Dandelion Vineyards is the vision of winemaker Elena Brooks and her husband, Zar. Now based in McLaren Vale, they craft wines from a sweep of South Australian regions—the Barossa and Eden Valleys, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu, and McLaren Vale—often drawing on venerable old vines. Elena grew up in Bulgaria, spending childhood days in a winery where her mother worked; by 15 she knew the craft intimately and made her first wine at 16. After formal study and global vintages, she settled in McLaren Vale with Zar to establish Dandelion. Their approach is refreshingly straightforward: let great sites speak. As critic Nick Stock has noted, Elena sources from a chain of exceptional vineyards running from the Barossa through Eden and the Hills down into McLaren Vale, translating place into poised, characterful wines.

Barossa Valley, just north of Adelaide in South Australia, is one of the world’s classic warm-climate wine regions. Broad valley floors and rolling hills sit in the rain shadow of the Mount Lofty Ranges, creating hot, dry summers, cool nights and long, even ripening. Gully breezes, altitude shifts, and (often) dry-grown old vines help preserve acidity and concentrate flavour, while irrigation is used sparingly where needed.

Soils are diverse and a key to site expression: red-brown loams over clay, sandy loams on the valley floor, ironstone and quartz gravels around Marananga and Greenock, and leaner, stony patches on slopes. This mosaic supports some of the world’s oldest surviving, own-rooted vines.

Shiraz is the emblem—typically full-bodied and plush—with Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Mataro (Mourvèdre) close behind; GSM blends are a regional specialty. Whites include textured Semillon, generous Chardonnay and a rising cast of Mediterranean varieties (Fiano, Vermentino).

Styles span rich, oak-matured icons to fresher, medium-bodied interpretations. Classic Barossa reds deliver dark plum, blackberry and black cherry layered with chocolate, licorice, anise and warm spice; whole-bunch and French-oak regimes can add peppery lift and floral top notes. Semillon shows lemon curd, brioche and honey with age, while modern whites lean citrus, pear and a faint saline snap. The best wines combine power, polish and age-worthy depth.

Syrah, also known as Shiraz in Australia and parts of the New World, is one of the world’s most celebrated red grape varieties. Its origins trace back to the Rhône Valley in France, where it thrives in both the northern Rhône’s steep, granite slopes and the warmer southern regions. Syrah vines are hardy and adaptable, tolerating a range of soils, but they prefer well-drained sites with ample sunlight. The grape is naturally vigorous, with small, thick-skinned berries that produce deeply coloured wines rich in tannin and flavour.

Today, Syrah is planted widely across the globe. In France, it remains dominant in appellations such as Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Crozes-Hermitage. In Australia, Shiraz is the country’s flagship variety, producing styles from bold, ripe Barossa bottlings to elegant, cool-climate Yarra Valley expressions. Significant plantings also exist in South Africa, the United States (notably California and Washington State), Chile, and Argentina.

The style of Syrah/Shiraz varies with climate and winemaking approach. Cool-climate examples offer notes of black pepper, violets, and fresh blackberry, with firm acidity and structure. Warmer regions produce richer, fuller wines with flavours of ripe plum, black cherry, chocolate, and spice. Across styles, Syrah is prized for its depth, versatility, and ability to age gracefully.