“St Walter is named after Topher and his wife’s first son. Saint Walter was an 11th century monk from the Loire Valley in France and is the patron saint of vintners. In 2020, this variant was made from golden mixed fermentation, barrel aged beer and 720kg of hand picked smoke affected Shiraz grapes from Ravensworth Wines in Murrumbateman, NSW.”

Glassware: Teku.

Appearance: Pours candy apple red with a short and fizzy head which quickly retreats to the rim. It posts a consistent set of rings as it ebbs.

Aroma: Smells fantastic.. we’re getting subtle hints of the smoky Shiraz grapes which is quite unique as the grapes sourced for this were unusable for the winery due to the bad bushfires we endured in late 2019/20. Slightly tannic and earthy with soft red berry, spice and herbaceous undertones. Kinda funky and tart and just the slightest hint of vinegar. Magnificent.

Flavour: Wow it’s like a mirror image of the aroma; subtle smoky notes peeking through the semi sweet and tart red berries, earthy tannins and botanicals. A short and sharp acidity upfront levels off into a nice musty dryness which brings those barnyard qualities into the fold. Quite a fruity, herbaceous and earthy finish which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Mineraly, somewhat light on and flinty with a good effervescence. Mild-medium acidity. The 6% ABV is well placed.

Overall: We gotta say we’re highly impressed by the genuine quality here. We’re aware there’s another 3 or 4 releases under this ‘Saint’ label so we’re now on a mission to try them all. This release only reassures us that Wildflower are one of the major players in the country when it comes to spontaneously fermented beer.