Farm Hand Merlot 2019

"From the Fourth Wave portfolio of Newcastle-based Frances and Nicholas Crampton, this Riverland merlot holds a full hand by having minimal preservatives and being organic and vegan-friendly. It's from the Grigoriou family's 40ha of organic vines - a tag that means the grapes were grown without the use of artificial chemical fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. 

With 13.5% alcohol, this good-value red is bright garnet and has lavender scents and spicy cherry front-palate flavour. Mulberry, licorice, briar and toasty oak feature on the middle palate and minty tannins at the finish. At fourthwavewine.com.au, or Dan Murphy's, BWS, Cellarbrations and other bottle shops. It will go well with moussaka. Cellar for four years."

Source: John Lewis, Newcastle Herald's 'Beer and Wine', July 2020