Plaisted's vineyards in Blewitt Springs, and 20% is from Hickinbotham in Clarendon. Two distinctive and prized sub-regions within McLaren Vale. Three of the best growers, vineyards and sites.
🌿 30% Whole Bunch
Whole-bunch fermentation contributes savoury complexity, structure and aromatic lift.
🥇 95 Points
Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion.
✨ Limited Production
Just 1,100 six-packs and 100 Magnums produced.
🌱 Unfiltered | Unfined | Vegan
Made with minimal intervention and bottled without fining or filtration.
What Does Confluence Grenache Taste Like?
Pour it and you'll see the vibrant red colour with purple hues in the glass.
At first, there's a savoury core of olive and briar.
Give it some air.
That's when the fruit starts to emerge.
Crunchy raspberry. Cranberry.
Then the palate opens up into Satsuma plum, wild strawberry and fine sandalwood, carried by fine tannins that give the wine impressive length.
There's real intensity and concentration here, but without heaviness or cloying sweetness.
It's the kind of Grenache that rewards attention without demanding it.
Pour a glass. Give it some air. Come back to it.
You'll probably find something new.
A Confluence of McLaren Vale Sites
Confluence isn't a single-site wine.
That's the point.
It brings together fruit from several remarkable vineyards to create something greater than any one parcel could achieve.
| Origin | Contribution to Confluence |
|---|---|
| Blewitt Springs | 80% of the blend, from Brini family and Plaisted's vineyards |
| Clarendon | 20% of the blend, from the acclaimed Hickinbotham vineyard |
This is one of the reasons we love Grenache.
It can express the personality of a place with remarkable clarity — but it can also show what happens when different places are brought together deliberately.
Confluence is the latter.
How We Made Confluence Grenache 2025
Grenache fruit was hand-picked and a portion of the fruit was fermented as whole bunches.
30% whole bunch fermentation took place in stainless steel and small concrete open-top fermenters.
The wine was then matured in a combination of:
- 1,500L Drunk Turtle cocciopesto
- Seasoned French 2,800L foudre
- Demi-muid oak
The result is a wine with structure and complexity without letting oak dominate the fruit or site character.
Bottled February 2026.
Made for the Table
Confluence is deliberately food friendly.
It's got enough structure to stand up to dinner, enough freshness to keep you reaching for another glass and enough savoury character to make food taste better.
Goes With Food
Pan-seared duck.
The spice and body of the duck are a beautiful match for the wine.
Goes With Cheese
Camembert or a washed-rind cheese.
The mushroom characters in the cheese complement the wine without overwhelming its more delicate structure.
Goes With Music
Nick Cave – Jubilee Street.
It begins with restraint and keeps building - layer upon layer, tension upon tension - much like Confluence as it opens in the glass. What starts savoury and brooding becomes increasingly expressive, before that long, insistent finish refuses to disappear quietly.
Goes With Life
The dinner that wasn’t meant to go this long.
You booked for 7. It’s now pushing 10. The plates have been cleared, nobody’s checking the time, and someone asks the question every good dinner eventually gets to:
“Should we get another bottle?”
Confluence is that bottle.
Interesting enough to keep you coming back to the glass. Easy enough that the conversation never has to stop for it.
Because sometimes the moments worth counting are the ones you didn’t plan.
When Should You Drink Confluence 2025?
Now.
Confluence 2025 is ready to drink, but it has the structure, concentration and tannin to continue evolving through to 2035.
Serve at 18°C.
If you're drinking it tonight, give it some time in the glass.
If you're putting some away, expect the savoury and structural elements to become increasingly integrated with time.
Critic Recognition
95 points - Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion
Confluence has been one of the wines at the heart of Aphelion since the beginning, and the 2025 vintage continues that story with the combination we love: perfume, savouriness, structure, freshness and drinkability.
It's Grenache with enough going on to reward the serious wine drinker, without becoming a wine you have to think about.
Is Confluence the Right McLaren Vale Grenache for You?
Buy Confluence if you want a Grenache that's...
- Aromatic rather than heavy — expressive fruit and savoury complexity without excessive weight.
- Food friendly — structured enough for dinner but fresh enough to keep drinking.
- Complex without being complicated — there are layers here, but you don't need a wine degree to enjoy them.
- Distinctively McLaren Vale — drawing on fruit from some of the vineyards we know and work with closely.
- Built to evolve — ready now, with the structure to develop through 2035.
- A genuine Aphelion original — Confluence has been part of our Grenache story from the very beginning.
Choose Confluence if you want:
a premium McLaren Vale Grenache that's drinking beautifully now; a savoury rather than sweet expression of Grenache; a highly rated Australian red under $50; or an introduction to Aphelion before exploring our Single Site Grenaches.
Looking for something different?
If you'd like to explore how individual vineyards change Grenache, discover our Single Site Grenache Collection. If you're looking for our most cellar-worthy expression, discover Rapture Old Vine Grenache.
Confluence vs Single Site Grenache
Wondering whether you should choose Confluence or one of our Single Site Grenaches?
| Confluence Grenache 2025 | Single Site Grenache | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Multiple vineyards and sites | One specific block within one vineyard |
| Style | Aromatic, complex, savoury and beautifully drinkable | More site-specific and structurally distinctive |
| Fruit | Blewitt Springs + Clarendon | One defined site |
| Best for | Dinner, entertaining, aperitivo and everyday serious drinking | Exploring terroir and building a cellar |
If you want to explore what McLaren Vale Grenache can do across different sites, Confluence is the place to start.
