Australian Politics has been the domaine of halfwits.

It’s time to breathe some wit into it

On our political stage, we see plenty of halfwits who would’ve been better off observing that old advice:  It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it. Most of them don’t read, I suspect, or don’t know how to. Australians are a weird mob, and Australian Politics are even weirder, so lets go through a few of the empties here and check the dregs.

At a recent very public competition, opinions were sharply divided over the Barry O’Farrell Shiraz. Some said it was an utterly forgettable wine, while others called it a decent, solid performer. Some even said the O’Farrell was a take-off on Grange, which the winemaker strenuously denied. He said he’d never even heard of Grange.

Tony Abbott 2014 reminds us of a young Hunter Semillon, lean, mean and edgy with a strong acid grip and a tough backbone, yet the label promises that the wine will improve dramatically if given a chance to breathe. It’s an old-fashioned style that pays no attention to current trends, and will take years before maturity is reached if ever. Lacks charm and finesse. Best drunk with hot dogs at boxing bouts or football matches.

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How on earth did we end up with thousand dollar bottles?

Not so long ago, even the best French wines were affordable. In the early eighties, you could buy third-growth Bordeaux like 1978 Chateau Montrose, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Pichon Longueville de Lalande for around $30. Good Burgundies cost a bit more, and great Sauternes & Barsacs a bit more again – about $60/70 for a full bottle of Rieussec. Expensive yes, but not ridiculous.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac

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For this special day in our calendar, I’ve selected wines that are uniquely Australian because of their style or their history or their label. However, value for money was the first consideration as always. I’ve also suggested the kinds of foods these wines go with, assuming that people will partake in the usual Australia Day fare of barbecued beef, lamb, sausages and seafood.

Leo Buring Clare Valley Dry Riesling 2013 – $15 at Kemenys. The dry Aussie style of Riesling is unique in the world, and Leo Buring is one of the oldest makers. Limes and minerals here, plus ripe, concentrated flavour and a long, dry finish – brilliant match for roasted or barbecued chicken.

McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon Cellar Release 2007 – $12 at OurCellar. Mount Pleasant in the Hunter Valley is another household name, and ‘Lizzie’ is an institution. This wine is eight years old, and be warned: you’ll smell honey and butter here but also wet straw and tennis shoes. It’s a perfect match for a platter of smelly cheeses. The price is not a misprint.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2009 – $15 at Dan Murphy’s. Another iconic Aussie with a long history. This little winery in the Goulburn Valley used to be called Chateau Tahbilk, and the Rhone variety Marsanne has thrived here for many decades. This example is 6 years old and showing some rich honeyed flavours, goes well with pork. It’s so cheap because no one knows about it.

Rosily Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2014 – $18 at Kemenys. The vineyard is named after Comte Francois de Rosily, a French navigator who in 1772 made the first chart of Flinders Bay. On the same voyage the captain of his ship claimed possession of the south west of Australia on behalf of France. Had that claim succeeded we would now be speaking French, not English, and our national drink would have been wine, not beer.

Winemaker Mick Scott is a dinky-di Aussie, a keen surfer, swimmer and marathon runner. Margaret River has made this style of wine its own, and it’s so much more interesting than the Sauvignon Blancs from across the Tasman. Real class here, and the wine will fill out and improve with time in bottle. Terrific with grilled seafood.

Charles Melton Rose Of Virginia 2014 – $20 at Summer Hill Wine Shop Australia’s most attractive Rosé, inside and out. Made from Grenache, Cabernet and a few other varieties, it shows perfect balance between fruit and acidity. Drink with anything or on its own, well chilled.

Kilikanoon Killermans Run Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 – $16 at Kemenys. This wine pays homage to our Irish heritage. The story goes that Killerman was a trapper who lived 100 years ago behind the Skillogalee winery (near Kilikanoon) and made his own wines in a galvanised iron lean-to. The 2012 Cabernet is a much more urbane customer, well-mannered, cool and smooth. Medium-bodied and great with a good steak.

Devil’s Lair Hidden Cave Cabernet Shiraz 2012 – $17 at Kemenys. The combination of Cabernet and Shiraz is uniquely Australian, and this polished performer shows why it’s such a smart blend. That you can buy a quality crowd pleaser like this for so little money suggests that we’re still the lucky country. Goes well with steak, hamburgers and sausages.

