Summer, fish and Hunter Valley semillon

Sunny days and balmy evenings call for seafood, chips and the perfect accompaniment: Hunter Valley semillon.

Hunter Valley semillon in its youth has delicious lean citrusy characters.

As the weather ever so slowly turns to the possibility of lazy lunches and balmy evenings, the idea comes to mind of enjoying al fresco fish and chips from your preferred fish n chippery. The good news is that there is a similarly easy and affordable wine style which makes the ideal accompaniment: Hunter Valley semillon.

Hunter sem in its youth has delicious lean citrusy characters just perfect to cut through any batter or oil used in cooking the fish. The best wines are bone dry and usually low in alcohol (10.5 per cent) which means that enthusiastic consumption is possible, indeed even encouraged!

Note that with age, Hunter sem adopts a much more complex idiosyncratic personality of straw, honey, lanolin, kero etc. It plays nicely with fish and seafood cooked or served with butter, or dishes served with richer sauces. Try oldies with bouillabaisse and a good rouille. There are many excellent wines available from great names synonymous with the region, such as Tyrrells, McWilliams, Brokenwood and Lindemans. Here are two less known quality producers of slightly differing styles, both of whom are worth seeking out.

De Iuliis 2016 semillon Hunter Valley. $20. Very pale lemon and lime in colour. A modern style with citrus and grapefruit aromas leaping out of the glass to tickle the olfactories. Lots of limey flavours on entry make for a bracing attack, with a light-bodied crisp clean finish. Would tango beautifully with a generous serve of potato cakes.

De Iuliis 2009 Aged release semillon Hunter Valley. $30. Still quite pale in colour. The primary aromas are only just starting to show signs of developing into a bouquet. The medium weight lively palate has characters of citrus, freshly made toast with a smidgen of honey, and with the flavours ending on a still fresh, pleasing note. A good introduction to the joys of Hunter semillon with some ageing. dewine.com.au

Allandale 2015 semillon Hunter Valley. RRP $20. Sparkling palish lemon in appearance. Racy citrus aromas precede palate features of deliciously intense — suggesting old vine material — crisp, punchy, citrus flavours, which are surprisingly mouthfilling given the lowish alcohol. Says “hoo roo” with a bracingly crisp long citrus finish. No doubt that this style of Hunter sem is inimitable and one of the world’s great wine styles.

Allandale 2010 semillon Hunter Valley. Limited availability, inquire with winery. Brilliant mid lemon yellow colour. Magnificent voluminous bouquet: notes of toast and butter, straw, and lanolin. Powerful attack on entering the palate with the integrated acid providing the structure to keep up and about the melange of cashew, butter, toast, lime and grapefruit flavours. Long and lingering with the acidity leaving the palate satiated and refreshed. Hunter semillon of this standard is ridiculously underrated and underpriced.allandale winery.com.au

[e-mail]