If you want to go deeper into the difference a particular block can make, explore our Single Site Grenaches next.
Why Confluence Is Worth Buying Direct from Aphelion
You can find Aphelion wines through selected retailers.
But when you buy Confluence directly from us, you're buying from the people who made it.
You're closer to the vineyards.
Closer to the winemaking.
Closer to the stories behind the bottle.
And you're first in line for the wines that never make it as far as retail.
Our Wine Club members also receive early access to new and limited releases, exclusive wines, complimentary tastings and member benefits.
DISCOVER THE APHELION WINE CLUB →
Buy Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 Direct From The Aphelion Family Winery Online
Ready to pour?
Choose a single bottle, 6-bottle pack or 12-bottle case of Aphelion Confluence Grenache Noir 2025.
With only 1,100 six-packs and 100 Magnums produced, this is a limited vintage.
Ready now. Delicious with dinner. Built to evolve.
Psst... Like the sound of exclusive wines, early access and free shipping? Our Wine Club members receive exclusive access to new and limited releases, complimentary tastings and member benefits.
Shipping
We deliver Aphelion wines throughout Australia by Australia Post.
- South Australia: $15 flat-rate shipping per order.
- Rest of Australia: $20 flat-rate shipping per order.
- Wine Club members: Free shipping.
- Orders are usually dispatched within 2 business days.
- Delivery generally takes between 2 and 10 business days depending on location.
Wines cannot be shipped to dry zones and will not be delivered to anyone under 18 years of age.
Frequently Asked Questions About Confluence Grenache 2025
What is Confluence Grenache 2025?
Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 is Aphelion's original Grenache, made from fruit grown across distinctive McLaren Vale sites in Blewitt Springs and Clarendon. It is complex, aromatic, savoury and food friendly, with fine tannins, good structure and a long finish.
What does Confluence Grenache 2025 taste like?
Confluence 2025 shows a savoury core of olive and briar, followed by crunchy raspberry and cranberry. The palate brings Satsuma plum, wild strawberry and fine sandalwood, with fine tannins providing excellent length.
Is Confluence Grenache a McLaren Vale wine?
Yes. Confluence Grenache 2025 is made from Grenache grown in McLaren Vale, with 80% of the blend from Blewitt Springs and 20% from Clarendon.
Where does Confluence Grenache 2025 come from?
The 2025 Confluence is made from 80% Blewitt Springs fruit from the Brini and Plaisted's family vineyards, plus 20% Clarendon fruit from the Hickinbotham vineyard.
Is Confluence Grenache 2025 a good Australian Grenache under $50?
Yes. At $42 a bottle, Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 is a premium McLaren Vale Grenache made from fruit grown in Blewitt Springs and Clarendon. It received 95 points from Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion and is designed to be delicious now while having the structure to cellar through to 2035.
What does “Confluence” mean in wine?
Confluence refers to the bringing together of different sources or influences. For Aphelion Confluence, it describes the deliberate combination of Grenache from different McLaren Vale vineyards and sites to create one complete wine.
Is Confluence a Single Site Grenache?
No. Confluence is deliberately made from multiple sites. Our Single Site Grenaches come from one specific block within a vineyard, while Confluence brings together different sites to create a broader expression of McLaren Vale Grenache.
Is Confluence Grenache 2025 a full-bodied red wine?
Confluence has real intensity, concentration and structure, but it is not heavy or cloying. Its freshness, fine tannins and savoury character make it a versatile and food-friendly McLaren Vale red wine.
Is Confluence Grenache suitable for food pairing?
Yes. Confluence is particularly food friendly and pairs beautifully with dishes such as pan-seared duck, roast meats, mushrooms and savoury Mediterranean-style dishes. It also works with Camembert and washed-rind cheeses.
Should I decant Confluence Grenache 2025?
It is not essential, but giving Confluence some air will allow its savoury, fruit and spice characters to unfold. Pouring it into a glass and returning to it over 20–30 minutes is an easy way to experience how the wine evolves.
How long can I cellar Confluence Grenache 2025?
Confluence 2025 is ready to drink now but has the structure, concentration and tannin to continue evolving through to 2035.
What percentage of Confluence 2025 is whole bunch?
30% of the fruit was fermented as whole bunches in stainless steel and small concrete open-top fermenters.
How was Confluence Grenache 2025 matured?
The wine was matured in a combination of 1,500L Drunk Turtle cocciopesto, seasoned French 2,800L foudre and demi-muid oak. It was bottled in February 2026.
Is Confluence Grenache 2025 vegan?
Yes. Confluence 2025 is unfiltered, unfined and vegan.
How much Confluence Grenache 2025 was produced?
Aphelion produced 1,100 six-packs and 100 Magnums of Confluence Grenache Noir 2025.
What is the alcohol percentage of Confluence Grenache 2025?
Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 has an alcohol content of 14.0% ABV.
What temperature should I serve Confluence Grenache 2025?
Serve Confluence Grenache 2025 at approximately 18°C.
Has Confluence Grenache 2025 received any critic reviews?
Yes. Confluence Grenache Noir 2025 received 95 points from Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion.
About Aphelion Wine Co.
Aphelion is a small, family-owned winery in McLaren Vale, South Australia, specialising in Grenache.
We work closely with growers and make wines from remarkable vineyards and specific sites across McLaren Vale.
Our wines are made to express place, season and the character of Grenache — and, most importantly, to be opened and enjoyed with good food and good people.
Aphelion began with Grenache.
Our focus is Grenache.
And our future is Grenache.
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