Pewsey Vale 2025 Riesling

 

Walk into any wine shop and you are likely to be confronted by a bewildering array of choices. Some days you might feel like experimenting; others you might want to be assured you are getting a familiar favourite that always delivers. The Hill-Smith family has been producing the dry Pewsey Vale riesling since 1847 - using fruit from a lovely vineyard in the hills of the Eden Valley in the Barossa. Year in, year out this single site wine delivers excellent drinking for under $30 - think intense aromas with a melange of citrus, leading to bright acid and stunning length on the palate. After a few months in bottle this is sitting in a very comfortable space and would pair with anything from fresh Tassie oysters to salt and pepper squid. $28.

Shaw + Smith 2023 Shiraz

 

Love red wines with flavour and personality but a little over, big, clumsy, over-oaked shirazes? This excellent wine from the Adelaide Hills exemplifies modern, cooler-climate shiraz. It's stylish with a bit of swagger and very food friendly. Shaw + Smith is now in its fifth decade and delivers top-notch wines across the board. This one has bright berry/dark cherry energy, deftly judged oak in the background, and impressive medium-bodied balance with subtle savoury and spice notes. I'd pair this with lamb chops and roasted Mediterranean vegetables. $59. www.shawandsmith.com.  

Port Phillip Estate 2025 Pinot Nouveau

 

Port Phillip Estate makes a whole swag of Mornington Peninsula wines more serious than this one; wines crafted for sipping and savouring, and in many cases for cellaring. This is none of those things. Tim Perrin and his winemaking team have created a fresh, youthful style of pinot noir made to be enjoyed in the style of Beaujolais - perhaps slightly chilled. This is a wine for immediate enjoyment; one to be slurped, perhaps with a barbecue, or perhaps just on an autumn day. Because. Red fruits, juiciness and lots of fun. Pair with a gourmet sausage roll, or a slice of vegetable quiche.  $32. https://www.portphillipestate.com.au/   

Marnong Estate 2025 Single Vineyard Montepulciano

Montepulciano is one of the most popular red grapes in Italy, second only to sangiovese, and it is widely grown across the centre and south of the country. Here, Marnong Estate winemaker Alex Beckett has produced an impressive version from the Sunbury region of Victoria, one of a band of new releases for winter. It is, typically for the variety, dark coloured and deeply flavoured with blackcurrant and herb notes ahead of blackberry intensity and savoury/deli notes. Perfect for pairing with a winter casserole, perhaps starring rabbit or mushroom. $37. marnongestate.com.au

Oakridge 2025 Meunier

 

This is a fun, affordable, dangerously drinkable light red with a serious point of difference. It is made from 100% Yarra Valley pinot meunier, a grape that is a mutant of its cousin pinot noir and is often used as a minimal component of sparkling wines. Three weeks on skins and time in French oak add substance to what is a very food-friendly style. We paired ours with Middle Eastern pita pockets (one lamb, one falafel) and they matched a treat. Aromatic with bright fruit here, along with hints of spice and instant palate appeal. Lovely stuff. $35.  https://oakridgewines.com.au/       

Clonakilla 2024 Shiraz Viognier

 

You'll need to get a wriggle on if you want to secure some bottles of the new release of this cult favourite - available from Thursday. A wine of impressive energy and flow, it is high on quality with deep, dark spice notes to the fore, but volumes are low after a difficult year marked by severe frosts. From Murrumbateman, outside Canberra, this cool-climate classic offers harmonious fruit/spice notes and fabulous length. "It is undoubtedly one of the great SV vintages for us, but one made in more limited quantities than usual," the Kirk family, which has been pioneering winemaking in the region since 1971, says. This is certainly worth a splurge - and a spell in the cellar for those who are so inclined. $130. https://clonakilla.com.au/

Kooyong 2025 Clonale Chardonnay

If you like your chardonnays big, oaky, aged, leesy and yeasty then please look elsewhere. If, however, your preference is for vibrant, fresh, pure young chardonnays in the Chablis mould then this will be right up your alley. Full of carefree exuberance, there is subtle, mainly older French oak laying down the background vibe, but this is all about a zingy citrus tang, hints of rockmelon and plenty of acidity and length. is a blend of Chardonnay from Tuerong and Balnarring vineyards on the Mornington Peninsula that would pair well with anything from a pork chop to a bowl of paella. A very good wine for $38. https://www.portphillipestate.com.au/