The world of wine can be a bit scary and a bit (or a lot) snobby, but you don't have to be an expert to slosh a bit of grape juice around your cup.
Here's some no-fuss stuff for for enthusiastic enjoyment. You can leave the Oxford Companion to Wine on the bookshelf for these: crowd pleasing vino that won't break the bank or bend the mind.
Voyager Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Margaret River, WA - 2021
Bright, crisp, fresh fizz with mouth-watering acidity. Creamy, waxy, and moussey mouthfeel in perfect step with the zip and tension of the acid making the wine feel complete.
Smell and taste lemon zest, lemon curd, green apples, grapefruit, apricot. Some leesy pastry aromas give the wine an element of depth and complexity.
Very fun, un-serious sparkling made in the traditional method for truly any occasion. Will sit happily at the dinner table for all courses (don’t relegate your fizz to the opening act alone; sparkling works great mid course because the bubbles and acid kind of clean and reset your palate), on the couch with takeout, or by the BBQ while you tend to a couple of snags.
An uber-classic Margaret River winery trying something new and knocking it out of the park.
Tomfoolery Fox Whistle Pinot Gris | 2021
Pinot Gris with a refreshing acid backbone that gives it energy and zeal.
Smell and taste lemons, limes, nashi pear. A juicy, generous example of Pinot Gris.
Picked at night, cold settled, fermented in steel vats – the winemaking had fruit freshness and acid retention at the fore and it shines through in this smart, versatile wine.
Rieslingfreak #4, Eden Valley, SA - 2021
Really classic Eden Valley Riesling from John Hughes - a certified Riesling Guru.
Dry with intensely focused, borderline searing acidity. Green apple, nectarine, and fresh citrus flavours; lemons, limes, grapefruit. Pretty accents of white florals, kiwi fuzz, and slatey minerality.
Beautifully structured, concentrated Riesling.
Bondar Rose, McLaren Vale, SA - 2021
Bright, youthful rose made from Grenache grapes.
Fresh and aromatic; smell and taste red apples, strawberries, peaches, oranges, tangerines. Dry and grippy on the palate - brilliant rose built for right-now consumption.
La Prova Nero d'Avola, McLaren Vale, SA - 2020
Weighty, powerful, juicy, and complex.
Smell and taste ripe red fruits – currents, cassis, raspberry – vanilla, sarsaparilla, cherry coke, fennel, and aniseed. There is a confectionary herbal/aniseed/chocolate note as well, like those ‘chico baby’ lollies you coveted as a child.
The warmth of the vineyard (in McLaren Flat) gives generosity and fullness to the palate, but the wine has acid and freshness so it doesn’t get bogged down in any stewed or over ripe fruit flavours.
Drink with big flavours (meaning skip it with fish, really) – good for BBQ, red pastas, pizza, braised lamb... you get the idea.
Pandolfa Frederico Sangiovese Emilia-Romagna, ITA 2020
Sour cherries, dark plum, ripe red currants.
A wonderful 'anytime' wine; it's knock-about and unfussy. It's not so big and robust that you can't have it on it's own, but it's certainly not wussy, either. Will sit happily next to you while you prod and poke at a few snags on the BBQ one late afternoon. It's intriguing and multi-dimensional, but at the same time as unfussy and as broadly appealing as a wine can be.
Classic Sangiovese acid; bright and piercing, but dragging ripe red fruit along with it. Liquorice, earth, dusty raspberries. Whiff of tobacco and cedar.
The absolute perfect wine to drag out of the cellar when the neighbours drop in unannounced (if you like your neighbours, that is), and worth having a few on hand or just such an occasion.