Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz Wine 75cl

This is the kind of Australian Shiraz that makes you pause mid-sip, then immediately go back for another. Coonawarra brings the structure, Penfolds brings the confidence, and you get a red wine that’s bold, savoury, and properly satisfying.

What makes it worth your time is the balance. You get ripe, dark fruit, but it’s not a fruit bomb, there’s a cool, earthy edge and oak spice that keeps everything feeling pulled together. In other words, it drinks like a “special bottle” without demanding a special occasion.

• Appearance: Deep ruby to garnet, with a dense, slow-moving look in the glass that hints you’re in for a full-flavoured ride.
• Nose: Blackberry and plum lead, then you’ll catch black pepper, cedar, and a savoury, earthy note that screams Coonawarra.
• Taste: Dark berries and plum skin, cocoa, baking spice, and a toasty oak warmth. Dry, with grippy tannins that make food taste better.
• Body: Full-bodied, but not heavy, it’s the “one more glass” kind of powerful.
• Finish: Long and peppery, with dark fruit fading into spice and a gentle, drying tannin pull.

If you’re building your red wine rotation, this earns a spot because it does more than one trick. It hits with juicy fruit at first, then it shifts into savoury spice and cedar, so it stays interesting from the first pour to the last.

It’s also a great pick when you want a red that can keep up with big flavours. Think grilled meats, peppery sausages, rich tomato-based dishes, or anything smoky off the BBQ. The tannins and spice don’t just “pair”, they push the food to taste louder.

And if you’re the type who likes to nerd out a little (no exam vibes, promise), Coonawarra is famous for its terra rossa soils, that rusty-red earth that helps produce reds with that signature minty, cedary, structured feel.

Fun Fact: Penfolds started in the 1840s as a doctor’s fortified wine project in South Australia, it literally began life as “tonic” wine before becoming one of the most famous names in Australian red wine.