skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Talented St Hallett winemaker Toby Barlow and his team specialise in shiraz at a range of different price points. The Barossa Valley winery's collection includes the $100-a-bottle Old Block, an Australian classic. In less rarified air is the reliably excellent Faith Shiraz, a popular everyday drinking red option since 1994. There's plenty of guts here, oodles of flavour, youthful vibrancy and a lot of enjoyment for not a lot of dollars. Pair this with a steak and mushroom sauce, or maybe a gourmet burger. Good drinking for $23, or less on special. www.sthallett.com.au.
This impressive red is the baby brother of the world-renowned Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon and Vasse Felix Tom Cullity - and it proved a major hit with my tasting group. It's a delicious medium-bodied cabernet with plenty of complexity but it opens up more quickly than its more expensive siblings. There is a splash of malbec in the mix, too, along with softness and immediate appeal. A red where big is not best, but balance is key. From young vines from a very good vintage, this has excellent length and and palate interest. Excellent drinking.
$28. www.vassefelix.com.au.
There is terrific value to be found in this crisp and lively blanc de blancs style from Blue Pyrenees. Chardonnay fruit from the Pyrenees and Macedon Ranges in Victoria has produced a bubbly full of the joys of life with an impressive mousse, zingy palate and plenty of length. Grapes for this wine are picked at night to ensure maximum freshness. This is very stylish and refreshing with Granny Smith apple and kaffir lime juice notes. $36. www.bluepyrenees.com.au.
La Linea is a joint project between wine industry figures David LeMire MW and Peter Leske. This is a very attractive young rosé made from the Spanish grape variety tempranillo, grown in the cool Adelaide Hills. This is not just a pink wine for enjoying well chilled; it stands alone as a very good drink that is particularly good with food. I enjoyed the vibrant freshness, the crisp, dry finish and the layers of flavours and textures that elevate it above your bog standard pretty pinks. This is a wine that tends to sell out, so I'd suggest snapping some up soon rather than later. Good value for $23.
Nero d'Avola, the most popular red grape in Sicily, has proved to be a great success in the warmer regions of Australia, producing reds with real personality. This is arguably the best-value red wine in Oz right now, with a retail price of $15 but often found cheaper on special. What you get for your minimal outlay is a medium-bodied, savoury red, perfectly for pairing with pizza and pasta dishes. Calabria Family Wines is one of the best producers in the Riverina and this is soft, spicy and very gluggable. $15.
Here's a bargain white for the tail-end of summer; full of freshness and vitality from the colourfully-labelled Vinaceous range of winemaker Nick Stacy, who has a knack of sourcing quality fruit. This one is from the Adelaide Hills and is the epitome of fresh young grigio, floral, vibrant and unoaked. This a wine for sipping and savouring on the back porch, and is also a versatile food companion (think seafood and chicken dishes). $22. www.vinaceous.com.au.
A classic cool-climate pinot noir from the Adelaide Hills, and in my opinion the finest wine the Henschke team has produced under the Giles label. This utitlises fruit from a Lenswood vineyard named in honour of regional pioneer Charles Giles and is a wine of delightful balance. I was sipping, savouring my bottle and almost by accident the bottle was empty. Strikes just the right balance between quality fruit and savoury characters. $55. www.henschke.com.au.
