Here’s something we don’t see quite as often as we could or should: thoughtful, fresh-faced, approachable wines from southeastern Queensland and vinified in Brisbane. Tom and Dominique started Crusher Wines early in 2022, after sourcing some gear from growers in the Granite Belt and South Burnett. Since then, they’ve made the festival rounds, planted some vines of their own and taken wisdom from neighbours and luminaries, embracing their credo – “unusual wines from unusual places” – to the fullest.
The duo is now onto their second vintage, and if the trio of wines we’ve got is any indication of what’s in store, you can expect big things from them. The 2023 Shadowplay is a skin-contact chardonnay, basket pressed and raised in old oak, then amped up with some semillon to finish. Think fleshy stone fruits, tangelo, bergamot tea and a thwack of acidity, all at just 10.2% ABV – a springtime orange wine if there were ever one.
Think of the 2023 Thinking Out Loud as a pay grade above your Tuesday night pizza wine, a slurpy co-ferment of barbera and sangiovese that’s all black plums, cherries, dried herbs and a lick of blood orange. Chill it down, drink it up. Those of you seeking more firmness and structure will find it in the 2023 La Piccola Strega, a co-ferment of whole cab sauv, merlot and cab franc berries. There’s freshness aplenty in the boldness – red plums, choc-cherry, bay – lifted further by some saline, umami detail around the edges. Trust us, you want in.