Enjoy some excellent everyday drinking as summer turns towards autumn. Winsor Dobbin has some suggestions.
Australian classic
Mount Horrocks 2020 Watervale Riesling
Vintage after vintage, Stephanie Toole from Mount Horrocks produces one of the best dry rieslings from the Clare Valley in South Australia. The 2020 lives up to expectations with great citrus flavours, brilliant acid on the finish and terrific length. This is a perfect after-work refresher, or alternatively an excellent partner for Thai or Chinese dishes. Intense, stylish, minerally and exceptionally good value for $35.
Flashy pink
De Bortoli NV Prosecco Rosé
With prosecco styles having taken the world by storm and rosés on a never-ending upward curve, this brings together two of Australia’s most popular wine styles with prosecco from the King Valley in Victoria having been blended with a touch of pinot noir. As the label suggests, this is a fun wine, perfect for a party, pale and lively with fresh strawberry flavours to the fore. Chill, chill out, enjoy. $18.
Bellarine belle
Marcus Hill 2018 Pinot Noir
I have recently sampled a range of wines from Marcus Hill, on the Bellarine Peninsula outside of Geelong, and they are well worth trying should you get the chance. This was hand-picked, wild fermented and matured in French oak barrels. Unfined and minimal filtration – and the end result is savoury pinot deliciousness with red fruits and earthiness. Marcus Hill, by the way, is a place, not a person. This would be $15 more expensive if it came from the Yarra or Mornington. $34.
Serious refreshment By Merrill 2019 Georgie May Chardonnay
Veteran McLaren Vale winemaker Geoff Merrill is best known for producing potentially long-lived red wines that are often not released until after several years in the cellar. The Gaggle by Merrill, his new range, is a complete departure from that formbook – comprised of young, fresh wines made for immediate enjoyment. Look for the label featuring a goose representing a Merrill family member. This is unoaked and seriously quaffable. $25.
See Winsor’s work at www.gourmetontheroad.com.