Koltz The Wizard Shiraz 2016

"The Koltz wines are a sort all their own."  Philip White

Koltz is a small fifty tonne boutique winery located within the elite Blewitt Springs appellation of McLaren Vale that specialise in Shiraz. Koltz make two very special wines, The Pagan and The Wizard.  Winemaker Mark Day, who goes to Italy annually to make wine, produces superb full-bodied Australian Shiraz, albeit with a distinctly Italian feel. 

The 2016 Koltz The Wizard Shiraz is another sensational wine from Mark Day, again oozing with personality and individuality. This wine is made in the traditional Ripasso method used in Valpolicella, where the wine is fermented with the skins and lees left over from making Amarone – in this case from making the Koltz Pagan shiraz.

The wine shows remarkable similarities to the Pagan, sharing that wonderful silky mouthfeel and structure and balance. It is incredibly complex and has a rich tapestry of secondary flavours. A stunning wine. 

About the winery

Koltz is a small fifty tonne boutique winery located within the elite Blewitt Springs appellation of McLaren Vale that specialise in Shiraz and Shiraz blends. Koltz began as a small wine label in 1995 when winemaker Mark Day and Anna Koltunow made their first wine using grapes off a small but very special block of Shiraz vines.

Prior to establishing Koltz, Mark Day had worked as a winemaker for Maxwell Wines and Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale, and as a consultant in Italy and France for six consecutive European vintages.

The wines are estate grown and hand crafted and made to traditional methods. The operation is very much hands on. Vintage at Blewitt Springs is generally two to four weeks later than most of McLaren Vale. The vineyards are just under 200 metres above sea level and lie on sandy soils over ironstone gravel.

The sandy soils over ironstone make distinctive wines; the Shiraz is elegant with fine silky tannins,  great length and lovely mouth feel. The Shiraz is open fermented and basket pressed and portions are treated to an extended maceration for up to fifty days, depending on season and ripeness. The finished wine is matured in a selection of seasoned and new French oak barrels for up to twenty months.

Koltz make two very special wines, The Pagan and The Wizard.  Fruit for The Pagan is dried on racks for six to seven weeks prior to crushing and fermentation. The process is similar to that used in Valpolicella to produce Amarone. The Wizard is made in the traditional Ripasso method used in Valpolicella, where the wine is fermented with the skins and lees left over from making Amarone – in this case from making the Koltz Pagan Shiraz.

Tragically, Mark Day passed away in 2021 after a short illness. Life without a Pagan or a Wizard will not be the same.