Aussie Wine Month: red, white and beautiful bargains

Some backyard bargains worth a look-in during Aussie Wine Month

We’re more than halfway through Aussie Wine Month (aussiewinemonth.­com), but there are still events aplenty around the country, so support a local producer or two if you can.

Go large with South Australia’s Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend (clarevalley.com.­au) or keep it intimate with the likes of winemakers Andrew Margan and Bruce Tyrrell in the By the Fireside series (hunterresorts.com.au) in NSW’s Hunter Valley. Finish the month with some surf, sun, sea, sand and a semillon at Sydney’s Taste of Manly festival (manly.nsw.­gov.au); then, having blown your month’s budget, find solace in the exceptional value to be found in the wines reviewed today.

In each case the producer-winemaker has released enough previous vintages to guide us with magnificent track records, yet the prices allow us all to enjoy them. If Aussie Wine Month “celebrates the world-class wine produced in our own back yard”, these four bargains should be front of mind.

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1. Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon 2016 ($30)
If you missed out on Thomas Wines’ First Kiss Tour dinner series, celebrating the launch of the 2015 Kiss shiraz, console yourself with a bottle of the same Pokolbin, NSW, winemaker’s lipsmacking 2016 Braemore semillon instead.

This highly awarded wine embraces all that is good about Hunter semillon: drink it young as a searingly crisp, dry accompaniment to oysters or, better still, sashimi; drink it in a decade or two when it has mellowed into a layered and complex partner for baked shellfish or chicken.

Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon 2016.

Internationally acclaimed wine writer Jancis Robinson called Hunter Valley semillon “one of Australia’s great gifts to the wine world”. This Braemore semillon is right up there in the top echelon of the region’s wines.

thomaswines.com.au
2. Ocean Eight Pinot Gris 2016 ($36)

There is a lot of nondescript, boring pinot gris on the market. Fortunately, there also is captivating pinot gris such as those produced by Ocean Eight Winery on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Although quite closed initially, this wine opens up with time, each encounter bringing another smile to the face.

The nose is lightly floral, with just a hint of pear, while the palate slowly reveals a wide range of fruits — pear, apple, orange — and, most interesting, just a touch of ginger.

Ocean Eight Pinot Gris 2106.

There is texture to the wine, too, which encourages its pairing with food (anything from fresh seafood to light Thai dishes), while an inkling of sweetness hiding in the dry finish makes it most enjoyable on its own, too.

 oceaneight.com.au
3. Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($37)

As soon as I took the top off the bottle (screw cap, thankfully) of this wine, from Western Australia’s Margaret River, I was reminded of blackcurrant fruit pastilles.

It was a smell that took me right back to my childhood, the sweet but pure blackcurrant aroma filling a happy space as it lifted from the glass.

There is a lot of fruit in the wine without it being overblown, while there are soft tannins to provide a bit of an edge.

There is also some depth and complexity that, no doubt, will develop more with age (and age it will).

Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2013.

Maybe it will benefit more from food during the next 10 years, but right now it is possible to enjoy the Margaret River goodness on its own, too.

xanaduwines.com

4. Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz 2014 ($30)
The Cliff Edge shiraz, from the Grampians region in Victoria, has been a standard-bearer for affordable cool-climate shiraz for years now.

It feels cool in the mouth. It almost smells cool.

And for a wine of this quality you can find some pretty cool ­prices out there.

The nose is all red fruit and blueberry, subtle yet powerful at the same time.

The palate is so much about the elegant delivery of the same fruits, plus a bit of dark cherry, and there is classic cool-climate pepper with a bit of spice.

Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz 2014.

The very good balance of tannin and acidity make this another wine that is easy to drink on its own, or it will go with just about every meat dish imaginable.

langi.com.au