Little Giant’s unique wine bottle shape is inspired by South Australia and its famous wombats.
The first thing you notice about the Little Giant range of wine is the short and stumpy bottle starring an equally short and stumpy wombat. Little Giant’s southern hairy-nosed wombat icon is the first hint that you’ve found a wine that is distinctly South Australian. Across the range, celebrating South Australia’s incredible wine regions is at the very heart of the Little Giant’s approach to winemaking.
Representing the famous Barossa Valley is Little Giant’s Barossa Shiraz, a popular go-to red that features all the hallmarks of a big and bold Barossa wine but with a refreshing contemporary spin. While their Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon makes the most of the Coonawarra’s ancient soil and moderate climate to create a vibrant and savoury drop. And those are just two examples of how Little Giant, no matter the style, always craft warm and generous South Australian wines that’ll please a crowd.
As one of Australia’s most recognisable wine labels, we had to learn more about Little Giant and their unique approach to wine. Below, we catch up with Ross Marshall, the Managing Director of Fourth Wave Wine who runs Little Giant in their stable of brands, to chat more about South Australian wine (and wombats).
Q. What is the inspiration behind Little Giant?
Little Giant was created to craft quintessential Australian wines with very generous and instantly rewarding styles. Each of the varieties are crafted to very high quality while offering terrific drinkability and value.
Q. The range is well-known for its unique bottle shape, how did that come about?
Our success is the result of a combination of factors, including that unique bottle shape. The bottle looks terrific and, most importantly, completely fits our focus on generous and friendly wine styles. It stands out on the shelf, is easily recognisable, and even creates a little bit of theatre in what can be a very crowded space.
Q. How did people react to the bottle when it first came out?
Ever since it first came out, customers have loved the bottle shape, the wine styles, and the wombat label. And because it’s so recognisable and well-liked, it’s easier for wine drinkers to describe or remember it when they’re looking for it again.
Q. You have a few different labels, most notably red and blue. What’s the key difference?
Little Giant is predominantly a red label across the brand. There is one blue label which is a Pinot Gris. As a fresh white wine style we wanted to portray that in its appearance, hence the blue. It also means a little less confusion if it happened to be on a shelf by something else, like the Pinot Noir.
Q. Are all the wines sourced from South Australia?
Predominantly, yes. South Australia has such a diverse wine making landscape, which enables us to craft full-flavoured, premium wines from all sorts of varieties. The generous profile of the wines has a lot to do with the fact they are crafted from premium South Australian grown varieties.
Q. What’s your most popular wine?
The most popular wine is the Little Giant Shiraz. And it’s easy to see why, it’s such a warm, generous wine that’s packed full of flavour.
Q. Is that your personal favourite too?
My favourite changes regularly! But right now it’s probably the Little Giant Grenache. It’s more medium bodied than the shiraz but still with heaps of lively fruit and lovely fresh flavours.
Q. Can you recommend a good food and wine pairing for the grenache?
For the grenache I’d say something like a roast pork with fresh vegetables would be great. Or a delicious vegetarian option would be mushroom and leek risotto.
Q. As a brand you also support WIRES wildlife conservation, can you tell us about that?
With the wombat adorning and representing much of what Little Giant is, it’s wonderful to be able to support and sponsor WIRES animal rescue and welfare. Particularly after the horrific fires that much of the country lived through recently. In consultation with WIRES, our support has helped orphaned baby wombats, build wombat shelters, and supported ongoing disease treatment and management.
