"De Bortoli Sacred Hill range takes some beating for the surprising quality it offers at such a modest price.  Signalling a stunning breakthrough for the brand, its 2004 Sacred Hill Cabernet Merlot was awarded the trophy for 'Best Wine under $20' at the 2005 Royal Sydney Wine Show.  A wine of comparable appeal - 2005 Sacred Hill Shiraz Cabernet - is now doing the rounds.  It's an unbeatable choice for everyday quaffing."
John Fordham, Sunday Telegraph, Sydney, 19 February 2006

Sacred Hill Rosé 2008

"The De Bortoli team often hits the mark with this bargain-basement brand - as they do with this delicious juicy, light-bodied rosé: bright red berry fruit and a clean zingy finish with a touch of sweetness."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2007

"...This rosé is just another stunning example. It is balanced and wonderfully textured and the quality of the length, finish and aftertaste for a wine that sells for between $7 and $10 is a credit to its makers. Its appeal and quality are summed up by the clarity of its enticing pinkness, which made it stand out from every other rosé in the tasting."
John Jens, Joondalup Weekender, 21 August 2008


Sacred Hill Rosé 2007

"This is the only rosé under $14 that you should be caught drinking this year, and when you find it on special... you'll be beside yourself! It's a sensational spicy-berry-flavoured wine."
Tyson Stelzer, Style Magazine, February 2008


"Powerful, estery, confectionery fruit aromas and big, rich, strawberry jam flavours on a reasonably rich, long palate with good sugar/acid balance."
Winestate, Rosé Tasting, 1 December 2007

89 points
"It's only barely red but in rosé season, check that unbelievable price. In the bottle it's light and bright pink with rose petals, and cherry-berry lolly aromas then a little deeper into fruits of the forest on the palate - and the finish is surprisingly deft. Lovable to the last drop."
20 Great Buys Adelaide Advertiser Top 100 Wines 2007, 21 November 2007

88 points
"There's a slow rosé revolution at hand, away from sweet, candied simplicity to dry, savoury complexity. It's exciting to see this trend starting to hit the entry-level models. This one has layers of spice, red berries and a clean, near-dry finish."
Tyson Stelzer, WBM100, October 2007

Sacred Hill Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008

"De Bortoli are making some of Australia's best-budget-priced wines from the Riverina. Sacred Hill and Montage offer incomparable value for less than $10 and Deen De Bortoli for not much more. You'll not find a better quaffing white than this blend: soft, round and juicy with ripe tropical flavours that are fresh and clean."
Peter Forrestal, Money Magazine, January 2009

The Quaff 2009 'Light, Bright and Easy'
Best White Wine Under $10 Award
"This is a revelation - a delicious quaffing white at a bargain-basement price. It's soft, round and juicy, almost fleshy, with ripe tropical fruit flavours that are youthful, fresh and bright."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2009

"De Bortoli's who were amongst those that pioneered the NSW Riverina's emergence from a cheap bulk-winemaking region to one that now relishes world wide recognition, has released a mouth-watering new Sacred Hill label Semillon Sauvignon Blanc in time for summer celebrations. This 2008 'buy now, drink now' wine bounces with wonderful varietal fruit flavours, and is value buying to go with seafood and salads."
David Ellis, Your Weekly Wine Column, 22 September 2008

"...This is a beaut from De Bortoli's Riverina operation, fresh and youthful with loads of sweet tropical, lively acidity and a clean finish."
Kerry Skinner, Illawarra Mercury, 6 August 2008

7.8/10
"The Pope must have had a hand in this, it is astonishingly drinkable stuff. Simple and sensible, bit like moi except for the second bit."
Max Crus, Border Mail, 25 July 2008

"Light straw in colour. Nose of tropical fruit salad. Clean on the palate with hints of pineapple and passionfruit and lemony acid."
Martin Field, E-vine, July 2008

"...At first sight it had all the right colours, a clean bouquet with just a touch of the tropics and a palate which is soft with a mild citrus to the fore. Listed as a dry and light-bodied wine, it will be snapped up by those looking for a well-priced white with attitude."
John Crook, Grape Vine, Westside News - Paddington, 23 July 2008

Sacred Hill Chardonnay 2007

"'Be perfect at a picnic,' said one judge. Pleasant light, peachy nose and simple, crisp and flavoursome palate."
Winestate, New Releases, Top 40 Best Buys Listing, Best Buys less than $15, March/April 2008


Sacred Hill Chardonnay 2006

"Honeysuckle aromas with delicate rose petal nuances. Tastes of rockmelons complemented by oak."
Winestate, Semillon tasting, September/October 2007


Top In Category
Attractive biscuity, bubblegum aromas and good length of lime and lemon citrus flavours. Fresh and clean."
Winestate, River Regions & Riverina, July/August

Sacred Hill Semillon Chardonnay 2007

"There's plenty of fruity flavour here - lively grassy flavours - good balance and a clean lively finish that lingers."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2009


"Flavour-rich commercial style of wine with a creamy stone-fruit nose and an attractive savoury palate showing some oak fatness, balanced phenolics and a slightly hot finish."
Winestate, Semillon and Blends, September/October 2008


