Pitchfork 2024 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

 

You've fired up the barbecue and have some fresh fish, or prawns, ready to grill. All you need to do now is pull a bottle of this from the fridge and you are set for a feast. This blend of 65% semillon and 35% sauvignon blanc from younger vines under the entry-level label of Hay Shed Hill in Margaret River is one the best wine bargains around right now. It is fresh, crisp and full of youthful ebullience. Its unoaked to allow the vibrant fruit to be the star of the show. Zippy citrus and fatter tropical fruit flavours combine for a refreshing finish with bright acid and a dry white wine you can enjoy all summer long. Snap up a few bottles at $17 (yes, you read that right!). https://hayshedhill.com.au/    

Cullen 2022 Diana Madeline

 

I am fortunate enough to taste hundreds of new-release wines each year, but there are few I look forward to as much as this one. Vanya Cullen's tribute to her Margaret River pioneer mother, this is a benchmark cabernet blend from an outstanding vintage. Farmed and made biodynamically, the fruit spent 30 days on skins then 14 months in 55% new oak. The blend comprises 89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% malbec. A symphony of flavours brilliantly conducted. Length, structure, deliciousness. 98 points from me. $160. https://www.cullenwines.com.au/

First Ridge 2024 Fiano

With the weather starting to get warmer everyone needs a couple of bottles of a wine like this in the fridge. Fiano is a grape that originates from southern Italy and Sicily and it thrives in warmer regions of Australia. This one comes from Mudgee, a region with a long-established reputation for growing Italian varieties, but is grown at 600 metres, producing an amalgam of tropical fruit and toffee apple notes, along with some textural interest and brisk refreshment on the palate. A fun wine for serving well chilled. Pair with creamy pasta dishes, or perhaps moules marinieres. $30. www.firstridge.com.au.  

Stoneleigh 2023 Lighter Sauvignon Blanc

 

Let's be brutally honest. A lot of the no-alcohol and low-alcohol wines out there are absolutely awful, bearing only a passing resemblance to wine as we know it. But there is a new category of "mid-range" wines that are far more palatable - around 8-9% alcohol seems to be the sweet spot. This early-picked sauvignon blanc from one of Marlborough's leading producers certainly tastes like a real wine, and given a little time in bottle is lively and refreshing without the biting acidity that blights some of its
kin. Stoneleigh Lighter comes in at 9% alcohol and has fewer calories than full-strength wine. I certainly enjoyed a couple of glasses of this - and it paired well with salt and pepper squad. Worth trying for $17 at Vintage Cellars, First Choice and Liqourland stores.

Soumah 2023 Single Vineyard Upper Ngumby Pinot Noir

A very classy single-vineyard cool-climate pinot noir at a very fair price - which is par for the course for consistent Soumah Wines in the Yarra Valley.  From 25-year-old vines near Yarra Glen, this is a wine that offers immediate drinking pleasure. It is well balanced with classic pinot aromas and flavours (think dark cherries and herbal notes) and a lightness of touch that makes it approachable even in its youth. I'd pair this a Thai duck curry, or maybe some gourmet pork sausages. $48. https://soumah.com.au/

Delinquente Wine Co. 2024 Roko Il Vagabondo Montepulciano

 

So you like your wines young, fun and funky with a bit of attitude. This new-release hipster-design montepulciano just might fit the bill. Delinquente makes small-batch, minimal intervention wines from southern Italian grape varieties grown in the Riverland, where Med grapes thrive in the heat. You can tell from Delinquente's labels that have a good time making wines that are perfect for slurping. Organically grown, this could be enjoyed chilled on a warm day, or at room temperature with pizzas or pastas. Dark, fresh, flavoursome and easy to drink - with lashings of youthful acidity. $26. https://delinquentewineco.com/

De Bortoli Limoncello Spritz

 

Warmer days are just around the corner and this new release from De Bortoli is a lively and refreshing choice for enjoying well chilled on a hot day. Classicists may be appalled, but who cares? This is light, bubbly and fun, and much drier on the palate than you might expect. There is a whack of lemon zest refreshment in every glass and this would be super to enjoy on the back deck at dusk, on the beach with a picnic, or paired with some grilled seafood. And at 9% it is lower in alcohol than most sparkling wines. It's Vegan-friendly, too, if that is your thing. $24, but look for it on special. https://www.debortoli.com.au/