Description

I have a fond memory of eating egg and bacon rolls by the wood fire at Wirra Wirra, then tackling a line-up of more than 20 Grenache-based wines from McLaren Vale. Did I mention this was at 9am?  Anyway, I survived the ordeal and have always had a fondness for the wines of Wirra Wirra. I also am fond of the warm-climate Australia Shiraz Cabernet blends. I used to think the Wirra Wirra Church Block was a cheap and cheerful example until I tried one with almost 10 years of bottle age. All of a sudden, my eyes were opened to the quality of the wine. But it needs time, or at the very least air. And it will always look better on the second night it is open.

Church Block is the name of one of Wirra Wirra’s original vineyards. The name was used for the first wine they ever released in 1972. Wirra Wirra Church Block is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot. It is a lovely wine with layers and nuance. It is dark fruited, floral, and spicy. The palate is plush with generous tannin coverage in your mouth. It evolves with a lot of air.

Wirra Wirra was originally built in 1894 and then rebuilt in the 1960s. Now they are a sustainably focused winery that makes wines from McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills using organic and bio-dynamic grapes. They still have the gravity-fed layout from 1894 and use techniques that would have been employed in the 1800s to make wine. But they have the knowledge and experience to craft pristine, clean, dense and silky wines that age well.

Wirra Wirra Church Block McLaren Vale 2022 Wine Review

Jamie Goode
Wine Anorak
30th December 2025
92 points

“14.5% alcohol. This is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Shiraz and 7% Merlot. It was the first wine made by founder, the late Greg Trott, back in 1972, so this celebrates 50 years since then. It’s supple and sweetly fruited, with some blackcurrant and cherry fruit, and no sense of heaviness. There’s a sweet core to the fruit, moderate tannin, nice freshness and a lot of drinkability. There’s such and ease to this wine. It’s pure drinking joy, but there’s also a hint of complexity.”