Alkina Wine Estates spotlight
Meet Alkina in Greenock, where a certified organic and biodynamic farm uses geology, old vines, and restrained cellar work to reveal a fresher face of Barossa.
First-Class Barossa Shiraz for $29
Mineral, floral, and alive—not the heavy, oak-dominated Barossa stereotype.
The exact 2021 Kin Birdsong Shiraz earned a place on the Qantas First international wine list after the airline’s blind-tasting program. Alkina builds it from 89% Shiraz and 11% old-vine Mataro, with rocky vineyard fruit, roughly 60% whole bunch, wild fermentation, and concrete maturation. At $29, it lands well below the supplied $48 Wine-Searcher average and $60 winery price.
Six bottles save up to $186
Four reasons Birdsong changes the Barossa conversation
The airline selection opens the door. The vineyard, winemaking, vintage, and price explain why this belongs in a serious six-bottle allocation.
Chosen for Qantas First
The exact 2021 vintage was selected for international First Class service through Qantas’s blind-tasting program.
Old Quarter backbone
Blocks 5 and 6 Shiraz from the Old Quarter form the core, with schist-grown young-vine Shiraz and old-vine Block 3 Mataro adding dimension.
Concrete over cosmetic oak
Wild fermentation and eight months in concrete preserve purity; only the final two months move through old foudre and hogsheads.
A genuinely sharp buy
The $29 price sits $19 below the supplied Wine-Searcher average and $31 below the supplied winery price for every bottle.
Selected for Qantas First
No borrowed score and no neighboring vintage: the exact 2021 Birdsong Shiraz is the wine Qantas chose for its international First Class list.
Qantas reported that its sommeliers blind tasted 1,400 bottles over five days. Birdsong was one of two Alkina wines selected for the airline’s First Class international program. Read the Qantas announcement (opens in a new tab).
Six-Bottle Value Comparison
The same six bottles total $174 here, $288 at the supplied Wine-Searcher average, and $360 at the supplied winery price.
ShopWineSlash is $174 for six bottles. The supplied exact-vintage Wine-Searcher average converts to $288 for six, while the supplied winery price converts to $360 for the same quantity.
That creates six-bottle savings of $114 versus the supplied market average and $186 versus the supplied winery price. Review the Wine-Searcher page (opens in a new tab) and the official technical sheet (opens in a new tab).
The practical advantage is range: open it with char siu, pour it with lamb, and still have bottles to follow as the wine settles into more savory detail.
Maximum six-bottle savings versus the supplied winery-price total.
Add any six more ShopWineSlash bottles to reach 12 and ship free.
Secure Your AllocationBright fruit, dark spice, and mineral grip
The wine carries Barossa depth, but the cool 2021 season and whole-bunch structure keep it lifted, articulate, and energetic.
Alkina called 2021 outstanding, crediting a long, cool late season for elevated natural acidity, tannin, flavor, and color. Cool, even days from January supported a slow, balanced ripening period in which phenolic development tracked with sugar and flavor.
Bright red and blue fruit lead, joined by blackberry and plum rather than dense jamminess.
Violet and fresh aromatic detail keep the nose open and expressive.
A tarry, coal-dust character gives the wine a distinctive rocky-vineyard signature.
Fresh acidity and fine, assertive whole-bunch tannins create grip without heaviness.
Pour at 60–64°F in a generous red-wine stem.
Give it about 30 minutes of air to let the spice and floral notes widen.
Wild ferment, concrete, and old oak
Every cellar decision is aimed at preserving the energy of the rocky vineyard rather than covering it with new-oak sweetness.
Parcel by parcel: The Shiraz and Mataro components were picked and vinified separately. Old Quarter Blocks 5 and 6 provide the backbone, with Polygon 11 Shiraz and old-vine Block 3 Mataro completing the blend.
Texture through stems: Roughly 60% of the Shiraz was fermented as whole bunches, while the Mataro was destemmed. Wild fermentation lets the fruit and site lead.
Minimal oak imprint: Eight months in concrete hold freshness and mineral clarity. The blended wine then spends two final months in old foudre and hogsheads.
A new story on an old place
Alkina combines an old Barossa property, regenerative farming, detailed geology, and contemporary cultural storytelling.
Alkina farms 43 hectares on the western edge of the Barossa near Greenock, with Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro, and Semillon planted across a site whose oldest vines date from the 1950s. The estate is certified organic and biodynamic and frames its work around caring for the land and learning from regenerative farming principles.
The Birdsong label was created by Adnyamathanha artist Damien Coulthard. Its story honors elders, long memory, and the responsibility of caring for Country—giving the bottle an identity that extends beyond conventional luxury packaging.
That perspective matches the wine in the glass: not generic power, but a focused expression of place, season, old vines, and the many small decisions that preserve them.
Two pairings that let Birdsong move
Choose sweet-savory lacquered pork for contrast, or lamb-and-eggplant moussaka for an earthy, spice-driven match.
Birdsong has enough fruit for glaze, enough acidity for richness, and enough savory grip for roasted spice and browned edges.
Serve at 60–64°F and give it around 30 minutes of air. Keep the glass slightly cool so the floral and mineral sides remain visible beside the food.
Char Siu Chinese Barbecue Pork
Caramelized pork, five-spice, and a sweet-savory glaze bring out the wine’s dark fruit while its acidity keeps the dish lively.
Why it works: The glaze connects with plum and berry fruit; browned edges and spice echo the whole-bunch savory character.
View Recipe for char siu Chinese barbecue pork (opens in a new tab)
Lamb and Eggplant Moussaka
Roasted eggplant, warm spice, lamb, and creamy béchamel meet the wine’s earthy mineral profile and firm but fine tannin.
Why it works: Lamb softens the tannin, eggplant mirrors the wine’s savory earthiness, and cinnamon draws forward its dark spice.
View Recipe for lamb and eggplant moussaka (opens in a new tab)Qantas First Chose It. At $29, Take the Six.
Birdsong delivers the authority of old-vine Barossa with the freshness, floral lift, and mineral tension of a much more modern idea.
Char siu, moussaka, lamb, mushrooms, grilled pork, and spice-driven dishes all give the wine room to show its energy.
This is a chance to taste Shiraz built around freshness, site, and concrete rather than weight and obvious new oak.
Open one, share one, and keep enough bottles to revisit the wine across different meals and seasons.
Six bottles • $174. The supplied Wine-Searcher average totals $288 for six, while the supplied winery price totals $360.
