A wine products described as a BIG AUSTRALIAN RED has obvious links with another big Australian red - the Western Red Kangaroo. The connection was a starting point in the creation of a label. The large male roo is known as a BOOMER so that term clearly had a role to play, and since we were dealing with reds, RUBY seemed in tune. A character known as RUBY BOOMER and stemming from the Western Red became the concept.

To become the star we wished him to be, our roo needed personality, he needed individuality and he needed a catchier name. ROOBY BOO won the day, and the hunt was on for a cartoon figure based on the WR, but with ATTITUDE.

As all this was unfolding, cave explorers on the Nullabor stumbled across the skeletal remains of huge marsupials from a long-lost age, among them boomers towering three metres tall. On the spot Rooby took on greater dimensions. He was promoted to leader of the pack of super roos, their totem. Rooby Boo, THE Big Australian Red.

Label Design
We asked Garry Rebbeck of G Wiz Graphics to paint Rooby huge, and to depict him with attitude, attitude, attitude. He came up with the crossed arms, the upright stance, the shades, the warpaint, the in-your-face whitened nails, the tatt..

Rooby's Tatt: WINGS OF AN EAGLE
While Eagles may soar against azure skies, most of us are as Earth-bound as turkeys. Yet even a turkey can dream. "Oh for the wings of an eagle," he may yearn, "and the pizazz of our man, Rooby Boo."

The Brew of 2002
The vintage of 2002 proved to be memorable. The rain fell mainly on the plain, in Spain, but hardly at all in the Riverland. Just a brief shower here, a flurry there. The sun beamed down and the dry spells stretched ever longer. With cloudless skies the nights were cooler and imparted a final tweak to the all-important acids. The grapes swelled, the sugars intensified, the colour scores climbed, and when they read their fruit cheques, the growers smiled. Shades of Clochemerle.

Meet our Maker
Brenton Porter of McGuigan Wines is as well a co-proprietor of boutique winegrower, Torambre Wines. Like all associated with Rooby Boo, Brenton is a passionate advocate of big Riverland reds.

Rooby Boo Shiraz 2002 and Rooby Boo Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 are big bold warm region reds from a memorable vintage. And the good news is that they're available right now.