Bremerton 2022 Tamblyn

Meet a serious red wine bargain from Langhorne Creek in South Australia that is ready for immediate enjoyment and is extremely food friendly. The Tamblyn - named after family ancestors from Cornwall - is a blend of 43% cabernet sauvignon, 39% shiraz, 12% malbec and 6% merlot made  by the Willson family. It offers a lot of drinking pleasure for a relative pittance. Soft and stylish with some savoury notes, it is a match for a wide range of dishes. This would be just as happy paired with a barbecue, pizza or pasta dishes as it would with a Sunday roast with all the trimmings. It is a wine that could probably be cellared for a few years - but why bother? $20. https://www.bremerton.com.au/

Grosset 2025 Polish Hill Riesling

 

Get your orders in now. The 2025 vintage of Grosset Polish Hill Riesling maintains its place as Australia's best - and much sought-after - dry riesling. It will be released on September 1 and will probably be sold out soon after. Jeffrey Grosset reports that "pristine fruit culminated in exceptional wines" and I certainly fell in love with the precision and panache of this flagship Clare Valley riesling from a year that Grosset says shows the full benefits of biodynamics in the vineyard. You'll find the classic acid-driven lemon, lime, grapefruit notes, but also some impressive vitality and texture. Pair this will the best fresh crayfish, scallops or prawns you can find and serve simply, so both wine and food shine. Delightfully delicious. 97/100. $85. www.grosset.com.au.      

Turkey Flat 2023 Butchers Block Shiraz

 

Looking for a delicious, drink now, medium-bodied shiraz? This is the ideal midweek Barossa red, designed to be enjoyed in its youth and full of juicy, crunchy, fruity goodness. There's some bold fruit, minerality, some smoothness and a whole lot of drinkability, You could pair this with pizza or pasta, a chilli con carne or a shepherd's pie. Wondering about the name? The Schulz family has been growing grapes since 1865, but they also used to run a butchery business. That blue-stone building is now their cellar door. This is a new release, with a new-look label. $27. https://www.turkeyflat.com.au/

Shaw + Smith 2025 Sauvignon Blanc

It may be released in mid winter each year but this is an Australian classic that offers all the joys of spring. I have seen virtually all of the 36 vintages and this is one of the best; vital with youthful joie de vivre. Cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith first released this wine before the Marlborough savvy boom - and were ahead of the curve as the style became all the rage. The grapes are sourced largely from estate vineyards at Balhannah and Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills and the wine reflects the cool regional climate with its classic fruit profile, zingy unoaked freshness and balanced acid. Drink within two years; and serve well chilled with anything from whitebait to lobster. Deliciously refreshing. $35. https://www.shawandsmith.com.

Tapanappa 2021 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernets Merlot Franc

What a stunning wine this is. It is made from fruit grown on the now 51-year-old Whalebone Vineyard on the Limestone Coast that was identified decades ago by wine industry veteran Brian Croser as "a distinguished site" capable of producing elegant and age-worth reds. It is a classic Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc given an Australian twist with the addition of shiraz. From a "model vintage", this a wine of impressive balance and finesse. French oak barriques (50% new) play key support role in a wine led by cassis flavours and spice that will doubtless age gracefully, but it is already extremely appealing. Only 2,000 cases were made. A steak and kidney casserole proved a wonderful foil. $90. https://tapanappa.com.au/

Chapel Hill 2022 Road Block Shiraz

 

Affordable luxury here from Michael Fragos and his team at Chapel Hill in McLaren Vale, always reliable good purveyors of wines with power and class. One of the new release of icon wines, this is simultaneously an Alpha male red; impressively powerful, and studied and complete. It's a darkly assertive with classic regional dark fruits, deli notes, cedary oak and black pepper jostling for attention on the palate. There is plenty of generosity of flavour here, but also some amiable drinkability. A tempting winter warmer, maybe with a rabbit casserole or fricasee of mushrooms. Impressive. $70. https://www.chapelhillwine.com.au/

Feudo Arancio 2023 Nero d'Avola

 

There are several Australian companies making wines from Nero d'Avola grapes, but this is the real thing from Feudo Arancio (the Orange Grove), a producer of very good-value wines from Sicily. Nero d'Avola is a grape native to Sicily and this one is made from fruit grown close to the Mediterranean. It  smells and tastes of the countryside, with earthy rustic and herbal notes alongside fresh red berry flavours minty hints and a soft finish. Very easy drinking here and this paired well with both lamb shanks and bangers and mash with onion gravy. $20. https://www.singlevineyards.com/