Oliver's Taranga 2023 Brioni's Blend

 

Tired of clunky red wines that have lashings of new oak and need to be cellared for a decade before they open up? This is the exact opposite: a juicy, fruit-driven red blend that is designed to be enjoyed in its youth. Like right now. Brioni’s Blend is dedicated to sixth-generation Brioni Oliver, one of the cousins keeping this McLaren Vale family winery going after 185 years. Vegan friendly and sustainably made, this is an unusual melange of 45% mataro, 36% Touriga nacional and 19% shiraz. Bright purple, it is light on its feet, juicy, fruity and very gluggable. Fire up the barbecue. Bring on some gourmet hamburgers. 92 points from me. $35. https://www.oliverstaranga.com/

Hesketh 2021 Dangerous Type Merlot

There are a lot of dull merlots out there in retail land, but this new addition to the Hesketh Limestone Coast range delivers a lot of midweek drinking pleasure at a very fair price. This is a very modern take on merlot with minimal oak influence and a focus on the fresh dark fruit from a cooler region of South Australia. Bright and flavoursome. Pair with anything from a gourmet burger to a spaghetti bolognaise You could even enjoy this lightly chilled. With a top-notch winemaking team of Andrew Hardy and Keeda Zilm, this is a range well worth keeping an eye out for. $16. https://www.heskethwinecompany.com.au/

Oakridge 2022 Henk Vineyard Chardonnay

 

This is consistently one of the best sub $50 chardonnays in Australia with winemaker David Bicknell and his team utilising grapes from the outstanding Henk vineyard in Woori Yallock in the Yarra Valley. It is a wine of impeccable balance - everything within its place - and unashamedly medium bodied. Fruit was handpicked and whole-bunch pressed to large format oak for a natural fermentation followed by 10 months maturing on lees. Floral, with an enticing melange of tropical fruit, citrus and mineral notes, it wafts across the palate like a cooling summer breeze. Even its youth this complex wine is accessible and enticing, and would pair with pork dishes or poultry. Absolutely delightful. $48.  https://oakridgewines.com.au/

Levantine Hill 2019 Syrah

Levantine Hill is a big, bold operation in the Yarra Valley. It is spectacular - and in your face. But this wine is none of those things. It is a delightfully composed and elegant cool-climate shiraz that's full of light and shade. Winemaker Paul Bridgeman shows just how appealing Yarra shiraz can be with a wine that is drinking beautifully at five years of age. It is aromatic, delicate but intense, and extremely food friendly with a melange of spice and savoury notes. There is some mince pie richness, sure, but this a beautifully complex wine that is all the better for being medium bodied. $80. https://www.levantinehill.com.au/

Terre à Terre 2022 Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

This is one of the most interesting sauvignons blanc releases in Australia, perhaps because it is made in a very different style, and is less overt than most wines made with the variety. The fruit is hand harvested from the close-spaced Crayères Vineyard in Wrattonbully and whole-bunch pressed before being fermented in large old oak demi-muids (600L) where it is left on lees that help add texture, richness and complexity. It would probably have been called fumé blanc in years past. A seriously good food wine paired with anything from seafood to Chinese dishes. $50. https://terreaterre.com.au/

Springs Road 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Here's a nice little discovery. In 2016 Joch Bosworth and Louise Hemsley-Smith from McLaren Vale’s organic Battle of Bosworth wines bought the Springs Road vineyard on the northern part of Kangaroo Island, releasing their first wines at the end of 2018. Six years later I've just caught on to a range that is estate grown and made from vines that are in transition to organic certification. And even if you don't care a jot about that, I can assure you that this is a delightfully varietal and very well-priced cabernet that that is medium bodied and full of classic flavours and structure. Love good Bordeauxs? You'll want to try this. Jump on board and pair with a traditional lamb roast. $35. www.bosworthwines.com.au/Wines/Springs-Road-Wine

Apricus Hill 2023 Semillon

 

When it comes to semillon it is hard to go past the stellar offerings from the Hunter Valley, but this one from Denmark in the Great Southern region of Western Australia is a worthy contender. Established almost 30 years ago, Apricus Hill is part of James Kellie's Harewood Estate group and is the highest vineyard in Denmark with maritime influences producing wines of serious style. This racy number was made from free run juice without any oak treatment and delivers elevated aromatics and exceptional freshness and delicacy on the palate with citrus and fresh-cut grass notes along with tropical fruit flavours. Serve lightly chilled for maximum pleasure, Distributed by Single Vineyard Sellers. $40. https://www.harewood.com.au/

JP Drouet 2022 Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc

 

A little taste of France for a tenner? Yes, it is another of those Aldi wine bargains that are popping up with impressive regularity. From just down the road from sauvignon blanc heartland in Sancerre, it is a definite bargain. Made mainly with fruit from nearby Touraine, this is the perfect choice for midweek drinking. It is crisp and clean and without any overt herbaceous notes or intrusive acid. Zingy and refreshing, it can be enjoyed with our without food, given its stone fruit and tropical flavours and brisk mineral hints. Aldi wine supremo Jason Bowyer and his team recommend enjoying it with a chicken salad. It also went well with a ham and coleslaw sandwich on sourdough. A lighter style perfect for lunchtime enjoyment. $10. https://www.aldi.com.au/

Paxton 2022 AAA Shiraz Grenache

There is a TV show called The Bold and the Beautiful that has been around for decades. This organic and biodynamic wine from McLaren Vale is a rather more recent arrival, but it certainly shares those attributes as a vibrant - and affordable - red blend that is food friendly and very swigable. A blend of 55% shiraz, 41% grenache and 4% mataro. it has spent nine months in French oak, which has added some spicy intensity. This is a great choice for pairing with anything from a backyard barbecue to a shepherd's pie for family dinner. No fuss. No pretence, just darn good drinking. $25. https://paxtonwines.com/

