skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Longer, warmer days are with us and refreshing sauvignon blanc will once again be a popular choice right across Australia. This is an outstanding example (also terrific value) from McLaren Vale producer d'Arenberg who have wisely sourced fruit from the cooler Adelaide Hills to craft a quintessential quaffer that is full of the joys of spring with its freshness and vibrancy. A small percentage was briefly fermented in aged French oak to add palate interest but this is all about the bright fruit (think fruit salad and green salad flavours) and brisk acid finish. A really enjoyable thirst-quencher that would match brilliantly with tempura-battered whiting and chips. $20. www.darenberg.com.au.
I am not a huge fan of the retro labels they use on the St John's Road range. I understand the industry reverence for great old skool winemakers of the 1950s pictured here, but I don't see it pulling in the punters on a crowded bottle shop shelf. Good job, perhaps, that I'm a writer not a marketer. That said, this is an absolutely terrific Barossa GMS (Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz), a signature regional style that is ballsy but in balance. Full-flavoured and fruit-driven, this is a most amiable companion just about any barbecue selection. I scored it 93/100 and it is very good value at $22. It's made by Phil Lehmann, son of Peter Lehmann, one of those pictured on the label back in 1951. www.wdwines.com.au.
Party season is approaching; Christmas is not far away. That means I am going to be asked, repeatedly, to recommend an affordable sparkling wine that can do duty at work functions or family get-togethers. You might not have heard of the Yarran label but this bubbly from a family-owned and -operated winery at Yenda offers some affordable luxury here with citrusy, fresh and vibrant notes. It is made from 100% chardonnay grown in the Riverina region of New South Wales but picked early while it still had crunchy acid. Young and quite dry, this a real bargain that can be found online for $12 a bottle and would pair brilliantly with canapes or fresh oysters. Huon Hooke also liked it. $14. www.yarranwines.com.au.
It used to be that all of Australia's finest rieslings came from either the Clare Valley, or perhaps the Eden Valley. Nowadays, you'll find excellent examples from Canberra, Tasmania and, perhaps most impressively, from the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Family-owned Howard Park was one of the regional pioneers here and produces exceptional dry rieslings from vineyards in both Mount Barker and the Porongurups. This wine has grown in stature since its first release seven years ago and pulls off the trick of being both delicate and full flavoured. Think floral aromas, elegant grapefruit and wild lime flavours, wet river pebble minerality and brisk acid. This is delightfully pure and lithe with the briskness, line and length of a great fast bowler. $34. www.burchfamilywines.com.au.
