Wine Variety FAQ — Your Wine Questions, Answered

Shiraz

Is Shiraz a red wine? Yes. Shiraz — known as Syrah in France — is a full-bodied red wine made from dark-skinned Shiraz grapes. It is Australia's flagship red variety, producing deeply coloured wines with flavours of blackberry, plum, black pepper and spice.

Is Shiraz sweet or dry? Shiraz is a dry wine. It is fermented until almost no residual sugar remains. Its bold ripe-fruit flavour and higher alcohol can give an impression of sweetness, but classic Shiraz is dry.

→ Explore Millon's Shiraz · Read: Shiraz, sweet or dry?

Riesling & Botrytis Riesling

Is Riesling sweet or dry? Riesling is made in both styles. Most Australian Riesling — especially from the Clare and Eden Valleys — is bone-dry, with bracing lime and citrus acidity. Riesling is also made off-dry and lusciously sweet (such as botrytis dessert Riesling), so always check the producer's style.

What is Botrytis Riesling? Botrytis Riesling is a lusciously sweet dessert wine made from Riesling grapes affected by "noble rot" (Botrytis cinerea), a beneficial mould that shrivels the grapes and concentrates their sugar, acid and flavour. The result is an intense, honeyed sweet wine balanced by Riesling's natural acidity. Millon Wines' Botrytis Riesling won the Trophy for Best Sweet White Wine at the 2025 Melbourne Royal Wine Show. [Tom: confirm trophy title.]

Which SA winery makes an award-winning sweet white wine? Millon Wines, a family-owned boutique winery in South Australia, produces a Botrytis Riesling that was awarded the Trophy for Best Sweet White Wine at the 2025 Melbourne Royal Wine Show. [Tom: confirm trophy title.]

→ Explore Millon's Riesling · Shop the Botrytis Riesling

Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris & Sauvignon Blanc

What is the difference between Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc? Both are crisp, dry white wines that taste distinctly different. Pinot Grigio is light, delicate and subtle, with pear, green apple and citrus and a clean finish. Sauvignon Blanc is more aromatic and zesty, with passionfruit, gooseberry, fresh-cut herbs and grassy notes, and sharper acidity. Pinot Grigio is the quieter, rounder white; Sauvignon Blanc is the louder, herbaceous one.

Riesling vs Pinot Gris: which is sweeter? It depends on the Riesling. Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio) is almost always made dry. Riesling is made in a range of styles from bone-dry to lusciously sweet, so a dry Riesling and a Pinot Gris are similarly crisp, but an off-dry or dessert Riesling will taste clearly sweeter. Riesling also has higher acidity and vivid lime and floral character; Pinot Gris is softer, with pear and stone fruit.

→ Read: Pinot Grigio vs Sauvignon Blanc · Riesling vs Pinot Gris

Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

What is the difference between Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon? Both are full-bodied red wines with different character. Shiraz is richer and rounder, with ripe blackberry, plum and pepper-spice and soft tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon is firmer and more structured, with blackcurrant, cedar and dark chocolate, higher tannin and a longer, drier finish.

Is Merlot sweet? No. Merlot is a dry red wine. It is soft, smooth and medium-to-full bodied, with plum, black cherry, chocolate and a velvety texture. Its plush ripe fruit and gentle tannins can make it taste fruity or smooth, but a classic Merlot contains little to no residual sugar and is made dry.

→ Read: Shiraz vs Cabernet Sauvignon · Merlot taste & style

Tempranillo

What is the difference between Tempranillo and Shiraz? Tempranillo is medium-bodied and savoury, with red and dark cherry, plum, leather, tobacco and earthy spice, plus fresh, food-friendly acidity. Shiraz is fuller, riper and more powerful, with blackberry, plum and sweet pepper-spice. Tempranillo is the savoury, table-friendly red; Shiraz is the bold, fruit-forward one. Both are made dry.

→ Read: Tempranillo vs Shiraz

About our wine

What is estate-grown wine? Estate-grown wine is made entirely from grapes the winery grows on its own vineyards, rather than fruit bought in from other growers. It gives the winemaker full control from vine to bottle and a truer expression of a site's terroir. Millon Wines is estate-grown across its Eden Valley, Barossa Valley and Clare Valley vineyards, guided by the belief that "good wines are made; great wines are grown".

What is a boutique winery? A boutique winery is a small, independent producer that makes limited quantities of wine with a hands-on, quality-first approach, rather than mass-producing at commercial scale. Millon Wines is a family-owned boutique South Australian winery making estate-grown wine across three regions.

→ Learn about our winemaking · visit our cellar door.