Glassware

A dense Shiraz needs room above all, otherwise it feels as tightly wound in the glass as it does on the palate, especially one grown on the heavy clay of McLaren Flat. Choose a large, generously bowled glass with a wide opening for this wine. It lets in enough air for the dark chocolate and ripe blackberry to unfold before the tannin, that furry grip you feel on the gums, takes over.

An old bush-vine Grenache from Blewitt Springs asks for exactly the opposite. It's paler in color and lighter on its feet. Its delicate perfume of red cherry and Mediterranean herbs simply gets diluted in too large a glass instead of being held in place. A slightly narrower glass with a taller bowl keeps the aromas concentrated. For the GSM blend, a standard Bordeaux glass works just fine.

It blends Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre, and a medium-sized, everyday glass usually does this combination justice. If the older tannins still need time to soften, help them along by decanting the wine, since this often does more for a young McLaren Vale red than any glass ever could. Decanting an hour before serving is usually enough.

With the region's Mediterranean white wines, the whole logic flips, since Fiano and Vermentino thrive on citrus freshness and salinity. These call for a narrow, upright glass that holds the wine's chill. Served too warm, they taste dull. Shiraz and the GSM blend, meanwhile, belong on the table cooler than room temperature, or the alcohol comes across too forward, while pale Grenache should go into the glass a touch cooler still than either of them.