Bleasdale Second Innings Malbec 2012 – $15 at Different Drop. There’s going to be a lot of cricket played on Australia Day, and here’s the wine to drink at the BBQ that follows. If you like your reds soft, round and velvety, look no further. It’s juicy and spicy too, and makes you wonder why this variety has fallen out of favour down under. Great with all kinds of lamb.

Bundaleer Sparkling Shiraz NV – $17 at MyCellars. Sparkling Shiraz is another Aussie specialty, and this stylish example is our current favourite. It’s made by a tiny boutique in the Southern Flinders Ranges region of South Australia. Absolute bargain.

Campbells Rutherglen Topaque 375mL – $18 at Dan M’s. Rutherglen is near Glenrowan in Ned Kelly country. We used to call this wine Tokay until the Hungarians objected. Thankfully, only the label has changed and the wine remains a wonderful drink to have with a rich dessert or orange in dark chocolate or a platter of runny cheeses. A great place to finish our top ten.

‘RIESLING is set to be the white wine of choice this summer’

So says Max Allen in the Australian and adds ‘at least it will be if Australia’s winemakers, retailers, event organisers and sommeliers have their way.’ Then Max admits that the ‘classic white grape still suffers from an image problem for some wine drinkers: ‘consumers weaned on Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc often think Riesling is going to taste sweet, so avoid trying it.’

If consumers don’t know what to expect from a given product, the obvious culprit is Marketing or lack of it. The unpopularity of Riesling has resulted in a top quality wine that mostly sells for less than $20. Riesling is racy, crisp and stylish. Riesling has purity and precision in abundance; Riesling is a great food wine yet easy to enjoy on its own; Riesling repays cellaring more reliably than most wines. Riesling is also the best wine value for money, so why is it so hard to get consumers excited about it?

‘It’s simply a Myth’

It’s the same overseas: Scores of wine writers have been predicting Riesling’s return to popularity for years, and been proven wrong. In a wine-searcher piece, Wink Lorch cites leading wine writers like Jancis Robinson in the UK and David Schildknecht in the USA who’ve been beating the drum for Riesling and adds: ‘I swear that New Year forecasts from 1995 onwards – that’s 20 years, folks – have insisted that Riesling will have its day of glory again.

Has it? No. Will it? No. It’s simply a myth that wine drinkers will shun something more simplistic like buttery Chardonnay, pungent Sauvignon Blanc or bland Pinot Grigio for the ultimate in white-wine complexity, kerosene flavours included.’

How did Riesling become so unpopular?

Germany is the cradle of Riesling. In the 19th Century, German ‘Hock’ rivalled the top Bordeaux reds in popularity and price. German Rieslings were popular once more in the twentieth century, in the 1960s and ’70s. Experts blame the Austrian wine scandal of the mid-eighties for the fall of Riesling – some Austrian winemakers added antifreeze to their unripe Rieslings to make them smoother. A marketing masterstroke.

In Australia, Riesling’s image was confused from the beginning: until the early seventies, we had 3 very different kinds of Riesling: Hunter River Riesling (Semillon), Clare Riesling (Crouchen) and Rhine Riesling (the real thing). Riesling suffered from an identity crisis and an image problem. Some of our Riesling makers also bastardised the style by adding sweet Traminer or retaining some sugar.

The Marketing of Riesling has been a Disaster

Consumers have no idea what to expect from Aussie Riesling. The Kiwis have shown us how to market a wine style: you can accuse them of bastardising Sauvignon Blanc but their commercial style is consistent, so consumers know what they’re getting. The folks marketing our Rieslings haven’t learnt that lesson.

‘It’s such a versatile grape that produces so many different styles of super-refreshing wine,’ sommelier Jacquie Lewis, the organiser of the Summer of Riesling festival, tells Max Allen. ‘I really feel there’s a need to bang the drum about this diversity with consumers. And there’s no better way to do it than in an informal, relaxed tasting environment where people can interact with the winemaker.’

Jacquie, I agree with what you about Rieslings terrific diversity but, if we want to win over more consumers, we need to clearly define the style long before we talk about diversity. If we start with Riesling’s great diversity, we’ll just confuse them.

