Whilst only ever made in small quantities, our Shiraz has somewhat of a cult following at RIKARD.

It is made to reflect it’s cool-climate roots and to always be elegant, medium-bodied and fragrant. We employ traditional, minimal-interventionist winemaking techniques in the winery to build complexity, usually with inclusion of whole clusters.

We are careful with our use of new oak and focus on creating a wine that is serious, structured, elegant and fine. They tend to age beautifully and suit a range of foods.

Our 2023 Shiraz comes entirely from the Amboseli vineyard; a small, one acre block of Shiraz that we have managed since 2018.  The season leading into V23 was early and warm – ideal for such a cool spot growing Shiraz. We did a lot of work in the vineyard that year, lowering the vigour and crop size to see if we could increase concentration of flavour in the fruit. It was hard work that paid off!  Arguably our best edition of this wine, one we’re proud of and one we’re confident of ageing for at least a decade.

• Single vineyard wine from Amboseli Vineyard 850m above sea level
• Hand harvested in to 10kg baskets 26th March 2023
• Fermented by wild and cultured yeast in open 1T fermenters
• Average inclusion of 20% whole bunches.
• 10% of the blend went through carbonic maceration
• Balance was fermented as whole berries
• 4 weeks on skins before pressing
• Settled and racked to 228L French Oak barriques (25% new)
• Blended into tank March 2025 and settled for 8 months
• Bottled un-fined and unfiltered December 2024

COLOUR – Dark maroon and crimson with pink edges

NOSE – Black forest cake, mulberry and dark cocoa. In abundance. That’s it! A beautiful Shiraz nose

PALATE – Medium to full-bodied, with a juicier palate than you’d expect from the nose. Forest berries and dark chocolate fill the mid-palate, then a fine coating of tannin provides a rigid shell around the wine. Some savoury, saline notes add moreish-ness and keeps the glass continually emptying!