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Many years ago Howard Park had a riesling labelled simply as coming from Western Australia. It was one of the finest in the land. Then the wine was defined as Great Southern, the source of almost the entirety of the fruit. Then came a second wine, labelled as from the Porongurups, and then, in 2014, the Great Southern wine was re-labelled Mount Barker as the fruit all now comes from that sub-region. No matter how confusing those changes may have been, both Howard Park rieslings remain at the pinnacle with my personal preference, in this vintage, just going for the Mount Barker wine. It is flinty, minerally, citrusy and gorgeous, pristine, lively, zesty and delicious. You get the picture. $33. www.burchfamilywines.com.au.
It is uncanny how often winemaker Sandro Mosele hits the bullseye with the refined chardonnays and pinots he makes under both the Port Phillip Estate and Kooyong labels. I recently raved about the 2013 Port Phillip Chardonnay, which is a few dollars cheaper than this, but if you have the extra cash to splash then this is the wine I would opt for. Everything is in place here, like a catwalk model at fashion week, great cool-climate fruit, barrel-ferment adding structure and interest to the pristine grapefruit and pear notes and a great line of purity and acid. A wine that simply oozes class. $42. www.kooyongwines.com.au.
Wine show results can often be a crap shoot but the fact this wine won six trophies at the Royal Sydney Wine Show last month made even this cynic sit up and take notice. And, thankfully, the hype is merited. This wine, made in tiny quantities by Tom Carson from Block 2, rows 1-37 of the Yabbly Lake vineyard at Tuerong on the Mornington Peninsula to be precise, is absolutely stunning. Beautifully structured, wonderfully smooth with ethereal high notes, this has red berry suppleness, Asian spices and terrific texture. It is drinking marvellously in its youth for a wine made from vines that are just 17 years old and will doubtless cellar well for those with the patience. You made need to move quickly, however, as stocks are already deplenished after its trophy sweep in Sydney and four at the National Wine Show in Canberra lat last year. $95. www.yabbylake.com.
I was perfectly prepared to hate this wine. It's made from fruit grown in the unfashionable Riverland; it's merlot, which is so often unfocused and lacking in interest, and it comes with a bargain basement price tag. The one thing in its favour was that it is made by Trentham Estate, where the Murphy bothers have been known to conjour previous vinous miracles. This is not complex or challenging but it does offer a damn good return on a minimal investment. It's soft, smooth and disarmingly easy to drink. On one of those nights where you just want something affordable to accompany pizza or pasta try opening a bottle of this. You won't be disappointed. $16. www.trenthamestate.com.au
If you are looking for a chardonnay with precision, purity and linearity you won't go wrong with the delicious cool-climate chardonnay grown on a vineyard that veteran winemaker Brian Croser describes as producing fruit that provides "a pure expression of terroir". The vineyard site is 450 metres above sea level at Piccadilly in the Adelaide Hills and this is made entirely from the Tiers old vines planted in 1980. It shows no sign of 2013 having been a warmer than average year. French Vosges oak barriques (33% new) and partial malo play second fiddle to the quality fruit here; ripe stone fruit characters duel deftly with grapefruit and minerally acid notes to produce a wine that is refined and elegant. An Australian classic. $75. www.tapanappawines.com.au.
The Canberra region is producing some outstanding rieslings; think Helm, Clonkilla, Lark Hill and this delightful offering from Capital Wines. This is part of the quirky Ministry series, the labels of which poke fun at governmental figures. It is a deliciously brisk and fresh wine, perfect for enjoying chilled on one of these later summer evenings. There are zingy lemon and lime notes and some crisp acidity that would make this a great companion for salt and pepper squid or John Dory and chips. $19. www.capitalwines.com.au
There is room for confusion here with the label shouting 1913 in large letters and declaring vintage 2013 in tiny print but you'd probably need to be a moron in a hurry to believe you were getting 100-year-old wine for $25. This is a new label celebrating the arrival of the McWilliam family in the Riverina in 1913 to pioneer what is now a massive wine industry. The range consists of a vermentino, a durif and this spectacular offering made from the Portuguese grape variety touriga nacional. Touriga grapes have traditionally been use for fortified wines but here they produce a juicy, intense and savoury table wine of considerable appeal. Look out for more touriga releases as the variety clearly has great potential in warmer regions. $25. www.mcwilliamswines.com.au.