Sacred Hill Semillon Chardonnay 2006

87 points
"A no-fuss wine, but has balance and length, fruit flavour rather than residual sugar. Don't worry about the points, just the price."
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2008

"Butterly, biscuity aromas with a floral lift. Nice complex palate has buttery flavours. Quite developed for a 2006."
Winestate, River Regions & Riverina, July/August 2007

"Nose has pleasant melony notes. Soft palate with lovely barrel ferment complexity, ripe, grassy fruit and creamy oak."
Winestate, March/April 2007

"Budget chardonnay drinkers are well advised to choose semillon chardonnay blends such as this. The semillon adds some lemony structure and some cut and thrust to the peachy, plump chardonnay flavours. This wine is a good choice for simple fish dishes."
Greg Duncan Powell, Sydney Morning Herald, 26 January 2007

"The 2006 Semillon Chardonnay is a delightful wine... The fruit was sourced from the Riverina region. The season had consistent rainfall leading up to the vintage, with dry conditions during the ripening period and through the harvest, resulting in fruit with optimum ripeness. Selected parcels of the fruit were fermented in American Oak barrels, whilst a portion of the Chardonnay was allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation to provide the Chardonnay creaminess. The wine is pale straw in colour with light green edge hues. The main influences on the nose are citrus and stonefruit aromas. The palate is lively and zesty, with lemon, lime, citrus and stonefruit evident. It is designed for immediate drinking but will cellar for up to two years."
John Cook, The Daily Liberal, 13 January 2007

 Sacred Hill Riesling 2007

"This cheapie has very soft acidity which makes it some-what unriesling-like. I think there's plenty to like here: it's clean, focused lime juice flavours, softness in the mid-palate and reasonably intense finish."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2009


Sacred Hill Riesling 2004


Top 40 Best Buys Less Than $15 - Winestate, Special Edition 2005
"Nicely developed honeyed citrus aromas with just a hint of melon. The palate is toasty, rich and creamy, with lovely spicy varietal flavours."
Winestate, Style Tastings. November/December 2005


"The Sacred Hill wines are the beatified bargains of the Australian wine industry - it's a miracle how they do it. This wine has collected four silver medals at major shows and, speaking as an occasional judge, I reckon the silver medallists are often the best wines. The golds tend to go to 'showy' rather than drinkable wines. This is delicious. AND SO BLOODY CHEAP."
Don't Buy Wine Without Me, 2006. Australia's Best Value Drinking. Stuart Gregor.


Sacred Hill Riesling 2003

"At heavy chill, this riesling is riesling indeed. It has lemon flower smells and an aromatic lift I rather romantically associate with freshly watered back lawns and their nearby lemon and lime trees. It is fresh, firm, confident, and great with garlic prawns or seafood antipasto."
Ben Canaider, ABC Delicious magazine, Dec/Jan 2004-5

"Sacred Hill is a $6 wine with quality that belies its modest price. It has genuine varietal purity in its floral, citrus and spicy aromas, and the palate has good intensity with a firm, dry backbone. Super value."
Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age Uncorked, Spring 2004


"Sometimes De Bortoli’s Sacred Hill wines are astonishing value. Here is a case in point: a young riesling selling at a rock-bottom price that offers genuine quality. It has citrus, spice and floral varietal cues, medium intensity, good concentration and balance and a dry, slightly firm finish."
Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age Uncorked, 17 February 2004

"Crisp but with a very agreeable touch of sweetness making it a great drink on its own or with yum cha."
'Wine lovers going screwy' Wine - David Bray Independent (QLD), 4 March 2004

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Sacred Hill Unwooded Colombard Chardonnay 2007

87 points
“Clean, bright and ripe fruit, soft and round in the mouth; ideal commercial style.”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2009

"Aromas of fruit salad and lemon curd. Excellent rich, soft palate with nice citrus edge and zippy acid."
Winestate, New Releases, November/December 2007


Sacred Hill Unwooded Colombard Chardonnay 2006

"Pleasant sweet melon nose. Flavoursome palate - hints of melons and paw paw. A soft, easy drinking style."
Winestate, March/April 2007

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Sacred Hill Cabernet Merlot 2007

"Attractive, lifted blackcurrant fruit nose and lip-smacking sweet cassis and chocolate flavours."
Winestate, New Releases, July/August 2008

"For a wine in this price range, this is longer and denser than most and it has a softness of fruit characters. It has no awkward acidity, tannins or winemaking aberrations. There's a touch of savouriness adding to the middle palate cabernet and merlot flavours and the experience of the winemaking team has added a supple texture to the lingering flavours."
John Jens, Western Suburbs Weekly, 6 May 2008


Sacred Hill Cabernet Merlot 2006

"This is the best-value red wine in Australia. Usually, $6 means dodgy, sweet, rubbish red, but in the Sacred Hill range the De Bortoli family do what they do so well. This Bordeaux blend has ripe berry flavours, savouriness and a well-brought-up structure."
Ben Canaider, ABC Delicious, August 2007

