2025 · The Great Escape Chardonnay

Thistledown Wines is a boutique South Australian producer led by proprietor and winemaker Giles Cooke MW, and co-founded with fellow Master of Wine Fergal. Working with fruit from very old and historic vineyards across the region, including Riverland and McLaren Vale, Thistledown is particularly noted as a Grenache specialist making small-batch wines. The company sources grapes from local growers and emphasizes long-term vineyard partnerships, low-cropping, whole-bunch fermentation, and gentle, minimal extraction. Thistledown is a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, with growers using pressurised drip irrigation to reduce water use, and is also described as vegan-friendly, organic, and biodynamic.