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Smallfry

Joven Red Blend 2018

Price: $23.95
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Tasting notes

This is a genuinely light-handed Barossa red built on sour cherry and cranberry from early-picked Tempranillo balanced against the natural sweetness of old bush vine Garnacha. The dusty, chalky texture and dry finish give it a structure that makes it feel more like a chilled Loire red than anything from the warm Australian valley floor.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Sour CherryCranberryBlack PepperEarth
  • Style: Light-bodied dry red; bright crimson; red cherry, spice, earthy; 12.8% ABV; serve chilled
  • Grapes & Terroir: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Monastrell, Bastardo, Tinta Amerilla; certified organic and biodynamic; deep sandy soils over clay, Vine Vale, Barossa Valley; ungrafted old vines to 1850s
  • Winemaking: Wild yeast fermentation; minimal intervention; old oak; low sulfites; small batch
  • Serving: Serve at 55-58F; no decant needed; drink now
  • Pairing: Paella, roast chicken, grilled fish, charcuterie, tomato-based pasta
  • Similar To: For fans of chillable reds, Beaujolais, or light-bodied Grenache blends who want something from outside France

Joven is Smallfry's Spanish-inspired red blend, built around Tempranillo and old bush vine Garnacha from the Vine Vale district of the Barossa Valley, with Monastrell, Bastardo, and Tinta Amerilla rounding out the back palate. Grapes were picked early to preserve sour red cherry and cranberry character in the Tempranillo, while the old vine Garnacha brings a contrasting sweetness and texture. The wine comes in at 12.8% ABV, a deliberate choice by Smallfry to keep these Spanish varieties fresh and light on their feet.

The fruit comes from Smallfry's 18-hectare Vine Vale vineyard, purchased in 2007 from the Schlieb family, who farmed it for generations. The site sits on deep sandy soils over clay at the foot of the Barossa Ranges, a mesoclimate that runs cooler and windier than the broader valley floor due to air falling from the adjacent Eden Valley. Some vines on the property date to the 1850s. The vineyards have been certified organic and biodynamic since 2011.

Winemaking at Smallfry relies on wild yeast for primary fermentation with zero to minimal adjustment. The approach is European in sensibility, using old oak and a minimal-intervention cellar regime that lets the vineyard character come through. Sulfites are kept low. The wine is unfined and made in small batches.

Joven is intended as an everyday table wine. Serve it slightly chilled, around 55-58F. The soft tannin structure and bright acidity make it genuinely versatile at the table.

Paella is the obvious match given the wine's Spanish DNA. It also works well alongside roast chicken, charcuterie, or dishes with fresh tomato-based sauces. On a warm day, serve straight from the fridge alongside grilled fish or a simple cheese board.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Monastrell, Bastardo, Tinta Amerilla
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 12.8%
Country:, Australia
Region:, Barossa Valley
Appellation:, Barossa Valley GI
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Smallfry

Smallfry is the label of Wayne Ahrens and Suzi Hilder, both trained viticulturists who left careers at large wine companies to farm and make wine on their own terms. Wayne is a fifth-generation Barossa resident. Suzi is the daughter of Upper Hunter viticulturist Richard Hilder. Both hold degrees from Charles Sturt University and bring deep practical experience to the project.

Smallfry operates two vineyards. The first is in the Eden Valley hills, established by Ahrens and Hilder in 1994, where they planted Riesling, Shiraz, and Cabernet on their own rootstock from local cultivars across 9.5 hectares. The second and more historically significant site is their 18-hectare property in Vine Vale, purchased in 2007 from the Schlieb family, who had farmed it since the 1850s. The Vine Vale vineyard contains old bush vines of Grenache, Shiraz, Semillon, Mataro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tinta Amerilla, Pedro Ximinez, and others. Both vineyards have been certified organic and biodynamic since 2011. Smallfry practices regenerative agriculture, encouraging plant, animal, and microfauna diversity across the property.

All Smallfry wines are fermented with wild yeast and made with zero to minimal adjustment in the cellar. Old oak is used for aging. The house style prioritizes balance, lower alcohol, and fresh fruit character over extraction and power. To achieve this, Smallfry harvests early, a deliberate strategy to retain acidity and keep alcohol levels moderate in a warm climate region. Sulfites are kept low across the range. Wines are made in small batches.

Wine region

Barossa Valley, Australia

The Barossa Valley sits about an hour northeast of Adelaide in South Australia and covers 578 square kilometers. It has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers, cool nights, and wet winters. Rainfall during the growing season averages only around 160mm, and the region accumulates approximately 1,710 growing degree days. The valley floor runs warm while vineyards in the surrounding hills and adjacent Eden Valley experience progressively cooler conditions.

Vine Vale is a small district on the eastern edge of the Barossa Valley floor, characterized by deep sand over clay soils and a cooler, windier mesoclimate than other parts of the valley due to its proximity to the Barossa Ranges. This soil and climate combination aids acid retention and delays ripening relative to other Barossa floor sites, producing lighter, fresher fruit. The Barossa is notable for having avoided phylloxera, meaning many vineyards are planted on ungrafted rootstocks, with some dating back to the 1840s and 1850s. Shiraz dominates plantings, but Grenache, Mourvedre, Semillon, Riesling, and an increasing range of alternative varieties including Spanish and Portuguese grapes are grown across the zone.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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