Stop marketing to the converted

A 5% growth year on year (from a pretty small base) has given Riesling champions fresh hope, but it simply indicates that the Riesling lovers out there are buying a little more of it because it’s such terrific value. It does not mean that ‘consumers have already switched on to the variety …’ They haven’t.

Clare Valley winemaker Kerri Thompson tells Max Allen: ‘I’m seeing a whole new wave of young professionals taking a really keen interest in my wines … and mostly it’s because they’ve been introduced to the grape at events like Summer of Riesling or Riesling Downunder that present Riesling in a social, popular way.’

I suspect those young professionals are serious wine lovers, given the the $800 dollar charge for the 3-day Riesling Downunder Fest. Clearly this event is designed for serious wine buffs and tradies, but even the more modest Summer of Riesling affair is aimed at people who’re knowledgable about wine already. It’s not encouraging consumers to try a new wine style.

Broaden the market

The real challenge is to introduce a broader audience to the pleasures of Riesling, and that means marketing to the not-converted: wine drinkers who’re blissfully unaware of Riesling’s many charms. The question is: how do we wean them off their lolly water Kiwi savvies? Here are a few options:

• Launch a Riesling Revolution campaign in the media
• Promote Riesling as a cool, smart wine in the lifestyle magazines
• Promote Riesling as a great food wine in the food magazines
• Hand out Riesling and chicken wings at street fairs and community events

Riesling and chicken wings? Yes! Last year, I wrote a post headed Australia is Blessed with the Unpopularity of Riesling, which made a simple point: The reason more people don’t drink Riesling is that wine and food writers tell them to drink it with the wrong foods – seafood, cold salads, sashimi, stuffed capsicum, eggplant and more.

No wonder consumers are confused: they don’t know what to expect from a bottle of Riesling, and they drink it with the wrong foods. Roast chicken and Riesling are made for each other, and how many people eat roast chicken? Loads, and often. Many grab it on the way home, already cooked. We have to make them grab a bottle of Riesling to go with it, and that comes back to marketing.

Sell the style

Riesling has a lot going for it, and I’ve never seen the benefits stated in a way that makes punters think: I really want to try that.

1. Riesling is crisp, racy, zippy, refreshing, not heavy and not oaked
2. Riesling has terrific flavour – limes and minerals when young, honey and buttered toast when older
3. Young Riesling makes a great aperitif or anytime drink
4. Riesling is a great summer picnic wine
5. Riesling is low in alcohol – 12% on average
6. Riesling is a smart wine for smart people
7. Riesling is great value for money

Clearly Riesling has a lot to offer, and well-targeted marketing can to convey that to the broader wine drinking public. It’s a matter of clear messaging and consistency, and taking the product to consumers.

Kim

Once in a while, a story comes your way that you just have to share

Originally published by Brian Miller in the Adelaide Review, in November 2011

Fragrant, ethereal, unpronounceable wines winning McLaren Vale trophies? What next?

Things do not really happen in threes, unless you are selective as to when you start and stop counting, but three recent events did reinforce a revelation.

1. A Tasmanian wine won The Jimmy Watson Trophy, an award South Australia assumed it owned.
2. At The Adelaide Review’s ‘Hot 100 South Australian Wines’ there was barely a blockbuster in the room, and the event may have be renamed the Cool 100.
3. At the McLaren Vale Wine Show, crimson was the new black.

Strange days indeed. Hot ‘n heavy has been the order of the past decade. How did wines become so big? Reasons range from dire drought and global warming to new yeasts and American tastes.

Robert Parker, an imperially influential American wine writer, favoured big, bold, behemoth wines, so we obediently obliged him. As ‘Mad Men’ reminded us, the American male is historically conditioned to strong spirits, to the extent that it was once a Presidential campaign issue. When Jimmy Carter condemned the “three-martini lunch” for endangering the US economy, Gerald Ford responded that it was “the epitome of American efficiency – where else can you get an earful, a bellyful and a snootful at the same time?” Perhaps he played too much golf with Bob Hope.

With their taste-buds singed by straight gin and a whisper of vermouth, when Americans turned from the grain to the grape, small wonder they wanted wines with wallop. It may be no coincidence that the first Australian chardonnays to achieve halleluiah success in the USA were redolently reminiscent of Southern Comfort – alcohol, American oak, sugar and peaches.

