In Glass Conversations - Panel-led tasting series on a single variety presented by Halliday Wine Companion

Ten Wines, Four Perspectives, One Grape
Presented by Halliday Wine Companion

We all have our favourite grape variety. The one we return to again and again, where we follow our favourite regions and producers, and are constantly drawn by the different interpretations and renderings. And then there are those varieties that are more of a curiosity – wines that have a certain intrigue but remain an occasional exploration, with the incentive to learn more…

In Glass Conversations is a four-part event series presented in collaboration with Halliday Wine Companion, examining the grape varieties that have shaped the global wine landscape, alongside the regions and producers that continue to define them. From August to November, the series will focus on Grenache, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, with each session dedicated to a single variety.

Across a guided tasting of ten wines, Members will explore the historical evolution of each variety, its defining characteristics, the regions and soils that have shaped its identity, and the producers who continue to redefine its future. Along the way, we will examine the forces that influence varietal reputation. Why some grapes become household names while others remain the preserve of the curious. How fashion, criticism, climate and changing tastes can transform perceptions over time. And why some producers dedicate a lifetime to championing a single variety, while others continue to challenge convention through experimentation and reinvention.

In Glass Conversations will feature leading Australian references alongside benchmark international wines, creating a conversation around tradition and innovation, Old World and New. Each session brings together a panel of three leading voices from across the wine industry – including writers, judges, winemakers and Masters of Wine – hosted and moderated by Halliday's Anna Webster, Katrina Butler and Philip Rich, to examine a single grape variety through unfiltered conversation. The result? Not so much a masterclass seeking definitive answers as a lively debate exploring why certain varieties inspire such enduring loyalty and fascination.

Tickets include welcome drink and canapés on arrival and ten wines in the seated panel-led tasting.

In Glass Conversations
Olive Room, Hyde Melbourne Place
130 Russell Street, Melbourne 3000

Grenache - Saturday 29th August
Pinot Noir - Saturday 19th September
Chenin Blanc - Saturday 24th October
Chardonnay - Saturday 28th November

14:00 — Welcome drink and canapés on arrival
14:30 — Panel and tasting begins
16:00 — Tasting ends
16:30 — Event ends

$225 per person per session

Grenache
Hosted by Halliday Editor Anna Webster
Panellists: Amelia Nolan, Stephen Pannell, Giles Cooke MW
Saturday 29th August
14:00 - 16:30
Grenache has become one of Australian wine's most compelling contradictions – one of our oldest stories yet one of our newest conversations.

For much of Australia's viticultural history, the variety earned its place through reliability rather than reverence, destined for fortified wines or generous blends where its contribution was often essential, but rarely celebrated. The vineyards themselves, however, never changed – home to some of Australia's oldest bush vines, quietly waiting for a generation of growers and winemakers prepared to ask different questions.

Today, Grenache sits at the centre of a global conversation – of vine age, of provenance and of possibility. Producers in McLaren Vale and the Barossa have shown that old vines can deliver wines of remarkable perfume, finesse and longevity, while their counterparts in the Southern Rhône and Priorat continue to challenge preconceptions of what the variety can express.

Rather than converging on a single style, modern Grenache explores a diverse spectrum of profiles which many are only just now beginning to explore. Is Grenache's recent rise a reflection of changing tastes, changing winemaking or have we simply learnt to value qualities that were always there?

Through ten benchmark wines and the perspectives of our panel, we'll explore a variety whose reputation has never been more dynamic – or more deserving of debate.

The wines we will taste:
2022 Alkina, Polygon 3 Grenache, Barossa Valley, South Australia
2022 S.C. Pannell, Sunrise Grenache, Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, South Australia
2022 Thistledown, This Charming Man Grenache, Clarendon, McLaren Vale, South Australia
2022 Swinney, Farvie Grenache, Frankland River, Great Southern, Western Australia
2023 Vinos en Voz Baja, Nace La Sierra, Rioja, Spain
2021 Álvaro Palacios, Finca Dofí, Gratallops, Priorat, Spain
2021 Comando G, Rozas 1er Cru Garnacha, Sierra de Gredos, Spain
2024 Giovanni Montisci, Barrosu Cannonau di Sardegna, Sardinia, Italy
2023 Domaine de la Barroche, Pure, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône Valley, France
2021 AA Badenhorst, Raaigras Grenache, Swartland, South Africa

Pinot Noir
Hosted by Halliday Wine Judge and Contributor Philip Rich
Panellists: Samantha Connew, Stephen Wong MW, David Bicknell
Saturday 19th September
14:00 - 16:30
There are few grape varieties that inspire the kind of devotion reserved for Pinot Noir. Collectors pursue it relentlessly; winemakers approach it with equal measures of anticipation and humility; and drinkers rarely stop searching for the bottle that best captures its elusive character.

