Products

Ottomani

VENDEMMIA TARDIVA

$613

By Ottomani

I DON’T IDENTIFY | DESSERT WINE
Luscious, delicious and purely delightful – it’s like drinking honey

WHAT WE TASTE
Honeyed citrus, straw & a tiny dab of salt

PERFECT PAIRING
Just a little pour of this on its own is all you need
TEMP CHECK
Best served from the fridge
ABOUT OTTOMANI

The story of Ottomani began with four friends who grew up together and turned a dream into reality. Not that far off from us girls at Crushed!

They graduated from the University of Florence with Oenology (that’s the science of wine) degrees and chose to separate for a while to get some exposure working in real wineries. With a few years of experience and some real savoir-faire in their back pockets, the boys came back together and purchased a farm of their own. In 2006, Ottomani was born with indigenous grape preservation and sustainability sowed into its mission statement.

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
They’re organic and biodynamic, they hand-harvest everything and don’t irrigate their vines. They’re working hard to preserve the biodiversity of the region by propagating traditional indigenous varieties like Ciliegiolo, Bonamico and Malvasi Nera (also known as Uva Rara – the rare grape). The wines are unfiltered & unfined.
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
It takes 3 years to make this late-harvested beauty. 3 YEARS! In teeny tiny 50-litre casks (a ‘normal’ barrel is 225 litres!
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
Grape: Trebbiano, Malvasia
Style: Sticky & sweet
Ingredients: Grapes + SO2
Harrison Wines

VENTO DO MAR

$413

By Harrison Wines

RED | BOLD
Ever taken a walk through a forest of Eucalyptus trees? Yeah. That’s this wine.

WHAT WE TASTE
Green peppercorn, menthol, plum

PERFECT PAIRING
Bulgogi, herb-crusted lamb, aged Comté
TEMP CHECK
Cellar temp does quite nicely (around 16 – 18C)
ABOUT HARRISON WINES

A self-proclaimed “licker & sniffer” as a kid, Riley Harrison has always been fascinated with flavours and smells. While he loves the hard work of harvest, he wasn’t so keen on pushing that hard year-round, so being a chef was out. Making wine seemed like a much better idea. He also didn’t love the structure and bounds of corporate winemaking, so he started making super-small batches of wine under his own brand in 2015, growing slowly with the safety net of a paycheck from a day job until things reached critical mass in 2022. Taking the project from a hobby to a grown-up wine business meant he needed to focus his energies solely on “not f*cking this dream up,” – and we sure think he’s done a great f*cking job!

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
Riley is passionate about sustainable winemaking. He believes that over-planting in unsuitable regions strains the environment and depletes precious resources. By carefully sourcing grapes from Barossa, McLaren Vale, and Adelaide Hills, he ensures each variety thrives in its ideal conditions. His vision? Fewer vines, smarter planting, and a brighter, greener future for Australian wine.
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
There is an extremely high concentration of Eucalyptus trees in Blewitt Springs. Some science-y folks have found trace amounts of Eucalyptol (the compound released by the trees) in the soils & on the vines in the area. So you really are tasting Eucalyptus here!
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, Australia
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
Style: Opinionated!
Ingredients: Grapes & minimal sulphites
Bondar

VIOLET HOUR

$363

By Bondar

RED | BOLD
This blueberry baby is a tapestry of silk and velvet.

WHAT WE TASTE
It’s every kind of blueberry you can imagine – muffins, yoghurt, jam, straight from the punnet

PERFECT PAIRING
Aged Gouda, lamb tagine, peanut butter pie
TEMP CHECK
Pop it in the fridge for about 20 minutes before serving, just to take the edge off
ABOUT BONDAR

The project was started in 2013 by husband-and-wife team, Andre Bondar and Selina Kelly, making just 2 wines. In 2014, they bought the historic Rayner Vineyard in McLaren Vale. Andre, with his rich winemaking background, focuses on crafting mid-weight wines that are fragrant, bright, and wonderfully complex. His experience, including a stint in the beautiful Northern Rhône, has really shaped his approach to terroir-driven winemaking. Meanwhile, Selina jumped from a career in law to bring her marketing expertise to the wine world, adding a fun touch to their brand. Together, they create wines that radiate confidence and have an almost magical quality.

THE GOOD THINGS THEY DO
They pay attention to every little detail in their farming! By keeping an eye on soil health, switching to organic practices, and even planting cover crops that help keep pests away, they’re doing everything they can to nurture the land. It’s all about creating a healthy environment for their vines to thrive!
OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
The first wine Andre & Selina made under their own brand, Bondar, was a Shiraz from a gorgeous old block dating back to 1947. They enlisted the help of friends & family to help with the harvest. Bless them all, while very willing, they weren’t especially efficient, so picking carried on until sunset – the Violet Hour.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, Australia
Grapes: Shiraz
Style: Boldly beautiful
Ingredients: Grapes & minimal sulphites
Khayelitsha's Finest Wines

WHITE BLEND

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By Khayelitsha's Finest Wines

WHITE | EASY BREEZY
This babe walks into a room and everybody knows it! She’s loud, she’s proud and she’s a heck of a lot of fun!

WHAT WE TASTE
It’s a juicy, fruity party in your glass!

PERFECT PAIRING
Warm sunshine-y days, egg sandwiches and rice paper rolls
TEMP CHECK
Keep it coooool
ABOUT KHAYELITSHA'S FINEST WINES

Khayelitsha, located on the fringes of Cape Town, is a sprawling township a hangover from the Group Areas Act of the Apartheid regime. Lindile Ndzaba, who was born and raised, and still lives in Khayelitsha is looking to transform the narrative of wines in South Africa. In a country where the vast majority of citizens don’t have access to transport to visit wine farms or the money to spend in expensive city restaurants or bars – he realised he needed to bring fine wine culture to his community, and by doing this also start shifting the mindset of wine for consumption to wine for appreciation. Good wine he believes should be available to all South Africans and not just the privileged. And so, he launched Khayelitsha’s Finest Wines.

The vision of KFW is to see the townships develop and have their own resources to produce products without outsourcing. Not only does Lindile aim to grow his business internationally, he also wants to encourage the community to work together to further the mindset of “supporting local brands.” He aims to continually provide jobs and, in essence, fight unemployment in the community of Khayelitsha.

OUR FAVE THING ABOUT THIS WINE
Both the White and Red Blends are the perfect gateway wines for folks who are looking to dip their toes into getting to know wines – they’re fruit-forward, full of life and wonderfully approachable price-wise too!
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Place: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Grape: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Style: Ultra approachable!