But blaming America is way past its use-by-date. This year McLaren Vale imported a wine judge, the accomplished and incisive Lisa Perotti-Brown. Her ‘International Judge Trophy’ was awarded to a a perfumed steamroller – the Shingleback 2010 ‘Red Knot’ Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvèdre. This label has long been good value, but rarely regarded as the trophy type. The wine is fresh, fragrant, vibrant, stylish and seamless. At a seductive $12 a bottle it will be my house red this La Niña Summer. Lisa is American, and who does she work for? Robert Parker. The earth just shifted on its axis.

The old familiar juices – Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon – were given a noticeable nudge by newcomers that Lisa described as “more expressive grapes”.

Indeed, the varietals on the winners list read like an opera program – Fiano, Vermentino, Tannat, Touriga, Tempranillo, Tintara and Taranga. (Oops, sorry, those last two are actually wineries). All bound for the new breed of bar that only serves wines ending in “a” and “o” except for Yalumba and Orlando.

Tradition was not missing completely. The Dan Murphy Trophy was seized with all tentacles by ‘Squid Ink’ Shiraz which accurately describes itself, and the 2008 Kay Brothers Basket Pressed Shiraz took me back in time – “Smells are surer than sounds or sights to make your heart-strings crack” – Rudyard Kipling.

McLaren Vale wines were always magnificent, in the true sense of the word; their flavours were magnified – big in body and soul, extraction and reputation. Other wine regions once mocked McLaren Vale’s munificence while quietly plundering its bounty to bulk up their own weedier wines. So to see pale, delicate whites and reasonably priced reds win such accolades indicates a fresh breeze of change in the vineyard in response to nascent criticism of wines becoming too damn big.

This is an international syndrome, not just Australian. Alcohols are increasing in Argentina, Austria, Bordeaux and Beaujolais. When French winemaker Hubert Trimbach said, “These rich, thick, heavy wines are aberrant, crazy,” he was not talking about us, but his own region, Alsace, where it snows. His neighbour endorsed the concern: “The average ripeness of the grapes in Alsace has increased dramatically. Today’s best vineyards are harvested at levels that our grandfathers would only dream to have once every twenty years”. Welcome to the club.

Fresh new styles, varieties and recognition are early indicators, but not every winemaker is kowtowing to the trend, and professional research indicates that alcohol levels are not a major concern to the majority of wine buyers. When told that Chris Ringland released a $18 Barossa Shiraz boasting an alcohol of 16.8%, one friend’s response was, “And the problem is?” Perception plays a part. When a wine is well made, subtly oaked and in balance, you don’t notice the kick, and wine should be made from ripe grapes. Alcohol emerges from grape sugar, and you can’t just keep picking earlier each vintage, or you end up in Verjuice territory and last New Year celebrations. If wine is expected to be an expression of place – le nouveau cliché – then climate is a part of that place.

To oversimplify a complex equation, the 2008 vintage was a bit hot and 2011 was a lot wet. But the best of the 2009 and 2010 inbetweeners are blossoming. More wines today are made to be enjoyed immediately, are released young and are drunk yesterday. Few of us now age wines for ages. The impressive contents of your long established, hard-dug cellar will reach optimum drinking just as your doctor, liver, bank manager or Pilates-prone second wife urge you to ease up. Even if you are still fit to fight, as your wines mature from too-young-to-drink to too-old-to-drink, over that same period, your tastes will have changed beyond earlier recognition. Australians who once pilloried Pinot for being to pale are now propounding it. Not only because their palates have lightened but because Pinot Noir has darkened. They met in the middle. Wines change and we change with the wines.

And the Tasmanian wine that won that Jimmy Watson Trophy? For local reassurance, the winemaker is South Australian. Nick Glaetzer. He is hoping things do happen in threes.

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About Brian Miller

Brian Miller is a past president of The Wine Service Guild of Australia, council member of the Society of Wine Education, marketing manager for small, medium and large wine companies and an award-winning public speaker. He lectures and writes occasionally, eccentrically and erratically on wine matters, wine marketing and wine culture.

