Thistledown

Thistledown was founded in 2010 by Master of Wine Giles Cooke, who serves as founder, winemaker, and proprietor. Based in Australia, the producer established itself as a maker of old vine Grenache.

The winery operates from a base in the Adelaide Hills, where it conducts experiments and trials each vintage. Thistledown sources fruit from McLaren Vale and the Barossa's Eden Valley to produce Grenache, including fruit taken from one block on the Smart Vineyard in McLaren Vale's Clarendon subregion. The winery holds Sustainable Wine Growing Australia certification after undergoing auditing processes. Winemaking practices include bringing forward picking dates, using whole bunches, and fermenting in small batches. The winery relies on spontaneous wild ferments in concrete fermenters and minimal extraction, adding detail from oak without dominating flavor. Its wines include This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Old Vine Grenache.