Oxford Landing is a winery located along the Murray River in South Australia’s Riverland. It has a long history, started in 1958 by Wyndham Hill-Smith (a past winemaker at Yalumba) where he was the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in the Riverland, an area with a Mediterranean climate, plenty of sunshine, fertile red soil, and the longest single river in Australia. Before then grapes were planted to make fortified wines and brandies. Wyndham’s son, Robert Hill-Smith, launched the Oxford Landing wine brand in 1990. The vineyards are sustainably farmed and the winery has been producing vegan-friendly wines since 2008.
Oxford Landing is committed to the protection of our environment. Their revegetation project kicked off in 2007 after the purchase of 600 hectares of farmland next to the vineyard. For every hectare of vines planted, at least one hectare of land is devoted to the regeneration of native flora and fauna. That is wonderful! They also limit irrigation and are 100% wastewater recycling.
I have two wines for you today from Oxford Landing, their Pinot Grigio 2020 and their Shiraz 2018.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Oxford Landing Pinot Grigio 2020 (BC $15.98)
This wine is made using indigenous yeast fermentation. After fermentation, the wine was left on yeast lees for three months and stirred weekly to add complexity, creaminess and richness to the palate. They recommend pairing this wine with dishes such as Asian shredded chicken salad with roasted peanuts or corn chips and a spicy black bean salsa of capsicum, tomato, cucumber, red onion, chilli and lime.
Appearance: A bright, lighter intensity lemon green, with tiny visible bubbles on the glass.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of lemon, peach, and touches of orange, lees, and toast. The aromas stayed the same after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry with a medium-plus body and flavour intensity. A thicker mouthfeel with roundness. Higher acidity that leaves a prickle on your tongue. Citrus, stone fruit, pear in particular, plus some black currant leaf flavours on the palate. There is some stony minerality toward the finish. Good acidic backbone structure. The wine tastes off-dry with softer acidity and a lighter mouthfeel with decanting. Peach, pear. and citrus flavours on the palate.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with tart citrus flavour, plus lesser stone fruits and pepperiness. No change with decanting.
Rating: 
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A nice refreshing wine with lemon, and touches of orange and peach aromas. Dry, medium-plus body with and an acidic prickle on your tongue. Citrus, pear and other light stonefruit flavours, along with some black currant leaf. Open and enjoy.
Oxford Landing Shiraz 2018 (BC $15.98)
Fermentation was carried out in a combination of static and rotary fermenters under warm temperature conditions for six to seven days. The winery recommends that a lightly spiced ragù or massaman vegetable curry would be a great accompaniment.
Appearance: A deep garnet, about 80% opaque, clear from rim to the core.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of black fruits and vanilla, with touches of floral, plums, and black currants. With decanting I get a mix of blackberries and purple berries, along with sweet spices, plums, black currants, and a touch of floral.
Palate: Dry, smooth and round with a medium-plus body. Purple fruits, blackberries, black currants along with a hint of floral and chocolate. There is some tarriness and black pepper starting on the mid-palate. Medium intensity fine tannins and medium acidity. Same mouthfeel and flavours after decanting, with the tarriness being a little lighter.
Finish: Medium length with flavours of blackberries and currants, pepperiness, oak, and some tarriness. More peppery with decanting. The tannins are not drying. The finish is more driven by acidity.
Rating: – A medium intensity nose with black fruits and blackberries, plus touches of black currants, vanilla, and floral. Dry, smooth and round with soft fine tannins. Blackberries and black currants with some tarriness and black pepper on the mid-palate. Hints of floral and chocolate. No need to decant.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase all their wines at Everything Wine stores. These select stores carry the Shiraz and Pinot Grigio:
Shiraz – Kitsilano Wine Cellar, Liquor Plus Saanich, Invermere Liquor Store, Spinnakers Victoria, The Bottle Shop Vancouver, and Nesters Whistler
Pinot Grigio – Village Liquor Gabriola Island
