Stunning white
Vinaceous 2014 Impavido Vermentino
Keep an eye out for the colourful wines under the Vinaceous label – you can’t miss them on the bottle shop shelves; they have a vintage circus label theme. All four 2014 whites (there are also a chardonnay, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc) are bright and vibrant but this stole the show for me; a lively, fun wine made from the Italian grape vermentino. It is aromatic, clean and crisp and very easy to drink. My bottle was empty before I knew it. $22
Pinot pleasure
Paper Road 2014 Pinot Noir by Paddy Borthwick
You’ll struggle to find a better easy drinking pinot noir than this from Paddy Borthwick in New Zealand’s Wairarapa region. This is fresh, juicy, brambly and slurpable. It is fruit-driven and designed to be drunk young and I doubt you’ll find a better wine in the same style in this price bracket. With its bright, lively red and black fruit flavours (think lush cranberries) and silky soft finish, it is an absolute steal. $25.
Super chardy
Alkoomi 2014 Frankland River Chardonnay
This is a delicious chardonnay from Frankland River in the deep south-west of Western Australia that massively over-delivers in terms of quality. It is not a complex wine, but it offers a lot of pleasure for not a whole lot of cash with a melange of stone fruit and citrus flavours that make it perfect for enjoying on a hot summer days, maybe with a picnic or a seafood salad. Also a great choice for taking to a dinner party. $16.
