Cool and light red wines from Mercer, Aphelion, Angullong, Coppabella, Soumah and RedHeads
We’ve officially hit peak pinot noir, so let’s take a walk on the light side with these six reds worth chilling out with.
It’s lighter, brighter and definitely cooler. A new wave is washing through Australian wine, a gentle trend lapping at our palates that may come to define a generational shift in what we drink.
“There is absolutely a move from richer, bigger, oaky red wines to lightly framed, approachable, vibrant, fruit-driven styles,’’ says Aaron Mercer, a Hunter Valley winemaker who’s worked vintages from California and Canada to France and Germany.
The ripples of change are there: the rise and rise of pinot noir’s popularity; drinks lists in city restaurants sprouting “new” varietals such as nero d’avola, gamay and barbera; a smattering of red wines in fridges at wine stores; cabernet vineyards in the Barossa being replanted with grenache. (You can check out six light reds worth trying at The Australian Wine Club.)
These juicy, bouncy, fresh-faced youngsters are even making a splash among traditionalists. Mercer’s nouveau- style shiraz – made with just a smidge of seasoned oak and designed to be enjoyed soon after release – has won the prestigious Silver Bullet Trophy at the Hunter Valley Wine Show for two years running. The visiting international judge, English master of wine Mark Pygott, pushed aside some of the most hallowed shiraz wines in Australia with the win, describing Mercer’s youthful entry as “the gateway to the Hunter”.
Even fine wine auction houses are picking up the trend. Ask Langton’s head of auctions, Michael Anderson, what wine is currently exciting bidders on Australia’s biggest wine auction site. He’ll point you towards Château Rayas Reserve, a pale-coloured, almost translucent grenache from Châteauneuf-du-Pape in southern France.
“This is a light style, but it’s very powerful in terms of flavour,’’ Anderson says, while presenting a 2011 Château Rayas Reserve at one of Langton’s $6999-a-head rare wine dinners recently. “You could have picked up a Rayas for a couple of hundred dollars a little while ago – now they’re selling for around $2000.”
Anderson also notes that Langton’s eighth classification of Australian wines, released last year, saw more top- shelf pinot noir wines coming on to the list at the expense of full-bodied cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.
“Australia is producing some of the best pinot in the world. More and more people are appreciating how beautiful they are to drink,” he says.
So what’s driving this change? Three unrelated factors are coalescing: the doctor is telling us to drink less, or at least preference lower-alcohol drinks; vignerons are detecting a change in climate and exploring hardier grape varieties; and thirdly, we’re swapping Sunday roasts for more Asian-style cuisine.
Rob Mack, winemaker of cult McLaren Vale producer Aphelion, has been creating world-class grenache since founding his enterprise in 2014. Australia is home to the oldest grenache vines in the world, dating back to 1848, but the French native has spent most of its existence here lost in the shadow of shiraz.
Mack’s formula is to pick his grenache earlier to retain its acid and freshness and keep its alcohol at about 13 per cent. “I make these wines because I love to drink them; full of fresh fruit characters but with great complexity,’’ he says. “And they suit our warm climate.”
At Orange, at Angullong Fossil Hill, the Crossing family has been experimenting with what used to be known as “alternative varieties” since planting their vineyard in the 1990s. “With Orange being a new wine region back then, we thought it made sense to be a bit different,’’ says Ben Crossing.
Among the varieties planted was barbera, a native to Italy’s Piedmont. Barbera produces medium-weighted wines high in natural acid. They’re made to be opened in their first five or so years.
At Neil Perry’s Margaret restaurant in Sydney’s upmarket Double Bay, the Friday lunch crowd pours through the pinot. Take a look at Margaret’s “by-the- glass” selections and you’ll see more exotic, lighter reds popping up as well: frappato from Sicily, gamay from Beaujolais, dolcetto from Piedmont.
“We’ve always sold a lot of pinot, particularly Australian pinot, but chilled reds are screaming out the door now, too,’’ says beverages director Richard Healy. “They’re fragrant, looser knit, less structured and they work so well with lighter styles of food.”
Let’s sip to that – with a light red, of course, and, perhaps, an entrée of Margaret’s signature spicy Korean- style bigeye tuna tartare.
SIX LIGHT REDS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN WINE CLUB
Mercer Wines Hunter Valley Shiraz Nouveau 2023
Ripe boysenberry, juicy sour cherry and peppery finish. Bright, fragrant and full of joy. 13.5% alc; RRP $28.
Aphelion Affinity Grenache Mouvedre 2021
Enticing scents of fresh cherries, plums and raspberries; hints of aniseed and fennel. Serious depth. 14.2% alc; RRP $38.
Angullong Fossil Hill Orange Barbera 2023
Juicy cherries and raspberries, flecked with vanilla, spice and aniseed. Tangy acidity. 14.5% alc; RRP $30.
Coppabella Sirius Tumbarumba Pinot Noir 2021
Bright red and blue fruits mingle with savoury notes. Silky, polished tannins. Nice complexity. 13% alc; RRP $80.
Soumah Single Vineyard Yarra Valley Upper Ngumby Pinot Noir 2023
Raspberries and strawberries shine through, woven together with a lick of new French oak. 13% alc; RRP $48.
RedHeads Adelaide Hills Gamay 2023
Classic red cherry and forest fruit touches, with hints of rosemary, aniseed and sage. Refreshing. 13% alc; RRP $36.
SUPER SIX DEAL One bottle of each wine above for $27.99 each. SAVE $92.
Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.
This story is from the May issue of WISH.
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