French grape, picpoul, leads summer white wine deal with Yarra chardonnay, Clare riesling and Hunter Valley semillon

It’s a white wine born in the south of France that’s running hot in the UK. It’s made for sunny afternoons, especially with fresh seafood, and the time to try it is now.

The first special offer from The Australian Wine Club for 2025 includes a quartet of wines designed for summer afternoon sipping.

Here’s a quiz question: which boutique grape from the shores of a lagoon in the south of France is taking English wine lovers by storm and could have been designed for the intensity of Australian summers?

Even white wine devotees who have guessed the answer is picpoul may not be overly familiar with this grape.

And the real mystery is why this tangy, salivatingly crisp drop has taken so long to take root – literally and figuratively – on this side of the world.

A picpoul from the Adelaide Hills is part of our first special dozen offer of 2025 from The Australian Wine Club: a quartet of elegant whites designed to cover a spectrum of flavours designed for summer afternoon sipping.

Along with the picpoul, you’ll find a 98-point Hunter Valley semillon, a 95-point Clare Valley riesling and a 95-point Yarra Valley chardonnay.

Picpoul in recent years has gone from being a fairly niche interest stemming from Picpoul de Pinet, an appellation southwest of Montpellier in southern France, to a huge summer seller in the UK.

That’s where South Australian vigneron David Lloyd, of the Lloyd Brothers winery, first tried it and immediately wanted to bring it to an Australian audience.

Soon after, David’s uncle, Mark Lloyd, who runs Coriole Wines, planted in McLaren Vale what are thought to be Australia’s first picpoul cuttings, and Lloyd Brothers has followed suit with vines established in the Adelaide Hills as well as McLaren Vale.

Lloyd Brothers general manager Sam Temme with winemaker Gonzalo Sanchez in the Adelaide Hills.

The Lloyd Brothers Adelaide Hills Estate Picpoul 2023, on offer here, barely gets past 10 per cent alcohol, but delivers mouth-tingling levels of acidity that slake a thirst with aplomb – in fact picpoul literally translates, in the ancient dialect of the region it hails from, as “stinger of lips”.

As Sam Temme, general manager of Lloyd Brothers, notes, “mouth-puckering” might be a happier translation in Australian terms, and the acidity makes sense in a wine literally bred as an accompaniment to seafood. That’s no dose of hyperbole, for the vineyards in Picpoul de Pinet are a stroll from the Etang de Thau lagoon on the edge of the Mediterranean famous for the quality of the oysters harvested in its shallows.

“We’re the only ones growing picpoul in the Adelaide Hills and what we love about it is the fact that it would be the latest-ripening white variety on the mainland of Australia as a table wine,” says Temme.

“It flowers late, sets late and it ripens late, but it doesn’t actually get very ripe. The 2023 is only actually around 10 per cent alcohol, which we think is perfect for a summer drinking wine.

“We did a big comedy festival recently, the Grapes of Mirth, on quite a warm day, and our picpoul and our sparkling picpoul prosecco were about the only two wines that anyone drank.

“Equally we’ve got some amazing restaurants here in Port Willunga that have been featuring the picpoul by the glass since the first one I bottled and it works an absolute treat with salt-and-pepper squid, oysters, kingfish sashimi.”

Lloyd Brothers Adelaide Hills Estate Picpoul 2023

The hints of green in a pale-straw hue hint at the sherbet tartness to come, with sea spray and citrus lime dominating on the nose and flanked by hints of struck match and floral notes. The palate is awash with lemon, lime and green apples, shot through with an intriguing salinity leading to a clean, long and refreshing finish. 91 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 10.5% alc, RRP $26 a bottle.

SPECIALS $22.99 a bottle in any dozen, $23.99 a bottle in the Summer Whites dozen.

Pikes Traditionale Clare Valley Riesling 2022

Everything shouts crowdpleaser here, starting with the gooseberry and citrus notes on the nose, with floral hints and citrus blossom, even a streak of lemon curd. The palate is rounded and soft, draping your tastebuds in summery flavours such as lime cordial and lime Zooper Doopers, and adding a sprinkling of lemon sherbet to the long finish. 95 points, The Real Review. 12% alc, RRP $28 a bottle.

SPECIALS $23.99 a bottle in any dozen, $23.99 a bottle in the Summer Whites dozen.

Rob Dolan White Label Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2022

The bright straw colour in the glass has a pleasing golden glow, and the creamy, nutty notes on the nose, with hints of nectarine and almonds, are just as appealing. The creaminess is there in the mouth too, part of a rich and rounded palate studded with more of the nectarine. Little pricks of acidity keep everything fresh and the background oak keeps it balanced. 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 13.5% alc, RRP $40 a bottle.

SPECIALS $35.99 a bottle in any dozen, $23.99 a bottle in the Summer Whites dozen.

McGuigan Bin 9000 Hunter Valley Semillon 2018

Another crowd-pleaser: this is high-quality Hunter semillon developing with maturity and style. The crispness of new-season apples hits you upfront, on the nose and in the mouth, married with a citrus wash and a zingy acidity that adds succulence to the unfolding honeyed richness. With six gold medals already, the pedigree will only develop further. 98 points, Winestate Magazine. 11.5% alc, RRP $30 a bottle.

SPECIALS $25.99 a bottle in any dozen, $23.99 a bottle in our Summer Whites dozen.

SUMMER WHITES DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $23.99 a bottle. SAVE $84.12.

Order online or phone [phone] Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.