The Opportunist Shiraz

“We’ve all got a mate who, despite the calamities befalling everyone else, always lands with his bum in the butter. When everyone else sees doom and gloom, The Opportunist sees blue skies and sunshine. Love him or hate him, The Opportunist always comes out on top.”

The Opportunist Shiraz is the latest addition to Thistledown Wines‘ engaging Wild & Wilder Character Series. True to its name, this Shiraz constantly evolves in the glass, revealing layers of ripe fruit, chocolate, mint and peppery spice. Vibrant yet smooth, it’s a wine that keeps you coming back for more.

Vintage Conditions

The Opportunist Shiraz grapes with ideal growing conditions for gradual, flavour-building ripening. Warm early months gave way to cooler late summer weather, concentrating flavours at low yields while dry conditions prevented disease pressure.

Viticulture

The Opportunist Shiraz hails from 25-year-old vines in South Australia’s Langhorne Creek region. Grown on sandy loam soils with clay, quartz and limestone, the vines produce small, intensely flavoured berries. Minimal intervention preserves the vibrant fruit that defines The Opportunist Shiraz.

Winemaking Process

In crafting The Opportunist, whole berry fermentation maximizes fruit freshness and expression. The grapes are picked just before over-ripeness, retaining vibrancy over ultra-ripe jamminess. After a gentle winemaking process, the wine matures in oak for 8 months, gaining further complexity.

Tasting Notes

Bursting with aromatic ripe cherry and blackcurrant fruit, The Opportunist Shiraz reveals fragrant notes of freshly ground coffee, dark chocolate, peppermint, liquorice and subtle peppercorn spice.

The luscious palate balances thick, smooth fruit weight with a fresh and vibrant Shiraz expression.

More from the Wild & Wilder series!