"Serious berry and spice flavours. Perfect for a weekend BBQ."
Cleo, June 2007


"The young red's appeal relies on earthy, ripe berry fruit of surprising intensity, lightly touched by oak, with a foundation of very supple, soft tannins."
Ralph Kyte-Powell, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 May 2007

"After the runaway success of the 2004 and 2005 versions of this wine, the 2006 is, in pop music lexicon, the difficult third album. It doesn't quite thrill the way the others did but, for the frugal or cash-strapped, it still provides excellent value."
Greg Duncan Powell, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 May 2007


"Anonymous 'cleanskins' are everywhere. Sometimes they're good; often they're of dubious value. Better to go for a labelled bottle such as this, which shows there's good wine with a reputable identity. This young red's appeal relies on earthy, ripe, berry fruit of surprising intensity, lightly touched by oak, with a foundation of very supple, soft tannins."
Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age, 8 May 2007

"The 2006 De Bortoli Sacred Hill Cabernet Merlot is a medium bodied dry red. The fruit was sourced from South Eastern Australia. The vines received good rainfall leading up to the vintage, with generous dry conditions during ripening and harvest. Approximately 70 per cent of the wine was allowed to secondary ferment on French and American Oak Staves. The wine is deep purple in colour. The bouquet is of sweet black berries with mint and oak influences. The palate is rich and smooth with well integrated tannins."
John Cook, The Daily Liberal, 13 January 2007

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Sacred Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2007

"Another beauty from the team at De Bortoli under the 'Sacred Hill' label. This is nicely concentrated with lively dark berry fruit and restrained oak and tannins. It is smooth and easy to drink, with more flavour than most in the under - $10 market."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2009

87 points
“About as much as you can expect at this price; bright, fresh red fruits; zero tannin and oak influence; perhaps just a tiny touch of residual sugar.”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2009


Sacred Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2006

Top 40 buys under $15
Equal Top in Category
"A well-made wine with clean, fresh aromas, showing a hint of herbs and a generous, juicy plum palate."
Winestate, World's Greatest Shiraz Challenge II, September/October 2007

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Sacred Hill Traminer Riesling 2007

"This is a good example of traminer riesling - aromatic with pleasant grapey flavours finishing clean and sweet. Too sweet for me but it will be popular, especially at the price."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2009


"Big golden colour, punchy aromatic nose and huge, vibrant palate full of nicely balanced, soft, sweet fruit flavours."
Winestate, River Regions and Riverina Tasting, September/October 2008

"A great value summer sipper or partner for your spiced dishes!
This refreshing, aromatic blend has golden-green glints with lychee, pineapple, wild honey, rose petals, lemon oil and exotic spice aromas. On the palate it's off-dry with peaches, rose-oil, spice and lime zest with vanilla and sweet lemon drop flavours on the finish. The finish cleans up nicely."
www.winediva.ca (Canada), 7 July 2008

87 points
“Heady pineapple and spice aromas and flavours; rich and unambiguously sweet; serve ice-cold with Chinese takeaway.”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2009

"This amazingly affordable Riverina gewurz/riesling blend smells like musk sticks but tastes much better. Avoiding any cloying effects, it's a simple and enjoyable, balanced, semi-sweet white wine and is yet another example of how De Bortoli gets it so right in the Sacred Hill portfolio. If you like your white wine a little sweeter than the norm, this one would suit well."
Ben Canaider, ABC Delicious, March 2008


Sacred Hill Traminer Riesling 2006

87 points
"...almost spatlese in weight; an altogether surprising spicy varietal impact of traminer."
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2008

"Solid, stewed lychee aromas with hints of rose petals. Palate loaded with apricot and lychee flavours."
Winestate, River Regions & Riverina, July/August 2007

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"A neat little cheapie that packs plenty of yeast-influenced character. An easy-drinking budget quaffer and great value. Simple and drinkable."
Ray Jordan, West Australian, 22 December 2005

"Fresh and uncomplicated, this is the perfect budget sparkler. Drink it by itself or add peach nectar or creme de cassis to make interesting cocktails. Try it with mini quiches and party nibbles."
Sally Gudgeon, Sun Herald (Sydney) and Sunday Age (Melbourne), 30 October 2005

"An excellent budget sparkler, that has some grapey/citrus aromas, a lively mousse and some tropical fruit flavours in the mouth. It’s not overly sweet. Drink it by itself or add a splash of creme de cassis or peach or orange juice."
Huon Hooke, Ralph Kyte-Powell & Sally Gudgeon, Sun Herald (Sydney) & Sunday Age (Melbourne), 16 October 2005


"Don’t sneer at this modest sparkler because of its low price tag - it’s clean and grapey with lime and fruit-salady aromas and flavours, easy texture and attractive softness... it is an appealing sparkler of good quality - and look at the price."
Huon Hooke & Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age Uncorked, Summer 2004-5


"Don't sneer at this fizz just because it's down in the cheap and cheerful category - quality is surprisingly good. The fruit character suggests riesling with its spice, limey and grapey hints. There's some tropical fruit on the palate and it's easy to glug down. A soft, simple summer sipper."
Huon Hooke & Ralph Kyte-Powell, SMH Uncorked, Oct / Nov 2003

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