Rough Cheat Sheet for Blind Tastings

It’s called rough because it covers the basic wine styles and varieties in Australia. Many of our wines deviate from this style guide – Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the worst at present, followed by Sauvignon Blanc. Also bear in mind that the characteristics of most wines change depending on where they’re made; this rough guide focuses on these varieties made in Australia. Please check our slightly less rough guide to Winestyles and Varieties as well.

	WHITE WINES
Riesling	limes, talc, hints of minerals intense lime fruit on the palate long line of fine acid, bone dry finish	In Australia, off-dry styles are identified as such
Chardonnay	Nose shows hints of oak Full, round, mouth-filling White peaches, cashews, almond meal, oak	The ‘Twiggy’ style is more about grapefruit
Semillon	Nose: straw, grass, citrus, green vegetables sharp notes of unripe lemon and green apples austere, bone-dry, searing acid when young	Some makers retain sugar to mask the acid
Sauvignon Blanc	Nose: gooseberries, lantana, freshly cut grass and cats’ pee tangy, fresh, zesty herbaceous flavours straight line of long acid	cheaper versions tend toward passionfruit
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc	most of the same characters but more subdued more depth of flavour and body better structure, more complexity
Pinot Gris	nose of ripe pears & apples, hints of ginger full ripe fruit on the palate some residual sugar, not sweet but not bone-dry	There’s no consistency of style in PG
Pinot Grigio	Very light colour and shy nose Early picked, restrained, lively acid, dry Fruit subdued, hints of peaches, apples
Marsanne	Very shy nose. Faint honeysuckle blunt wines of neutral flavour when young honey and mead when mature
Roussanne	pungent aroma of flowers, peaches and herbs big bodied, peaches or pears, roasted nuts, pepper can be a blunt, dry style too, so it’s a tricky variety
Viognier	Nose suggests apricot kernels and flowers Taste is much the same, add peaches in riper wines Quite strong flavours bordering on broad

	RED VARIETIES
Cabernet Sauvignon	Nose: blackberries, black currants and cassis hints of vanilla and pencil shavings Cool dark/ blue fruits, cedar, cool taste; bigger Cabernets can show chocolate and coffee Long with fine acid and fine-grained tannins	The trend to riper wines has made Cabernets harder to identify
Cabernet Franc	More floral aromas on the nose blackberry, cassis, dried herbs. Cool, fine palate, lighter & less complex than Cabernet Sauvignon Cool, long finish with very fine tannins	Usually blended with CS, rarely seen on its own in Australia
Merlot	Nose: ripe, plush fruit in the plum spectrum Ripe cherries and plums, some green herbs Soft, velvet smoothness, low acid and tannin
Pinot Noir	Nose: Raspberries and cherries and a savoury edge of forest floor, rotting twigs and dank leaves. Same on the palate. Lean and acid backbone. Should have a silky quality, light but beguiling.
Shiraz	Nose of ripe, warm fruit and spice, black pepper Can range from red and black cherries to Christmas Pudding, dark chocolate, smoked meat and alcohol heat. Tar and leather nuances develop with age.	The style varies dramatically depending on origin and maker
Grenache Noir	semi-translucent colour, not unlike Pinot Noir Nose: sweet fruit, raspberries and cherries More of the same plus dried herbs and tobacco, full flavoured, sweet and silky and seductive
Mourvèdre (Mataro)	Dense, dark colour, full-bodied Violets, dry herbs, black pepper Dense, dark fruit, meaty, gamey & earthy notes, tannin
Malbec	Dense, dark colour Nose: Ripe plums and red berries Ripe fruit flavours and smoky finish, soft, easy-drinking
GSM	Tough to describe since it depends on the blend. As a rule, Shiraz and Grenache dominate, so it tends to be the warm spicy, peppery characters combined with the sweet fruit of the Grenache
Tempranillo	Deep, dark red colour Very shy nose prunes, chocolate and tobacco, modest acid & tannins
Sangiovese	medium red colour cherries and tomatoes, and earthy notes, savoury dark stone fruit and cherries, tomato leaf, dried herbs, roasted Pepper, tobacco, high tannin
Nebiolo	from roses and violets to cold tea berries, mint, tobacco, tar, chocolate, medium weight high acid and tannin levels

Kim

Eddy B

You’re on a desert island with a pallet of best Australian reds of this century and you have to pick one other red wine drinker to join you. I would pick whoever wrote this guide. As over 50% of the wines will be Shiraz and this person obviously has a set against it, possibly because they cannot taste the mint and eucalypt in Cab Sav. Plus the guide should say something about the effect of oak.
- Best Wines Under $20
  
  I do prefer Caberents as a rule but we had a superb Shiraz on the weekend – Hardys HRB/D641 Shiraz 2007. Thanks for reminding me about oak.

WHITE WINES

RED VARIETIES