The Stakes for Cellaring Classy Reds have been Raised

‘Later picking – sometimes even after the Sauternes harvest in October – was becoming more common,’ Professor Denis Dubourdieu told Decanter a couple of years ago. He added: ‘There is a race towards concentration, to please many critics . . .  ‘I have been a consultant for 30 years; I have spent the first 20 years telling people not to harvest too early; in the last 10 years I have told them not to harvest too late.’ More Here.

Bordeaux greats past their prime at 10 years of age?

I’ve expressed my distaste for super-ripe, high-alcohol reds before in Aussie Reds – so much alcohol, so little finesse, but the focus of this piece is on the cellaring potential of this style. In a recent Decanter article, Jane Anson talks about ‘a wine crisis hiding in plain sight,’ as she reports on a tasting of Bordeaux classed growths from the 2003 vintage. ‘Even among the biggest names there were bottles that were showing tired fruit, flabby structure and were generally past their prime,’ she writes, ‘all signs of oxidative destruction that is not expected at such an early stage in the life cycle of fine red wine.’

2003 experienced unusual heat during the growing season, but 2009 and 2010 also produced very ripe, high-alcohol reds in Bordeaux. Many are 14.5 and even 15%, and these are often wines Robert Parker rates at a perfect 100. Some say Parker has a lot to answer for, since he’s used his enormous influence to promote monster wines. Others say winemakers didn’t have to follow Parker.

Precedent: Premature Oxidation in White Burgundies

Some winemakers haven’t, but most have in order to shift their expensive bottles. Denis Dubourdieu was one of the team that led a groundbreaking study into premature oxidation in white Burgundy wine in the early 2000s. He told Jane Anson that nobody wanted to talk about it when it was first discovered, and adds: ‘I believe there is a similar scandal with red wine, and that in 10 years’ time it will be just as explosive as the one affecting white Burgundy has been. And it’s not limited to one region but all red wines that are expected to be aged for long periods of time – so Barolo, Napa, Bordeaux, the Rhône, Burgundy and others – are in danger of ignoring this threat.’

The premox issue in white Burgundy was most obvious in wines from the 1996, 1999 and 2002 vintages, and reasons given ranged from changes in winemaking techniques to faulty corks to global warming. The real reasons still elude the experts but more remarkable is the observation by some in the trade that these wines can perform a Jekyll & Hide change in the glass in front of you. That smacks of Burgundian propaganda designed to keep you buying their even more expensive bottles …

The blush of youth hides many faults

With reds, the problem is much broader than Bordeaux. If you’ve drunk Cote-du-Rhone over the years, you might recall that this was a light red style in the same weight class as Beaujolais. Now you’re likely to get a 14.5% heavyweight that has lost the spice and fragrance this style once offered in abundance. Aussie reds have followed the same trend, of course. The question is: what will they look like after a decade in the cellar?

No one in the wine business would argue that it’s easy to assess the cellaring potential of wines, and young reds can be especially tough because there’s a lot going on that can cloud your faculties. In addition, wines can change in unexpected ways over 10 – 20 years in the cellar: you can end up with a tannic monster with all the fruit dried out, or you might have a perfectly balanced wine. The only thing we’re sure about is this: if a wine is out of balance in its youth, time in the cellar will not fix it.

Reds are more complex

Old style Aussie reds were dense young things with subdued fruit and a fair whack of acid and tannin. New style reds are richer, ripe and softer, with much less acid and tannin. That makes them easier to like when they’re young, but it doesn’t make them good cellaring propositions. The Kalleske Moppa Shiraz 2010 we had last night was barely 5 years old and ready to drink, no point keeping it. An Evans & Tate Metricup Road Cabernet Merlot 2009 we opened a few days before would’ve been better a couple of years ago. A Wendouree Cabernet Malbec  1993 we drank a month ago was a Peter Pan of a wine, and I wouldn’t hazard a guess how much longer it will take to grow up.

Bordeaux’s grand vins are collected and bought and sold over many years, and are expected to improve for a couple of decades or more. They need a pretty solid backbone to do that, but you won’t find that in most super-ripe reds. Sugar and acid are like a push-me, pull-you: when one goes up, the other goes down.

