A new premium wine brand called The Group has been created from an innovative and unique partnership with a grower-owned collective in South Australia.

The Group says it harnesses the collective skills, quality and expertise of around 100 grape growers and their families to deliver a range of full-flavoured, quality wines.

This in turn, the business says, allows The Group to showcase some of the highest quality wines from Australia’s leading wine regions, including McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills.

By working exclusively with the Collective, The Group says it helps to maintain the Collective’s initial goal, which is to “support the livelihood of the growers, and to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and expertise to ensure their vineyards thrive and grow”.

The debut range includes:
• The Murder 2017 McLaren Vale Shiraz;
• The Shadow 2019 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir;
• The Quiver 2019 McLaren Vale Grenache;
• The Fever 2018 McLaren Vale Grower Blend; and
• A limited-edition varietal, The Siege 2019 McLaren Vale Shiraz

One of the nation’s pioneer of the paddock-to-plate philosophy, award-winning chef and restaurateur Matt Moran, says he shares The Group’s commitment to quality and passion for supporting Australian local producers, including growers, and their families.

“I grew up on the farm and I’ve always had a passion for sourcing great quality produce to create great tasting food,” Moran says. “Like paddock-to-plate, Grower Wines by The Group represent an exciting movement in the Australian wine industry.

“The Group’s collaboration with a Grower-Owned Collective paves the way for the hard-working growers and supports the local, real people behind the label.

“Establishing these connections is how you create honest, authentic and quality produce – whether its food or wine,” he says.

As the daughter of a grape grower, The Group Winemaker, Marnie Roberts, spent her early years amongst her family’s vines. Today, with 25 years of expertise in the wine industry both as a winemaker and managing vineyards, Marnie is thrilled to introduce The Group wines.

“The collective knowledge, passion and experience that’s passed down through generations of growers is really special,” she says. “These growers are experts on the fruit they grow, and what grapes make the finest wines possible.

“The Grower-Owned Collective enables growers and winemakers to join forces and in turn, make The Group’s range of truly exceptional wines.”

James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management