Marnong Estate 2025 Rosé

 

Marnong Estate, whose winemaking team is headed by former Briar Ridge winemaker Alex Beckett, is very much a name to watch after recent major investments made in both the vineyards and a slick new high-tech winery. Marnong is based at Sunbury, on the fringe of the Macedon Ranges and just a short drive from Melbourne Airport. This new release is a delightfully fresh summer quaffer made from shiraz grapes but light and vibrant with tropical fruit aromas and strawberries and cream vivacity on the palate. Serve will chilled with canapés, or with a picnic. $25. https://marnongestate.com.au/ 

Feudo Arancio 2024 Grillo

 

Feudo Arancio is an Italian producer - based in Sicily - that delivers a wide range of Italian wine tastes at very fair prices. The name means "orange farm" and this an impressively floral, dry, tropical and textural white wine that offers outstanding value. It is a white that combines palate richness with crisp acid on the finish, making it a very versatile choice for summer quaffing. Grillo is a popular grape in Sicily, where it matches with the local seafood. The tropical fruit salad notes here also make it a great choice for pairing with roasted or grilled chicken dishes. It is also well suited to sipping well chilled in the backyard on a summer afternoon. It is imported by Sydney-based Single Vineyard Sellers, who bring in a range of excellent Italian wines. $20. https://www.singlevineyards.com/

Williams Crossing 2024 Pinot Noir

Williams Crossing is the entry level label for stellar Macedon Ranges wine producer Curly Flat and this one offers some exceptional value for pinot lovers who enjoy their red wines young, fresh and immediately approachable. Red berry fruits are to the fore here with whole-bunch elements adding earthy/herbal characters that lift it from simple to slurpable. This is a bright, high-acid pinot made using declassified Curly Flat Estate pinot noir barrels that finishes with crisp but well balanced acidity. The Curly Flat team says it is "made for easy sipping" and it paired brilliantly with some runny Brie cheese and crackers. Lovely stuff. $34. https://curlyflat.com/wines/2024-williams-crossing-pinot-noir/

Longview 2025 The Whippet Sauvignon Blanc

 

Sauvignon blanc may no longer be as fashionable as it once was, but when it is as impressive as this one, it still merits a place in wine fridges for summer. From a reliably excellent family-owned producer at Macclesfield in the Adelaide Hills, this is lighter-bodied, quite dry, and impressively varietal; a perfect companion for fish and chips, or salt and pepper squid. This has a nice balance between herbaceous and tropical fruit notes and finishes brisk and crisp. The 2025 vintage was very dry and the fruit was picked early but thankfully quality is impressive. Fermented in stainless steel but a small portion went through barrel ferment and underwent some lees stirring to build a little complexity. Lovely stuff. $28. https://www.longviewvineyard.com.au/

Kooyong 2023 Nord Pinot Noir

 

Kooyong/Port Phillip Estate winemaker TIm Perrin and his team left me in a bit of a bind. I tasted their 2023 Faultline Chardonnay and was keen to review that, then the 2024 Massale Pinot Noir impressed me. Both, however, were outshone - albeit only marginally - by the inaugural release of this stunning special occasion Nord Pinot Noir. Made from a small single vineyard block that is peaking at 15 years of age, this is stellar Mornington Peninsula cool-climate pinot from a label that does not put a foot wrong. The floral, intense 2023 Nord is beautifully balanced with elegance and plush tannins on the finish. A wine of structure and style. Pair with Chinese roast duck. $85. https://www.portphillipestate.com.au/

Mount Horrocks 2025 Watervale Riesling

 

Stephanie Toole is one of the very best riesling makers in Australia and this new release can only add to her reputation, particularly as peak seafood season is with us. Whether you are grilling some prawns on the barbecue, grabbing some takeaway fish and chips or crafting a lobster salad you won’t go wrong with this exquisitely nuanced dry riesling from a small, family-owned, organic/biodynamic producer. Think lime essence, slatey minerality, intense energy and tight acidity. Everything you’d want from a Clare Valley riesling from a perfect vintage. $42. https://www.mounthorrocks.com/

The Other Wine Co 2025 Sangiovese

Young, fresh and juicy sangiovese is such a delight. This vibrant new release was a very good match with spaghetti bolognaise, and would go just as well with a spring barbecue, I suspect. It is only the second release of a sangiovese under this label with grapes sourced from cool-climate vineyards in the Mount Lofty Ranges. The wines for this "value" and "drink now" brand are made at associated label Shaw+Smith, in the nearby Adelaide Hills. This is gloriously gluggable with floral aromas and bright red and black fruit notes, hints of fresh spices and some brisk acidity on the finish. Well worth snapping up a couple of bottles with an RRP of $29. https://www.theotherwineco.com/