The best Australian white wines over $30
When you bump into a winemaker at the supermarket and she tells you she’s just picked the best riesling fruit in her life – best believe her. Rieslings of outstanding value, and the world’s best chardonnay, are among our picks of the country’s best whites. | FULL LIST
Chardonnay continues to generate serious excitement in our cooler regions, and a spectacularly good 2024 vintage for Clare Valley riesling explains their strong representation in Nick Ryan’s best Australian wines of the year.
Indeed, in 2024 chardonnay had the largest crush, with 332,643 tonnes, overtaking shiraz to resume the title of top variety by crush size for the first time in 11 years. There is no question, chardonnay remains Australia’s favourite white varietal.
In this list of the best white wines over $30, Ryan picks out the Leeuwin Estate Art Series as a favourite and finds outstanding value in riesling. Among his top picks is the 2024 Mt Horrocks ‘Watervale’ from South Australia’s Clare Valley - which Ryan had his eye on ever since a serendipitous supermarket encounter with the winemaker.
“Living in a wine region has its advantages. During harvest this year I bumped into winemaker Stephanie Toole in the greengrocers and she had a smile on her face that only just fit through the door.
“ ‘We’ve just picked the best riesling fruit I’ve seen in my life,’ she told me. Some winemakers can gild the lily but Toole isn’t one of them, and that early excitement becomes truth in this wine.”
The Mt Horrocks, along with a 2024 Seppelt Drumborg and a 2024 Wines by KT ‘Peglidis’ are representative of the value proposition of Australian rieslings: outstanding quality at just $40 a bottle.
But this list is dominated by chardonnay, with nine entries, including the star 2021 Leeuwin Estate Art Series – a label now approaching ‘legend’ status. Also, if there were ever proof required that Margaret River is the most exciting chardonnay region on earth – then please table the labels of 2023 Cherubino ‘Pemberton’ and 2022 Xanadu ‘Stevens Road’ as evidence. Save on our top picks with The Australian Wine Club's Special Dozen offer.
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This list is part of a broader series which sets out the best Australian wines of 2024 according to both price and quality. Discover more:
Best red wines over $35
Best red wines under $35
Best white wines under $35 - Saturday 16/11
Best spirits of the year - Saturday 16/11
Festive champagne guide - Saturday 16/11
