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Good Soul Wines Newsletter #4 - June 2026
Winery Spotlight - Five Vineyard
Never thought I'd be writing about a winery in Mernda, the home of 'value' house and land packages, but here we are!
The Valla family began planting vines on the family cattle farm in 2019 with the focus on Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir. Predictable enough but of course these varieties have a proven track record in this part of the world. Five Vineyard doesn't sit in any particular GI although it is ~5km from the western boundary of the Yarra Valley and 10km east of the Sunbury region.
A recent tasting with Sam Valla proved to be quite the eye opener. I didn't have huge expectations (young vines, unproven terrior) but happy to report that I was taught a lesson on making assumptions (again!). The Estate Range, in particular, demonstrates a well handled balancing act of value, drinkability and competent winemaking.
The standout was the Reserve Shiraz 2022 $54, built from vines a mere 3yrs old (first commercial crop). Juicy fruit that never mis-steps with mineral streaks and great purity and lift. More than a hint of Craiglee here I reckon (true dinks!).
Our Five Vineyard range can be found here.
New Release Whites Worth a Look
FG's 'Innovation' tag is a relatively new mid-tier offering and I assume takes over the previous 'Margaret River' label. It's easy to forget about this winery when the region is jammed packed with high profile superstars but there's plenty of quality to be had at the price. Lively with bright minerals and supporting acid.A YV favourite for mine and although I'm not the winery would want to be known as a 'value player' the fact is most wines across both the 'Estate' and 'Shed' range play well above their respective price points. Flint, talc, river stone, jasmine and citrus. Pulpy, solids-y weight from whole bunch and dirty juice ferment. Even in these warmer years the granitic soils of the vineyard ensure a clean acid line and cool fruit characters.Easily the standout NZ wine at the Nelson Wines Trade Show late last year. I'm no fan of the bog standard Sav B offerings from this part of the world but examples like this force me to pause for thought. Fresh minerals (think river stones) and even fresher tropical fruits. Honey hints coming through. A cracker of a wine.Pretty certain I'm not the first person to claim these dudes are the best white wine producers on the Peninsula. Oz leaders in Gris and Grigio, the Quealy's make high grade Gris & Grigio across an impressive range of sub-regions and single vineyards. easy to rubbish local Grigio but you won't here.“Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy were among the early waves of winemakers on the Mornington Peninsula. They challenged the status quo - most publicly by introducing Mornington Peninsula pinot gris/grigio (with great success). Behind this was improvement and diversification in site selection, plus viticulture and winemaking techniques that allowed their business to grow significantly.” James HallidayOld & Rare Wines
We try and run a minor specialisation in all things old and rare. We are in the fortunate position to be able to get hold of most wines these days (ie through wholesale channels) and we also hold back stock for the cellar that we can release in due course to both the GSW customer base and pour as 'Feature Wines' at our wine bar 'The Grape & Hop'.
Below is a little taster of stock on hand. The full range can be found here.
Bass Phillip 'Estate' Pinot Noir 2023
Bindi 'Block 8' Pinot Noir 2022
Chateau Cantemerle Cabernet 5th Growth 2010
Marc Bredif 'Classic' Chenin Blanc 2006
Noon 'Reserve' Shiraz 2021
Rockford 'Moppa Springs' Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2014
Wantirna Estate 'Lily' Pinot Noir 2023