Try Penfolds Grange before you die!
Why? It’s Australia’s flagship red wine and regarded as one of the world’s great wines. For many wine lovers, Penfolds Grange is the best Australian red wine to tick off the bucket list.
Ten Second Summary
- What it is: Australia’s most famous red wine: a powerful, age-worthy, multi-regional Shiraz-led wine from Penfolds.
- Tastes like: Dense black fruit, dark chocolate, spice, American oak, richness, structure, and the kind of mid-palate weight Penfolds is famous for.
- Why it matters: It was created by Max Schubert, inspired by the great wines of Bordeaux, and helped prove Australia could make a world-class red wine.
- Buying shortcut: If the price of Grange makes your eyes water, look at Penfolds Bin 389, often called “Baby Grange” or “poor man’s Grange”.
- When to drink: Serious vintages can age for decades, but old bottles vary. Condition, storage, cork, and provenance matter enormously.
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| Penfolds Grange: Australia’s flagship red wine and a genuine bucket list bottle | © penfolds.com |
What's on this page
- Why Penfolds Grange is bucket list worthy
- Why Grange is a fine wine anomaly
- Max Schubert and the creation of Grange
- The Grange style: ripe, concentrated and built to last
- Penfolds Bin 389: the “poor man’s Grange”
- Other Max Schubert-era Penfolds wines still produced today
- Where to find a bottle of Penfolds Grange
- Quick FAQ
1. Why Penfolds Grange is bucket list worthy
Although made primarily from Shiraz, Penfolds Grange was inspired by the great wines of Bordeaux. It is not quite as pricey as the First Growths, but it is still up there. Recent releases have pushed towards the sort of price point that makes most of us pause, blink, and then quietly look for a tasting instead.
And that, thankfully, is one of the ways around it. Like with the First Growths of Bordeaux, there is a reasonably large volume produced. As such, there are frequent tastings around the planet where you can try this famous Australian red at a fraction of the cost of a bottle. Which is a good thing for those of us who baulk at spending that much on a bottle of wine.
But the reason Penfolds Grange belongs on a bucket list is not just the price, prestige, or scarcity. It belongs there because it has meaning. It is Australia’s flagship red wine, one of the great wines of the world, and arguably the first Grand Cru wine of the New World.
In other words, if you are trying to drink the best red wines before you die, Penfolds Grange has to be somewhere on the list.
2. Why Grange is a fine wine anomaly
Grange is a bit of an anomaly. Most wines, and particularly fine wine, focus on where the grapes are grown: the terroir, vineyard, or region. However, Grange is a non-regional wine, with grapes coming from multiple vineyards across different regions.
The goal of Grange has always been to make the best wine possible from a given year.
Given the success of Grange, it is a surprise not more producers have followed this model. Possibly because not many producers have access to so many vineyards across so many regions as Penfolds has. That multi-regional blending is one of the great strengths of the Penfolds house style: select the best parcels, blend for quality, and worry less about whether the wine fits the romantic European idea of one small vineyard speaking in one tidy accent.
The result is not a wine that whispers politely about a single patch of dirt. Grange speaks in a much bigger voice. It is Australian Shiraz turned up to a grand, structured, long-lived, globally significant level.
3. Max Schubert and the creation of Grange
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| Max Schubert, the Penfolds winemaker who created Grange and helped change Australian red wine forever | © penfolds.com |
Max Schubert was the Penfolds winemaker who created Grange. He joined Penfolds as a messenger boy and rose to become Chief Winemaker. After visiting Europe, and especially after seeing the great long-lived red wines of Bordeaux, he returned to Australia with an idea that would have sounded slightly mad at the time: make an Australian red wine with the structure, concentration, and longevity to sit beside the great wines of the world.
That wine became Grange.
The early years were not exactly smooth sailing. At the time, this style of wine was completely new in Australia and it was shunned by critics. It was even called “Coca-Cola wine” by some due to its sweet vanilla flavour from the new oak.
Penfolds management was not impressed either. Schubert was told to stop making it. He did not really stop. Instead, in one of the great acts of quiet stubbornness in wine history, he continued making Grange in secret until the wine had enough bottle age to show what it could become.
Eventually, the quality of the aged wines won the board over, and Grange production was officially restarted. The medals then began to flow, and Grange went from embarrassing experiment to Australian wine legend.
Max’s loyalty, commitment, and leadership are something to be emulated.
A book about his life and how he developed Grange, Max Schubert, Winemaker, written by renowned Australian wine commentator Huon Hooke, is well worth a read.
I definitely recommend reading the book before trying Grange. If you’ve already drunk Grange, I recommend reading the book then drinking more Grange. It will, without a doubt, add to the experience. You could also try reading the book while drinking Grange … I’m not sure which will be harder to put down — the book or the Grange!
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| Max Schubert, Winemaker by Huon Hooke — a great read before, after, or possibly during a bottle of Penfolds Grange | find a copy on Amazon or wherever you can find one |
4. The Grange style: ripe, concentrated and built to last
One thing that was copied, though, was the style of Grange and how it was made: super ripe, concentrated, structured grapes, fermented carefully and matured in new oak. At the time — the 1950s — this was not the normal Australian table wine playbook.
That is part of what makes Grange so important. It was not merely another good Australian red. It was a serious attempt to build a wine with the density, structure, and longevity of the world’s great reds.
Penfolds Grange is usually Shiraz-dominant, sometimes with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is typically multi-regional, commonly drawing on fruit from South Australia’s great red-wine regions. It is then matured in new American oak, which helps explain that signature combination of black fruit, spice, dark chocolate, vanilla, structure, and power.
