Wine’s New Guard

This weekend’s Cellar Door Festival has a zone dedicated to emerging producers. Give these burgeoning beauties a whirl.

Sixty Eight Roses 2019 Syrah - one of the new breed

This weekend’s Cellar Door Festival has a zone dedicated to emerging producers. Give these burgeoning beauties a whirl.

Mary's Myth Wines 2018 Clare Valley Riesling

MARY’S MYTH WINES

2018 / Clare Valley Riesling

Clare Valley

Oh, the nose! Alluring floral aromas make for

a wine so pretty you want to dab it on your pulse points and hit the town smelling the goods. You’re better off drinking itbecause the palate is a delightful dance-off of stone fruit, apricots, apple and spice. Winemaker Alister McMichael cut histeeth in Germany’s Mosel region (oh hey, old world riesling) and honed his craft in New Zealand, New York’s Finger Lakes Region,and the Adelaide Hills where he and mates Evan Starkey and Millie Haigh run

Mary’s Myth Wines.

$22

XO WINE CO

2019 / Games Night Grenache Barbera Rosé

McLaren Vale

Greg Clack and Kate Horstmann make small batches of thoughtfully made wine using fruit from the Adelaide Hills and McLarenVale. Greg, whose day job is winemaker at Chain of Ponds, makes a mean rosé (his 2017 pinot noir rosé was outstanding) andthis latest creation blends McLaren Vale grenache and Kuitpo barbera. It’s beautifully balanced, chock full of strawberryand citrus flavours, and has a nutty, savoury finish. The pair will also pour the last of their remaining 2019 Adelaide Hillssauvignon blanc at Cellar Door Fest. You snooze, you lose.

$24

SECTION 1819

2018 / Harvest Moon Field White

Barossa Valley

Section 1819 is a “baby brand” of sorts, nestled

under the umbrella that is Alkina Winery and Vineyard near Greenock.

“Section 1819” was the original 1850s land survey name for the main part of the estate, and the wines in this range aim tobe bright, juicy, taut and very drinkable. This blend of biodynamically farmed, hand-picked, basket-pressed semillon, riesling,and ugni blanc (trebbiano) delivers waves of crunchy white peach, green apple and zesty lemon.

Mouth-watering stuff.

$25

Rollick Wines 'First Step' Fiano 2019

ROLLICK WINES

2019 / First Step Fiano

Riverland

Barossa-born newlyweds Jack Weedon and Natasha Hayes first made a wine together in 2015 when they created a fiano to raisecash for a charity. They got a kick out of the process and, in 2018, launched Rollick Wines. A sense of fun permeates everythingthey do. The First Step Fiano is a nod to the first drop that kicked things off. It’s a bright, inviting little

blighter. Baked apple and honeydew melon aromas and a pear-packed mouthful set the tone for a rollicking good time.

$25

MANLY PRODUCE

2019 / Watervale Riesling

Clare Valley

Siblings Jessica and Abbey Smythe grew up in rural Victoria, worked in fashion in Melbourne and now call Clare Valley home(Abbey splits her time between Mildura and SA). Their little wine brand focuses on small batch, ready-to-drink, affordablewine. The sisters are doing it for themselves – with the help of a contract winemaker – using fruit from the Castine familyvineyard in Watervale. This single vineyard riesling is like walking through an apple orchard: dry, crisp, refreshing andwell-formed. Jess and her hubby, Ben Castine, are taking on his family’s 36ha vineyard and farm at Watervale, so watch thisspace.

$25

SIXTY EIGHT ROSES

2019 / Syrah

Riverland

John Koutouzis’s family has made a living on Riverland soil since his Greek parents purchased their patch of land in the 1970s.Their farm is a veritable fruit salad: apricots, peaches, plums, pears, sultana grapes, shiraz grapes and muscatels. The organic

fruit in the 2019 syrah – their first commercial wine release – is in good hands. Eric Semmler, from the region’s 919 Wines,makes the wine. This ruby

dazzler is a mix of delicate floral notes, dark chocolate, red berries, licorice and plum. Proud, easy drinking and very pretty.

$28

Cellar Door Festival, 7 – 9 February, Adelaide Convention Centre, from $28/ticket, cellardoorfestival.com