Yering Station Yarra Valley Village Chardonnay 2012 $25 Sauvignon blanc remains Australia’s most consumed white wine. But Australian vignerons make only about a quarter as much sauvignon as they do chardonnay, which remains by far our number one homegrown white variety. Australian wineries take in around 400 thousand tonnes a year of chardonnay grapes, equivalent … Continue reading Wine review – Yering Station, Campbells of Rutherglen, and Smith and Hooper →

Majella Coonawarra Sparkling Shiraz 2008 $30–$35 At the 2014 Limestone Coast Wine Show, Chinese judge Fongyee Walker awarded her International Judge’s Trophy to Majella sparkling shiraz. ABC Rural quoted Ms Walker, “It is the one wine of the whole set [of 418 wines] that I could safely give to every single person in China and … Continue reading Wine review – Majella, Oxford Landing Estates and Peter Lehmann →

Hardys Chronicles Twice Lost Langhorne Creek Pinot Grigio 2014 $16 During the nineties our major companies, and some private investors, planted broad acres of vines at Langhorne Creek to feed the wine-export boom then underway. With ample water, a warm climate, tempered by nearby Lake Alexandrina, the area produced healthy yields of high quality fruit … Continue reading Wine review – Hardys, Tim Smith and Mount Horrocks →

Long Rail Gully Shiraz $25 Long Rail Gully Vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW Canberra winemakers became excited about the local 2013 shiraz even before the ferments began. Now the wines are rolling out, and they’re exciting. Ravensworth, reviewed a few months back, Nick O’Leary’s trophy winner and now Long Rail Gully and Clonakilla all show … Continue reading Wine review – Long Rail Gully, Clonakilla, Majella, La Maschera and Helm →

Heggies Vineyard Eden Valley Chardonnay 2012 $21.85–$$30 The Eden Valley sits on the Mount Lofty Ranges and forms the eastern boundary of the Barossa region. Although the best chardonnays now come from further south on the ranges, in the cooler Adelaide Hills, Heggies Eden Valley vineyard consistently produces an exciting chardonnay at a fair price. … Continue reading Wine review – Heggies, Larry Cherubino and Wirra Wirra →

Parish Vineyard Riesling 2013 $25–$29 Parish vineyard, Coal River Valley, Tasmania In 2012 Yalumba proprietor, Robert Hill-Smith, bought Frogmore Creek vineyard in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. “Hiding among the rather large plantings of chardonnay and pinot noir”, writes winemaker Louisa Rose, “was an irresistible temptation to work with” – a three-hectare block of riesling, the … Continue reading Wine review – Parish Vineyard, Shotfire, Logan, Stoneleigh, Peter Lehmann and Bodegas Castro Martin →

Penfolds Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2012 $32–37 Barossa Valley, South Australia After the skinny 2011 vintage, Penfolds Bin 138 returns to fleshy, juicy form in 2012. Though cooler than normal, the vintage provided sufficient heat to ripen the grapes fully – at the same delivering bold, heady, fruity aromas. The proportions of each variety … Continue reading Wine review – Penfolds, Ross Hill, Mawson’s, Andrew Thomas, Angullong and Kirrihill →

Turkey Flat Butchers Block Barossa Valley White 2013 $20–$22 The Rhone varieties marsanne, viognier and roussanne seem well suited to the warm, dry Barossa Valley, producing in 2013 a notably fleshier Turkey Flat blend than the also loveable 2012. The wine offers texture and savouriness, with underlying apricot-like flavours typical of warm-grown viognier. Christie Schulz … Continue reading Wine review – Turkey Flat, Mawson’s and Printhie →

The Winesmiths South Australia Chardonnay 2-litre cask $18.99 In July, Samuel Smith and Son, an arm of Robert Hill Smith’s Yalumba group, launched this new upmarket range of wine casks – pinot grigio, chardonnay, tempranillo and shiraz. The cask, made from a claimed 75 per cent recyclable goods and 13 per cent the carbon footprint … Continue reading Wine review — The Winesmiths, Mad Fish and Dopff au Moulin →

Redbank The Long Paddock Victoria Shiraz 2012 $9.50–$13 Redbank won’t reveal exactly which parts of Victoria this attractive blend comes from. But even at the price, there’s no doubting it includes very good material from high-quality producing regions. Its fragrant, ripe and supple, with medium body and spicy, peppery notes derived from cool climate components … Continue reading Wine review — Redbank, Turkey Flat and Brookland Valley →