Jim Barry Assyrtiko 2025

Jim Barry Assyrtiko brings the bright, mineral character of Santorini’s signature grape into a distinctly Clare Valley setting. White peach, lemon and juicy citrus are joined by floral notes, crisp apple and a faint hint of strawberry, with lively acidity and a chalky, saline finish giving the wine plenty of drive. Peter Barry first discovered Assyrtiko while visiting Santorini, then spent years importing and propagating the variety before planting Australia’s first vines at the family’s Lodge Hill Vineyard. Fresh, dry and genuinely different, it is a brilliant match for oysters, grilled fish, mussels or anything carrying plenty of lemon and herbs.

What the winery says:

The wine bursts with white peach, old-fashioned lemonade and juicy citrus, with layers of peach, just-ripe stone fruit and a subtle touch of fresh strawberry. Generous fruit gives the palate a plush, rounded feel, while vibrant acidity and a mouth-watering salty finish keep everything fresh and focused. The vines are grown at Jim Barry’s Lodge Hill Vineyard, where the family planted Australia’s first Assyrtiko after recognising similarities between the variety’s crisp character and the Clare Valley’s celebrated Rieslings.

What the experts say:

Mike Bennie, Halliday Wine Companion, 94/100
“It's a brilliant, textural white wine here, flamboyant with jasmine florals, lime, sea spray, faint cashew nut savouriness, pink grapefruit...”

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 94/100
“Despite being a pure, sleek thing, it has lovely chalky phenolic texture that shapes the finish.”

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 92/100
“Delicious lemon-sherbet taste that lingers throughout the clean, dry finish. Very stylish wine.”