The paralympian, Australian of the year, and all-round legend gives us the lowdown on the equally legendary new release from the Barossa wine label.
It’s been a massive year for Dylan Alcott, after making it to this year’s Australian Open grand final, the seven-time champion hung up his tennis racket and retired from the sport. But retirement doesn't mean life has slowed Dylan down – he was named Australian of the Year, had a cheeky zoom with the Queen, sat for an Archibald Prize portrait, worked with his charity the Dylan Alcott Foundation, and popped up on our screens more than a few times in between. It’s enough to make anyone thirsty, which is perhaps why Dylan began working with legendary Barossa Valley wine label Grant Burge.
“I only partner with people that share my ethos and Grant Burge definitely do that,” explains Dylan. “Grant Burge is a premium wine brand that’s five generations old, striving for top quality. For a premium product like that to partner with a guy in a wheelchair – it just doesn’t normally happen. So I’m proud of that, it means something to me.”
Ever since Dylan joined the Grant Burge team, he’s been taken under the wing of the label’s winemaker Craig Stansborough. And he couldn’t have a better teacher – after spending nearly 30 years at the label, Craig knows Grant Burge and the wider world of Barossa wine better than anyone.
With the arrival of this year’s Grant Burge release nearly upon us (it'll be available from the 18th of August), there was nobody better to chat us through the range than Dylan and Craig. Below, the duo gives us the lowdown on all things Grant Burge – including which of this year’s wines Dylan has to start hiding from his partner.
Q: Dylan, have you always been into wine? Are you an expert or more of a pick-it-by-the-label type of guy?
Dylan: I’m somewhere in the middle, to be honest. I’ve always loved wine and have shared that love with my family. But that’s also one of the reasons I’ve started working with Grant Burge – because I want to learn more. Everyone’s been so lovely not just about educating and upskilling me, but they’re also going to be donating a portion of the sales later in the year to the Dylan Alcott Foundation, which is awesome. Now that I’m not playing tennis anymore I’m excited to be able to actually drink wine and get serious about it. I haven’t been able to do that for 14 years because of my career so I’m happy to be at a stage in life now where I can explore.
Q: Craig, from the Grant Burge side of things, why are you excited to have Dylan on board?
Craig: It’s brilliant to have someone so highly respected on the team. With winemaking, you build your brand up over a long time and you only find success by doing the right thing. There’s an old saying, “Marketing will sell a bottle of wine once, but what’s in the bottle will sell it again and again.” That’s what Grant Burge is about and it’s the same with Dylan– creating something great through focus and hard work. And to have such a highly motivated and successful partner in Dylan – why wouldn’t we be excited!
Q: This year’s release from Grant Burge has just dropped, what’s in this new release that excites you?
Craig: What’s really interesting about this release is that it spans three vintages – 2018, 2019 and 2020. You get to taste all the different elements that mother nature brought to our region over those years. The ‘18s are from a stunning, amazing vintage, while ‘19 was a warmer year and then ‘20 was one of the tougher years from a winemaking perspective because of drought. It certainly tests your mettle as a winemaker to reflect back on those vintages, but in the end I think the results are pretty good.
Dylan: There’s that element of craft in winemaking that I'm really intrigued by – that’s really special. And it's a correlation in sport, and with what I’d do when I was playing tennis. So to be able to taste these wines and learn more about them and Grant Burge’s history was so interesting. Plus, I’m a big steak man so pairing these wines in that way was also so, so good.
Q. Let's chat about a few of the wines from this year’s Grant Burge release and what you both thought of them.
Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz 2020
Craig: This is a quintessential Barossa shiraz, lots of richness and flavour. There’s a bit less oak in the 2020 because we wanted the fruit to speak for itself. It’s luscious, it’s rich – and it needs protein like a steak or ragu to go with it because it’s a big, big wine.
Dylan: Exactly, it’s big and it’s bold. You envision a dinner party with a fire going in the background and enjoying some steaks. I’m a big fan, and honestly it might be my pick of the bunch. It’s just so delicious.
Grant Burge Holy Trinity GSM 2020
Craig: I could talk about this wine forever – there’s so much history behind it. It’s one of the great wines to blend because you spend all day doing it, getting the right percentage of the three varieties. It’s got some elegance and spice, but also a fair bit of texture – something that’s really, really critical in this wine. And it’s such a versatile food wine too.
Dylan: It’s a bit of an all rounder, this one. It’s the kind of wine that you could have anytime, anywhere and with anything. The way that it comes together is something that I was very impressed by. Learning about the process of blending of all three and how it becomes the GSM was so cool.
Grant Burge Meshach Shiraz 2018
Dylan: I have to be honest and admit that I haven’t been able to try this one yet. But I’m so, so excited for when I do get to open it up.
Craig: I think you’ll love it mate. The really cool thing about this wine is the vine age that goes into it. The 2018 is off only a couple of vineyards, one was planted in 1887 and the other in 1920, so they’re well over a hundred years old. They give it this amazing X factor that’s hard to describe – it’s got grace and elegance, but with power. I know that sounds counterintuitive but that’s really how it is. I regard 2018 as one of the best years we’ve had in the last 20 years, so you should expect something really special.
Q. Dylan, are there any other wines from this Grant Burge release you’ve had the chance to try yet?
Dylan: I have to tell you a funny story, I had a bottle of the 2018 Shadrach from this release and I was saving it for a nice occasion to drink with my partner. We were going to open it last night and when I asked her where it was, she told me she’d opened it last week without me! She goes, “Geez it was delicious, one of the best wines I’ve ever had.” And I’m like, yeah that’s why it was a special bottle for us to share [laughs].
These delicious drops will be hitting shelves from the 18th of August (one long week away). In the meantime, here's another thing you can get excited for.
Bit of a Dylan Alcott fan? Bit of a Grant Burge fan? You’re in for a treat. We’re hosting an intimate dinner event to celebrate this brilliant 2022 wine release. Picture this: you and 29 lucky others, eating a delicious dinner paired with spectacular wines AND the company of Grant Burge winemaker Craig Standborough and Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott. There’s only 30 spots, so be quick.
Where: Dan Murphy’s Cellar, 282 Chapel St, Prahran
When: Friday, August 19th, 2022
Time: 6pm - 9.30pm
Price: $225 per person (includes all food wine and good times)