In Bordeaux, Merlot has grown in popularity because it ripens earlier and adds a soft side to the stern Cabernet. Didier Cuvelier, owner of Chateau Leoville Poyferre in St Julien, told Decanter that the Merlot these days was ‘so high in alcohol that we run the risk of losing the Bordeaux style.’ Consultant Jean Claude Berrouet, formerly at Petrus, says in his 40-year career he has seen alcohol rise between 2 and 2.5 degrees [in red Bordeaux].

What happens inside the factory?

Inside the grape, in this case. The sugar level determines the alcohol and natural acidity of a wine. Phenolics determine a wine’s colour and flavour compounds, and its grape tannins. Sugar and phenolics advance along different maturing curves: in hot climates like ours, phenolic ripeness tends to lag behind sugar ripeness. In cold climates like Germany’s, it’s the other way round. In perfect climates, the two curves intersect for perfect physiological maturity.

In a year such as 2003 in Bordeaux, the weather got so hot that that many of the vines simply shut down. That meant phenolic ripeness was lagging behind the sugar levels which had already shot up, and this made physiological maturity difficult to achieve. The resulting reds will show characters ranging from stewed prunes to dried figs.

3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione

We first encountered the stewed prunes character in Lindeman’s reds from Coonawarra. In a piece called The Puzzling Problem of Premox, Tyler Coleman refers to a 2008 study by Alexandre Pons et al which identified the compound responsible for an ‘intense off-flavour reminiscent of prunes’ in prematurely aged red wines as 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione, or MND for short. There you go.

In a young red, this character can be quite seductive, and I remember being the odd man out (with one exception) in a group of seasoned tasters who all loved the wine – a Rouge Homme 1980, from memory. Tasting the same wine again with the same group some years later was a sweet kind of revenge, as they turned up their noses at the very obvious stewed prunes character.

pH – the bottom Line

Changes in winemaking also play their part, most of all the micro-oxygenation now used widely to soften the wine and to heighten the fruit expression. Even when this is done under strictly controlled conditions, the practice allows the wine to come into contact with more oxygen. Not so long ago, winemakers used to do everything in their power to prevent that. It comes back to pH in the end, and I thought it would be interesting to check these values in the Bordeaux reds of 2009 and 2010.

The Wine Cellar Insider reviews a bunch of 2009 Bordeaux reds here, and writes: ‘While it’s high in alcohol (14.2%), it has no sensation of heat. Another interesting statistic … is that the 2009 Haut Brion shows a high pH level, 3.9, yet the wine displays ample freshness.’ This is what I mean by the blush of youth masking long term issues: ideally the pH of the grand vin should be between 3.2 and 3.6, and the alcohol less than 14.2.

One of the first oenologists in the world to recognise the importance of pH for wine quality and for prevention of bacterial spoilage was Alan Hickinbotham (he ran the first oenology course at Roseworthy college). Ray Beckwith studied at Roseworthy and joined Penfolds in 1935, where he pioneered practices that solved a lot of spoilage problems that dogged Penfolds at the time. Ray became the guy in the lab Max Schubert relied on when making the early Granges.  More in Max Schubert, Ray Beckwith and the Making of Penfolds.

As I show in the piece on big Aussie Reds, Grange and St Henri used to be around 13% alcohol or less until the 1980s, when others took over wine making from Max Schubert. It wasn’t just Penfolds: between 1984 and 2004, average alcohol levels in Aussie red wines rose from approximately 12.3% by volume to 13.9%, and they haven’t stopped going up yet. So how well are these big reds going to cellar?

Kim

This is our short selection of greatest hits, the best of the best. Almost all the wines are still available.

Sparkling Wines

Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvée Blanc de Blancs 2010—$20 at jackswine. It’s $138 for a 6-pack, but you get a $20 voucher for joining the mailing list. These guys are in Ballarat, I talked to them – they’re really helpful. This wine beat every other Australian sparkling wine at the inaugural 2014 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in the UK, including heavyweights from the House of Arras. More details here. Be quick.

Hanging Rock Rosé Brut NV – $25 at Cloudwine. John Ellis makes some of our best bubblies over there at Macedon, but they’re usually out our price range. This is a serious Rosé Brut, not the usual pink fluff.

Bundaleer Sparkling Shiraz – $17 at MyCellars. A fabulous wine from a small boutique in the Southern Flinders ranges that offers more depth of flavour than most of the fruit bombs that dominate this category. Remember, MyCellars delivers any quantity of bottles for free to BWU$20 subscribers – promo code BWU20.

