Description
5 Red Star Rated Winery – Australian Wine Companion
Top 100 Wineries 2023, Halliday Australian Wine Companion “Quiet achievers are often the keepers, and the wines of Collector Wines are exactly that. Canberra’s Collector Wines never seems to make a great deal of fuss and yet every year, in the glass, it’s showtime, with gorgeously funky chardonnay and stellar cool-climate shiraz as its flagbearers ..” Campbell Mattinson.
Collector Wines are a boutique wine producer. Grapes are grown on the characteristic lean pink granites and reddish shale loams of the Canberra District and Tumbarumba. The wines are hand-made for balance, character and depth of flavour.
Alex McKay started Collector Wines in 2005 with just a handful of cool climate shiraz and a determination to make elegant, long-lived wines. Fast forward to today, and they are known for wines that sing with a purity of regional expression and varietal definition.
About this wine from the winemaker: 100% Canberra District Shiraz “The 2023/24 growing season presented good conditions for vine health in the Canberra District. A moist Spring and Summer and temperate conditions in late summer allowed the grapes to ripen in stress-free conditions, producing shiraz grapes with fantastic spice, flesh, density and backbone.
“The Marked Tree Red comprises hand-worked parcels of shiraz from vineyards in and around Murrumbateman. The mix of granite and shale soils produce fruit which is both perfumed and elegantly structured as well as savoury, textured and rich. The grapes were hand-harvested at between 12.5 and 13.5 Baume. Fermentation with whole bunches took place in open fermenters which were worked to extract flavour and tannin. Parcels went through a malolactic fermentation and ageing in a mix of new and seasoned Allier and Troncais oak. Blending and bottling took place in November 2025.
“The wine’s lively crimson colour is accompanied by a fragrant bouquet of dark cherry, blackberry, pepper and aniseed, with a savoury, textured mouthfeel. Although weighted for early drinking, the 2024 Marked Tree Red has a sturdy spine and will age gracefully.”
**Gold Medal, Canberra and Region Wine Show, 2025**
95+ points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “What a beautiful shiraz. Everything just so; it’s perfectly poised and immediately appealing, although it will age gracefully if you can wait. It’ll be hard though, because of the gorgeous aromatics of exotic spices and florals, with a little meaty reduction alongside the ripe, fleshy fruit doused in a touch of pepper. Silky tannins sashay across the medium-bodied palate and, with the lithe acidity, the finish is long and lingering.”
95 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review “Good depth of red-purple colour; the bouquet gently spicy and undoubtedly cool-grown but not excessively peppery. There’s a waft of smoky reduction and minimal oak showing. The Palate is medium bodied and intense with appealing red and darker fruits, spices and a hint of cola. The tannins are well judged to provide backbone and structure but also immediate drinkability. Refreshing finish. A really stylish shiraz and remarkable value.”
RRP $43 Our Special Price $32.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