The best bottles are not just big. They are layered, complex, and age-worthy. That is the difference between a famous wine and a genuinely great one.
Yes, Grange can be expensive. Yes, some of the reverence may feel a little inflated. But open a great bottle at the right age, in good condition, with the right food and the right people, and it becomes much easier to understand why people still talk about it with such awe.
5. Penfolds Bin 389: the “poor man’s Grange”
If Grange is the dream, Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz is the more realistic dinner-table version for most of us.
Bin 389 is often called “Baby Grange” or “poor man’s Grange”. The nickname comes partly from the fact that components of Bin 389 have historically been matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. It is not Grange. It is Cabernet Shiraz rather than Shiraz-led Grange, and it has its own personality. But it is absolutely part of the same Penfolds story.
First made in 1960 by Max Schubert, Bin 389 combines the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the richness of Shiraz. It is a classic Australian blend and, for many people, one of the smartest ways to get a taste of the Penfolds house style without needing to sell a small family heirloom.
If you want Grange but your wallet is muttering dark threats, Bin 389 is the obvious place to look.
Find Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz on Wine-Searcher
6. Other Max Schubert-era Penfolds wines still produced today
Grange is the famous one, but it is not the only Penfolds red connected to the Max Schubert era. If you want to explore the story properly, these bottles help put Grange into context.
Penfolds Grange Bin 95
The big one. The wine that turned an Australian experiment into a global fine-wine landmark.
Find Penfolds Grange on Wine-Searcher
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz
First made in 1959, while Grange was still being perfected in secret, Bin 28 became the first official Penfolds Bin-numbered wine. It is warmer-climate Shiraz in a more accessible, less stratospheric Penfolds register.
Find Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz on Wine-Searcher
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
First made by Max Schubert in 1960, Bin 389 is the famous Cabernet Shiraz sometimes called “Baby Grange”.
Find Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz on Wine-Searcher
Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
First made in 1964, Bin 707 is Penfolds’ great Cabernet Sauvignon and is linked to Max Schubert’s dream of making a great Australian red wine that could age for decades. It is not poor man’s Grange. It is another expensive Penfolds icon entirely.
Find Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon on Wine-Searcher
7. Where to find a bottle of Penfolds Grange
The easiest way to find a bottle of Grange near you is to use Wine-Searcher. Because Grange is collected, traded, cellared, auctioned, gifted, and generally fussed over, prices can vary wildly by vintage, condition, location, tax, storage history, and whether the seller knows what they have.
If you are buying an older bottle, provenance matters. A perfectly stored bottle of Grange can be a wonderful thing. A badly stored bottle of Grange can be a very expensive lesson.
For drinking rather than collecting, I would rather buy from a reputable merchant with clear storage history than chase the absolute cheapest bottle on the internet.
Find Penfolds Grange on Wine-Searcher
And if Grange is currently a stretch too far, there is no shame in starting with Bin 389.
Find Penfolds Bin 389 on Wine-Searcher
8. Quick FAQ
Why is Penfolds Grange so expensive?
Penfolds Grange is expensive because it is Australia’s most famous red wine, has a long track record, is highly collectable, ages for decades in strong vintages, and sits in the global fine-wine market rather than the everyday Shiraz market. You are paying for quality, history, reputation, scarcity, and demand.
What is special about Penfolds Grange?
Grange is special because it helped prove that Australia could make a red wine of world-class ambition and longevity. It was created by Max Schubert, inspired by Bordeaux, made from top Shiraz parcels, and built in a powerful, age-worthy, multi-regional Penfolds style.
What is poor man’s Grange?
“Poor man’s Grange” usually refers to Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz. It is also called “Baby Grange”, partly because components have historically been matured in barrels that previously held Grange. It is much less expensive than Grange, but still a serious and age-worthy Penfolds red.
What is the best year for Penfolds Grange?
There is no single “best” year, but famous and highly regarded vintages often include years such as 1955, 1962, 1971, 1976, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021. As always with old wine, condition matters as much as vintage.
How much is Penfolds Grange worth?
It depends heavily on the vintage, condition, provenance, bottle size, market, and seller. A current or recent release may already be expensive, but rare old vintages can be far more valuable. For a live guide, check current listings and auction results rather than relying on a static number.
How much is a 1994 Penfolds Grange worth?
The value of a 1994 Grange changes with market conditions and bottle condition. Use Wine-Searcher or recent auction results, and be careful to compare like with like: same bottle size, same country, same condition, and similar provenance.
Is it okay to drink 20-year-old red wine?
Yes, if it is a serious age-worthy wine and it has been stored well. Penfolds Grange is exactly the sort of red wine that can be excellent at 20 years old. But not every 20-year-old red wine is still good. Heat, poor corks, oxidation, and bad storage can ruin even expensive bottles.
Can I drink a 100-year-old wine?
You can, but whether you should is another question. Very old wines can be fragile, fascinating, or completely dead. A 100-year-old bottle is usually more about rarity and history than guaranteed drinking pleasure.
How long should Penfolds Bin 389 be aged?
Penfolds Bin 389 can often age very well. Many good vintages are best after several years in bottle, and strong vintages can continue developing for a decade or more. If you prefer primary fruit, drink it younger. If you want more savoury complexity, give it time.
Who buys Penfolds Grange?
Penfolds Grange is bought by collectors, serious wine drinkers, restaurants, investors, gift buyers, and people who simply want to try one of the world’s great red wines before they die. If you are buying to drink, focus on condition and provenance. If you are buying to collect, focus on vintage, storage, original packaging, and market demand.
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