New Arrivals
Verney Wines
Varney Wines may have officially launched in 2019, but its story started more than a decade earlier with what winemaker Alan Varney calls a “tonne for fun” — the chance to make wine his own way, using fruit from some of his favourite vineyards across McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills.
After years spent working at respected wineries in Australia and abroad — including more than a decade at d’Arenberg — that small passion project grew into the family-run Varney Wines. Today, Alan works closely with growers he has built relationships with over many years, seeking out high-quality fruit and taking a thoughtful, hands-on approach in the winery. There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe: whole bunches, wild yeast, foot treading, carbonic maceration and extended skin contact can all come into play depending on what the fruit calls for.
Varney Wines is based at the Gateway to McLaren Vale, where the family restored a beautiful 1870s limestone barn and built an environmentally sensitive winery alongside it, overlooking the Onkaparinga River Gorge. The wines quickly earned plenty of attention too, with Varney named Halliday Wine Companion’s Best New Winery of the Year in 2021.
Join us for a Splash & Dash with Varney Wines Saturday September 12 from 4-6pm.
Our Pick
Emmalene Kooli
Emmalene Kooli is the kind of wine made for sunny afternoons, long lunches and plates passed around the table.
Made in the Adelaide Hills and inspired by the bright, lightly sparkling wines of northern Spain and Portugal, Kooli is crisp, dry and gently spritzed, with plenty of freshness and easy-drinking charm.
It’s vibrant, refreshing and just a little bit different — exactly the sort of bottle we love discovering at Regions.
Chill it down, crack it open and let Kooli do the rest.