Cullen 2023 Kevin John Chardonnay

 

Complete. That's my one word summation of this cellar-worthy chardonnay from Margaret River that ticks all the quality boxes. An organic and biodynamic wine with a history of excellence, this is forceful, flavoursome and varietal wine that can be enjoyed now, or any time over the next two decades. The fruit was picked over three weeks according to the biodynamic calendar. There is a range of flavours on the palate, like citrus, stone fruit and spice waves crashing onto a beach. The fruit was hand harvested, whole-bunch basket pressed and fermented in concrete eggs, amphorae and biodynamic puncheons. Unfined, unfiltered and hugely impressive. Long, clean, effortlessly stylish and perfect for pairing with pan-fried whiting. $180. https://www.cullenwines.com.au/

Mottura 2022 Primitivo Salento

Good Italian wines have a certain savoury swagger about them that is unmistakeable - and makes them very food friendly. This is an excellent example from the large Italian range of importers Single Vineyard Sellers. From the family-owned Mottura vineyards in Salento in the deep south of Italy, where they specialise in native grapes of the region including primitivo (also known as zinfandel) and negroamaro. This is a forceful wine despite weighing in with just 13% alcohol. It has intense dark berry flavours with herbal hints and is a perfect accompaniment to dishes like spaghetti bolognaise, or penne with a game ragu. $35. https://www.singlevineyards.com/product/2022-mottura-primitivo-del-salento/

Shadowfax 2022 Minnow Rosé

 

This one shone at a recent trade tasting; a blend of southern French grape varieties creating a very savoury and stylish wine for summer enjoyment. It is a blend of shiraz (syrah), mourvedre, grenache, carignan, mondeuse, cinsault and pinot noir, all grown on the Shadowfax estate vineyards at Werribee, betwen Melbourne and Geelong. There is plenty of flavour here - and a nice dry finish. Think stone fruit notes, creaminess and lashings of refreshment. Perfect for a picnic on a warm day, or paired with a Lebanese banquet. $30. https://www.shadowfax.com.au/

Dandelion Vineyards 2022 Lion's Tooth of McLaren Vale Shiraz Riesling

A rather unusual blend, but this melange of 94% shiraz and 6% riesling from McLaren works a treat with the addition of the white grapes turning down the dial on the typically powerful shiraz fruit from the region and giving it immediate approachability. This is a reinvention of a blend from decades ago - and is sure to find favour with those looking for something just a little bit different. Whole bunches of shiraz were fermented on stalks in open fermenters on top of some riesling skins for 11 days, then hand plunged and basket pressed into mainly older oak barrels. Refreshingly fragrant, bottled unfined and unfiltered. A very solid 93 points. Pair with macaroni cheese. $40. https://dandelionvineyards.com.au/

 

 

Yalumba 2023 Vine Vale Grenache Blanc

 

Grenache blanc is a close relative of grenache noir that is grown mainly in the Rhône Valley and in north-east Spain. It also appears well suited to the Barossa Valley, where its red kin stars. Yalumba has just one hectare of grenache blanc from which winemaker Sam Wigan has crafted this complex, textural and flavoursome wine with white stone fruit flavours to the fore. Very food friendly this one: pair with anything from a vegetable quiche to some Mediterranean dips. A very good choice for anyone looking for an alternative to mainstream varieties but made in tiny quantities - think around 200 cases. $35. https://www.yalumba.com/

Dog Point 2023 Sauvignon Blanc

 

I sense the pendulum of public taste is starting to swing back to quality Marlborough sauvignon blanc, which can be a deliciously refreshing summer drink when done well. This is done very well indeed. From one of the star producers in New Zealand, this comes without any of the excesses of some of its cheaper kin. It is a wine of delightful balance - dry, aromatic and dangerously slurpable. Citrus and tropical fruit flavours are to the fore here rather than green herbal notes. There's just a hint of invigorating sea spray. Grapes are selected from eight estate vineyards across Wairau Valley with the fruit whole bunch pressed and cold settled before fermentation. The fruit spends a short time in stainless steel with a portion going through natural ferment. Perfect with fish and chips. $30. https://dogpoint.co.nz/

Passing Clouds 2023 Nueva Grenache

The Leith family is this month celebrating 50 years of Passing Clouds, a family-owned and -operated wine business that sources fruit from across Victoria. The business began in Bendigo but the home vineyard and cellar door (recommended) is now at Musk, outside Daylesford in the Macedon Ranges. This is made from grenache sourced from the Riverland and is a smashing "joven" red wine for summer enjoyment, a crunchy (thanks to whole bunch influence), delicious young red that could easily be drunk chilled on a warm day. Joyously juicy, this is bright, fresh and dangerously moreish. $30. https://www.passingclouds.com.au/

Sparkling Cocktails Blood Orange Mimosa by [yellow tail]

 

It is a warm summer day and you are in dire need of some zesty alcoholic refreshment. This blood orange flavoured pre-made sparkling cocktail will do the trick in some style. A new release from the team at [yellow tail], this is part of a range that also features a peach-driven Bellini. This was a very nice surprise, not too sweet but with some vibrant fresh orange citrus notes and some positive bubbles. This is a good choice for a beach picnic or a backyard game of croquet. Good fun fizz and only 10.5% alcohol. $18. https://www.yellowtailwine.com/au/product/sparkling-cocktails-mimosa/