Riesling

Leo Buring Clare Valley 2013 – $15 at Kemenys. More fruit than usual for this style but dry with terrific vitality and poise. One of the last cracker 2013 Riesling out there.

Frogmore Creek Riesling 2013 – $19 at Dan M’s. Fine as Dresden China.

Barwang Grantite Track Tumbarumba Riesling 2013 – $14 at MyCellar. This is a $30 wine with a big reputation from the high country in New South Wales. Off-dry style, be warned.

Semillon

Mount Pleasant Cellar Release Elizabeth Semillon 2007 – $12 at Our Cellar. Not our style but Huon H gives this 95 points, which makes it the bargain of the year if you like old Mt Pleasant Lizzies.

Thomas Braemore Semillon 2014 – $24 at MyCellars. 97 Points & Special Value Wine & Top 100 Wines of 2014 James Halliday; ‘masterpiece of finesse’ – 96 Points Huon Hooke; ‘Cracking wine. Cracking value’ – 95 Points Campbell Mattinson.

Sauvignon Blanc and blends

Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – $13 at WSD. For less than the bulk Kiwi savvies, you can buy the genuine article. A great next step for those who’re tiring of the lollywater and acid Marlborough style.

Rosily Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2014 – $20 at the winery . A real sleeper this one, and built to last. We discovered this winery on a recent trip, and all their wines are too cheap for the quality drinking. they offer.

Cullen Mangan Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2013 – $25 at Wineboxwarehouse. The wines made by Vanya Cullen don’t need my endorsement. They rarely come into our price orbait but this one just touches.

Pinot Gris

Ninth Island Pinot Grigio 2013 – $15 at Wineonline.  A very fine PG with notes of pears and honey, has wonderful balance. Great with pork dishes.

Montalto Pennon Hill Pinot Grigio 2013 – $20 at Kemenys. This ‘cheaper label’ from Montalto on the Mornington Peninsula delivers a PG with real finesse. This snuck up on us and just got better and better. Class act, bargain.

Chardonnay

Louis Latour Macon Lugny ‘Les Genievres’ 2012 – $23 at OurCellar. A real taste of white Burgundy here, even if it comes from the fringes of the appellation. Less fruity and more savoury than most of our Chardies, and bit more restrained in the European manner but with plenty of polish, and  will get better given a year or three.

Paxton Wild Yeast Chardonnay 2012 – $24 at Wineonline (30% off sale) one of the best Chardies we’ve tasted in 2014. Lovey complexity, with nothing overdone.

Other Whites

Yalumba Eden Valley Roussanne 2013 – $17 at Wineonline. This is a cracker, choc-full of flavours ranging from stone fruits to almonds. Great food wine, will fill out with another year.

Massena ‘The Surly Muse’ Viognier 2013 – $14 at Winedirect (30% off sale). Makes fine music with the typical honeysuckle and apricot notes and a polished score. Not the most complex wine but great drinking at this price.

Pipers Brook Estate Gewürztraminer 2013 – $22.50 at Trio Wine. A real tour de force – enough flavour here to make Alsactian winemakers weep. Held together by tight Tassie line and length. Benchmark Gewürz at a giveaway price.

Rosé

Angoves 9 vines Rosé 2014 – $12 at Dan M’s. Made from early-picked Grenache and Shiraz. Haven’t tried this but Angoves claims it’s the most awarded Rose in Oz, and Halliday it’s one of the most reliable Rosies and gives it 92 points.

Turkey Flat Rosé 2014 – $13 at Winedirect (during 30% off sale). The most popular Rose in Oz. Pale pink in colour and with just a lick of sweetness, vibrant red fruit and spicy aromatics, a plush, almost creamy palate.

Pinot Noir

Saint Clair Pinot Noir 2013 – $18 at Dan M’s. From Marlborough, NZ. Dark cherries with a touch of forest floor, bright and clear style. A real crowd pleaser and a good example of the charms of Pinot Noir.

Red Claw Pinot Noir 2013 – $22 at Kemenys. Made by the geniuses at Yabby Lake on the Mornington Peninsula. Serious Pinot – good colour, good body, depth and varietal definition.

Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 – $22 at Dan M’s. Fuller, more intense style, great example of Otago Pinot at a sharp price.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Hidden Label Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 – $13 at Kemenys. This is Franklin Tate Alexander’s vineyard Cabernet from Margaret River, rich, soft and seductive, cassis and blackberry wrapped in velvet. It’s over $20 under its real label.

Flint’s of Coonawarra Gammon’s Crossing Cabernet Sauvignon 2012- $17.50 at Winedirect (after 30% off). A Coonawarra Cabernet in the older, more elegant style from a small maker.

Xanadu DJL Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 – $20 at Wineboxwarehouse. DJL is short for Dr John Lagan who planted the first vines at Xanadu in 1977. Classic dusty Margaret River Cabernet in the elegant understated Xanadu style. Not complex but plenty of easy charm. Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon at National Wine Show 2014.

Cabernet Merlot

Amberley Secret Lane Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $11 at OurCellar. Seductive, ripe and plush Cab Merlot that’s won lots of bling. Ridiculous value, shows that Margaret River is now producing a lot more Cabernet Merlot than it can sell.

Woodlands Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $22 at Winestar. Class act from one of Margaret River’s top wineries.

Rosily Vineyard the Cartographer 2010 – $23 at the winery. A wonderful Margaret River Bordeaux blend, smooth and elegant. Cabernet Sauvignon 49%, Cabernet Franc 27%, Merlot 21%, Petit Verdot 3%, all in perfect harmony here. Ready to enjoy.

Shiraz

Partisan McLaren Vale Shiraz 2012 – $11 at Winedirect (after 30% discount). Another super bargain, classic generous McLaren Vale Shiraz from a great year, 93 points from the Winefront, 92 from us.

Moppity Lock & Key Reserve Shiraz – $19 at Winemakers Choice. Serious Shiraz but already enjoyable. Combines the generosity of Barossa Shiraz with cool climate discipline. 6 golds.

Shiraz Blends

Harem ‘Layla’ Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2012 – $12 at Glug. She’s a rich and generous woman with a soft core. And she’s not expensive.

Pondalowie Vineyards Vineyard Blend 2012 – $20 at Cloudwine. Blend of Shiraz, Cabernet and Tempranillo from a boutique in Bendigo, this is a vibrant red with opulent flavor and dark berry fruits and soft, polished tannins. Absolute steal.

SC Pannell Tempranillo Touriga 2013 – $22 at MyCellars. Another winner from Steve Pannell in McLaren Vale. Haven’t tried this vintage but the 2013 has won 4 trophies and gained big raves from reliable sources.

Other Reds

Massena Mataro 2013 – $17.50 at Winedirect (after 30% discount). Rich, ripe and seductive, and fruit-driven so we can see Mataro in its purest form.

Purple Hands Wines Old Vine Grenache 2013 – $17.50 at Winedirect (after 30% off)

Villacampa Ribera Del Duero Tempranillo 2012 -$20 at Winesellersdirect. Ribera Del Duero in northern Spain is famous for producing rich and complex wines, and this wine shows why: this is not your lightweight bistro style but the real thing: a brooding wine of many layers, but never heavy.

Pico Maccario Lavignone Barbera D’Asti DOCG 2013 – $23 at Cloudwine. This sleek Italian beauty has all the breeding of a Melbourne Cup winner, and the glossy looks. 9 out of 10 on the CPR scale.

Dessert Wines

De Bortoli Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon 2009 375mL – $10.50 at Dan M’s. This is a little less rich than the 2008 but has more finesse and length, and will fill out given time. Incredible value.

2012 Heggies Eden Valley Botrytis Riesling – $18 at Sixty Darling Street – 02 9818 307 – sales@wineroom.com.au. Wonderful sticky, won the trophy for the best Aussie Riesling at the 2014 Canberra International Riesling competition. Great price.

Yalumba FSW 8B Botrytis Viognier 2012 375ml – $25 at Dan M’s. For those of you like to explore the exotica: a rare Viognier sticky made from Wrattonbully fruit. Haven’t tried it but the reliable Huon Hooke gives it 95 points and a big rave.

Seppeltsfield DP57 Grand Tokay 500ml – $28 at Kemenys. There’s nothing like this made anywhere else in the world. Perfect with the Christmas pudding, ridiculous bargain.