All together now: Australia's great wine co-ops may be a thing of the past but there's still a collective spirit in the industry

In the 1960s and 1970s grapegrower co-operatives played a major role in the Australian wine industry, notable in the Barossa and the Riverland. Kaiser Stuhl, founded in the 1930s, and the Berri and Renmano in the Riverland concentrated mainly on cheap and cheerful quaffing wines although both aspired to greater things, Kaiser Stuhl through its “Ribbon” wines, high-quality varietal wines from individual growers, and Renmano through its Chairman’s Selection series, chardonnay in particular doing extremely well on the Australian show circuit. Sadly, most have disappeared. Kaiser Stuhl was taken over by Penfolds and has all but disappeared from the scene, Berri Renmano joined Hardys to form BRL Hardy, which has been swallowed up in the Accolade Wines giant. However, all is not lost on the growers co-op scene with the appearance of a band called The Group, made up of more than 100 growers and their families from McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills.

Partnering with renowned chef Matt Moran, the collective has released four core wines, 2017 The Murder McLaren Vale Shiraz, 2019 The Shadow Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir, 2019 The Quiver McLaren Vale Grenache and 2018 The Fever McLaren Vale Grower Blend. All are available from Liquorland and First Choice outlets for about $34. Appropriately, the labels feature drawings of the creatures whose collective names their bear _ crows on The Murder, jaguars on The Shadow, cobras on The Quiver and stingrays on The Fever. And on the limited edition 2019 The Siege McLaren Vale shiraz appear herons (or storks, depending on your fancy).

Fruit for The Murder came from the vineyards of Brian and Valerie Cameron, third-generation grapegrowers, that for The Shadow from Mike and Judy Press and their son James, The Quiver from Dave and Jen Wright’s Wylpena Vineyard, The Fever (merlot, mourvedre and cabernet sauvignon) from Rob and Julie Symonds and the Siege from David and Ang Paxton, long-time promoters of biodynamic grapegrowing. This is an impressive collection of wines that are great reflections of their origins and are worth seeking out. You can find out more about The Group and its wines at www.thegroupwines.com.au