As Australian producers' understanding of cool-climate viticulture has evolved, so too has the variety's reputation. From the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula to Tasmania and the Macedon Ranges, Australian Pinot Noir has moved beyond comparisons with Burgundy to establish a compelling identity of its own... and yet no variety invites more discussion.

Does greatness come from the vineyard or the cellar? How much influence should clone, whole-bunch fermentation or oak have on the finished wine? And how much should we even be talking about those factors? When does technique help to illuminate a site and when does technical talk obscure it?

Pinot Noir has always rewarded curiosity over certainty, and we're curious to see what discussion develops in our September panel, with ten of the world's finest examples holding their own, in a conversation sure to rouse even the most timid of tasters.

Chenin Blanc
Hosted by Halliday General Manager and Head of Tasting Katrina Butler
Panellists: Josephine Perry, David LeMire MW, Rob Mann 
Saturday 24th October 
14:00 - 16:30
Few varieties have remained so quietly influential while attracting so little fanfare as Chenin Blanc. Capable of extraordinary longevity, remarkable versatility and profound expressions of place, it has nevertheless spent much of its life just outside the spotlight, despite a significant and long history in Australia's western winegrowing regions.

This quiet achiever has found devoted champions here, particularly in Margaret River and Swan Valley, where producers have continued to explore its capacity for freshness, texture and ageability since before the wider Australian palate understood what the grape could be. But it is the Loire Valley that remains its spiritual home and a reference for the variety's versatility, while South Africa, boasting some of the oldest Chenin Blanc vines in the world, is flying the flag for its signature variety via wines of extraordinary weight, generosity and intrigue.

Perhaps Chenin Blanc has never needed reinvention, only rediscovery. As such, we've decided to put it in context. We'll consider why Chenin Blanc has remained an insider's favourite for so long, whether its greatest strengths have also limited its popularity, and why one of the wine world's most versatile grapes continues to resist easy definition.

Chardonnay
Hosted by Halliday Wine Judge and Contributor Philip Rich
Panellists: Michael Hill-Smith AM MW, Melanie Chester, Tom Carson
Saturday 28th November
14:00 - 16:30
Few grape varieties tell the story of modern Australian wine more completely than Chardonnay. And few categories have been scrutinized quite so closely - or emerged with greater confidence.

The rise of Australian Chardonnay transformed the country's reputation on the world stage; its excesses became shorthand for changing fashions, and its reinvention has mirrored the evolution of Australian winemaking itself.

Today, Chardonnay provides one of the clearest expressions of Australia's diverse wine landscape. From the maritime influence of Margaret River to the cool slopes of the Yarra Valley, the elevated vineyards of the Adelaide Hills and the precision of Tasmania, producers have embraced a philosophy that places site before style. The result? Not a single Australian expression of Chardonnay, but many.

So, what defines great Chardonnay today? Restraint, texture, longevity or transparency of place? Our final panel discussion of the year intends to find out…

General Notes
67 Pall Mall Melbourne reserves the right to amend the Terms and Conditions without prior notice. Members are advised to check the event page for the latest updates. Cancellations made within four days of the event are unfortunately not eligible for a refund. In the event the cancelled ticket can be reallocated/ reissued to waitlisted Member, a refund may be issued at the Club’s discretion.

• The Club reserves the right to postpone or cancel an event due to insufficient attendance, forces of nature, accidents or emergencies. In such cases, we will either refund the full cost of the course or arrange an alternative date.
• If any substitutions become necessary, we will ensure the value and quality of the replacements are equivalent.
• All Members and guests are required to maintain an appropriate standard of dress. As a rule of thumb, smart casual dress code applies, unless otherwise specified by the event.
• The legal drinking age is 18 years old in accordance with the Victorian law.

Ticketing

• Tickets may only be purchased by Members of 67 Pall Mall and Members should be present at the event. Members are welcome to bring non-members

Other Notes

• On the rare occasions when the speakers become unavailable, we will endeavour to reschedule the event. However, if there is less than 72 hours' notice, we will in most cases proceed as planned.