C'est La Vie 2022 Gamay

 

When times are tough it is good to know that you can still find a fun bottle of red wine for under a tenner. Made from the Beaujolais grape, gamay, this is a fresh, fruity and vibrant young red that delivers plenty of drinking pleasure and could even be served chilled on a warm day. It is a special offer from Aldi supermarkets - and only available for the next couple of months. Made by the Burgundy-based GCF group, it is classified as a basic Vin de France. But who cares when it is delicious and easy to drink? $10.  

Hoddles Creek 2022 Estate Chardonnay

 

If you tasted this blind, you'd swear it was a $50 chardonnay. From a year that produced a much reduced volume of grapes, the d'Anna family has once again delivered a cool-climate Yarra Valey chardonnay that offers a whole lot of drinking pleasure. This is lean and clean, unmistakably chardonnay but with plenty of tang on the palate. Think classic stone fruit and citrus fruit aromas and flavours, a touch of oak adding palate interest, some chalky, biscuity notes and impressively brisk acid on the finish. Absolutely excellent. $26. www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au/

Wirra Wirra 2019 The Angelus Cabernet Sauvignon

 

So you enjoy your red wines bold, with a swagger and plenty of confidence? You've come to the right bottle. But this wine is also a gentleman; impeccably balanced and well mannered. From one of the best producers in McLaren Vale, it takes its name from the giant Angelus Bell that sits on top the winery cellars. The Angelus comprises the best parcels of cabernet sauvignon from the vintage and its structure means it is a wine that can usually be cellared for two decades or more should you wish to do so. Think Dark plum and currant fruit flavours and a long, structured palate. We paired this with a lamb en croute with green vegetables, and that worked a treat. $70. https://wirrawirra.com/

Ravensworth 2021 Estate Sangiovese

 

Bryan Martin is a long-time collaborator with the Kirk family at Clonakilla, but also makes serious ripples with his own wines under the Ravensworth label, also based in Murrumbateman, outside Canberra. This is one of the finest Australian sangioveses that I have had the pleasure of tasting, ethereal, dangerously drinkable. No fertilisers, chemicals or pesticides, no fining or filtering. This was whole-berry processed to oak cuves, plunged daily during fermentation, sealed up, topped as skins soften then locked up for six months. Pressed and returned to cask, it was then transferred with lees to Hungarian oak casks for another year. Poised, textural, complex, savoury but silky, this matched brilliantly with pizzas, but also has the complexity to be enjoyed with more serious dishes. Outstanding drinking for $45. But be quick. Volumes are tiny. http://www.ravensworthwines.com.au/

Shaw Wines 2022 Estate Rosé

The cool Canberra region is a source of a growing number of outstanding wines and this dry rosé from estate vineyards in Murrumbateman has plenty of appeal with its bright, lively palate and very reasonable price tag. Utilising the usual shiraz (60%), blended with 40% malbec, this is a very vibrant, almost tart, wine that demands to be enjoyed with food. Think cranberry and wild strawberrry fruit notes and a very crisp and dry palate. This would be perfect pair with anything with a Middle Eastern flavour; from a lamb kebab to a mezze plate. Or, perhaps, a charcuterie board. Very refreshing this one and it weighs in at just 11.5% alcohol. $26. https://shawwines.com.au/

https://shawwines.com.au/ 

Clandestine Vineyards 2022 Pinot Grigio

 

What a great all-purpose white wine for enjoying over whatever sunny days remain this season. Vibrant and refreshing, this made from grapes grown at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills and to my palate is very much on the grigio side of the spectrum, with just a hint of gris texture; which adds interest but does not detract from the basic refreshing nature of the wine. Unwooded with aromatic notes and bright acid on the finish this is made for Nick and Trudy Stacy by consultant winemaker Ben Riggs, who has shown a deft touch with fruit that was picked in two batches, one early and one at full ripeness. Pair this very well priced wine with a Vietnamese glass noodle salad with spicy chicken and herbs. $25. www.clandestinevineyards.com.au.

Centare 2021 Old Block Chardonnay

Centare Vineyard - previously known as Coranderrk Estate - had somehow flown under my radar until recently. This excellent Yarra Valley chardonnay made me sit up and take notice, however, and it was no surprise to discover the wine was the work of excellent winemaker Nicole Esdaile. If Burgundy floats your boat then you will very much enjoy this sassy but elegant chardonnay which has tremendous drive and poise with bright, fresh acid and classic cool-climate chardonnay flavours. Wild fermented and matured in oak puncheons and with 20% having undergone malo, this is the product of a very good vintage. Ripe, but impressively balanced with citrus, stone fruit and brioche notes in harmony, this marks Centare as a label to watch. $70. https://centarevineyard.com/