SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
From premium Australian wines for special occasions to midweek treats, wine writer Winsor Dobbin chooses some bottles from lesser-known producers that are worth trying.
Cheap and cheerful
Nericon 2021 Reserve Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Where is Nericon? Outside Beelbangera. Where is Beelbangera? Outside Griffith. Why should you care? Because this label from Italian-accented DeeVine Wines offers a range of impressive everyday drinking wines at particularly good prices. Several in the range shone, but I did particularly enjoy this mature offering with its dark cassis notes, elegant structure, and subtle oak. Pair with a gourmet burger, veggie if you like, for a midweek taste treat. $16.
Barossa beauty
Chaffey Bros. 2025 Not Your Grandma’s Rosé
This is one of the best-value rosés in Australia, a pale and seriously structured wine that is a million miles away from the liquid fairy floss style that used to dominate the category. It is a fresh, food friendly dry roséthat is extremely easy to drink and offers a panoply of textures and summer pudding flavours on the palate. A blend of traditional Rhone Valley (and Barossa) red grapes grenache and mourvedre, it is an ideal wine for lunch, or maybe supper, that should be enjoyed chilled. $25.
Spanish accent
Renzaglia 2025 Tempranillo Grenache
This is an Australian riff on a classic Spanish red blend of tempranillo and Garnacha, which we call grenache. It is a blend of 88% tempranillo from Mudgee and 12% grenache from the Renzaglia family vineyard on the banks of the Macquarie River in the Wambuul Valley. Around 20% was aged in new Hungarian oak barrels, but it is the vibrant fruit that shines here, along with some savoury/deli hints on the palate. Made in small quantities but worth seeking out and pairing with chilli con carne, or a tortilla de patatas. $39.
Tasmanian treat
Sailor Seeks Horse 2024 Chardonnay
Cool-climate chardonnays from Tasmania are very much in vogue right now – and this one comes from one of the coolest vineyards in Tasmania – in the southern Huon Valley. Paul and Gilli Lipscombe have built a formidable reputation for quality since taking over a deserted and overgrown vineyard a decade and a half ago and have attracted international attention for the quality of wines like this sleek, crisp, energetic wine with a nifty combo of citrus and stone fruit flavours and astutely judged French oak. Worth a splurge for Burgundy lovers. Try Annandale Cellars. $81.
New venture
Bellvale 2025 Pinot Noir
This is the star wine in a new range from the Gjergja family, who own Port Phillip Estate and Kooyong. The family purchased the Bellvale vineyard in South Gippsland last year and the wines are now made by Tim Perrin and the Port Phillip Estate team. The high-density vineyard has produced some cracking fruit. Here, indigenous yeasts, wild ferment, a range of oak regimes and malo have produced an impressively varietal pinot with immediate appeal. Pair with Chinese roast duck. Bellvale is distributed by Negociants. $39.
Bargain Buy
Ask The Elephant 2025 ‘Zingy’ Sauvignon Blanc
A lot of wine drinkers don’t care about clones, terroir, vintage variations, or provenance. They just want a good drink that they know will pair well with their roast chicken, Enter Ask The Elephant, the new sub-brand from the popular Elephant In The Room label made by Newcastle-based Fourth Wave Wines. The pitch is aimed firmly at those who just want a good drink for their hard-earned cash. This is a decent sauvignon blanc that tastes like sauvignon bland, is crisp, fresh, and affordable. $10.
See more of Winsor’s wine news and reviews at www.gourmetontheroad.com
