Our top drinks for the month, including pinot noir, gamay, cider, shiraz and more.
2012 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Clisson”, Domaine de la Pépière, France, $42
2012 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Clisson”, Domaine de la Pépière, France, $42
It’s hard to imagine a better wine for oysters. Imagine you’ve just swallowed a big fat, briny Sydney rock – now take a mouthful of this crisp, precise white and let its focused, lemon-juicy freshness clean your mouth, ready for another oyster.
2014 The Wanderer Chenin Blanc, Yarra Valley, Vic, $25
2014 The Wanderer Chenin Blanc, Yarra Valley, Vic, $25
Chenin blanc is such an underrated grape: in the right spot (such as the mature dry-grown vineyard where this wine is from) and in the right hands (Andrew Marks), it can make wonderfully savoury, spiced apple-scented white wine.
2012 Stonier “Windmill” Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, Vic, $65
2012 Stonier “Windmill” Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, Vic, $65
If you want to show someone that pinot doesn’t need to be dark to be packed with flavour, pour a glass of this brick-red amalgam of sappy berries, dusty undergrowth and hedgerow succulence. stonier.com.au
2014 Sassafras Gamay Ancestral, Tumbarumba, NSW, $24
2014 Sassafras Gamay Ancestral, Tumbarumba, NSW, $24
Unusual début release for a new Canberra-based producer, made using grapes from the chilly high-country of Tumbarumba. Pale-pink gamay juice, ferment finished in the bottle results in a cloudy, slightly rustic, rosehippy sparkling rosé.
2014 Adelina Nebbiolo Rosé, Adelaide Hills, SA, $40
2014 Adelina Nebbiolo Rosé, Adelaide Hills, SA, $40
Adelina is based in Clare and its main wines are shiraz and grenache, but I also like their Italian varietals – arneis and nebbiolo – from a vineyard in the Adelaide Hills, including this elegant, dry rosé.
2015 Bress Cider, Harcourt, Vic, $24
2015 Bress Cider, Harcourt, Vic, $24
The first Bress cider to be made from 100 per cent cider apples (Sweet Alford, Kingston Black, Bulmers Norman, et al), this has a lovely fruity apple-blossom perfume, medium-bodied bittersweet apple taste and a tangy, refreshing finish.
2012 Grey Sands Pinot Gris, Tamar Valley, Tas, $40
2012 Grey Sands Pinot Gris, Tamar Valley, Tas, $40
Few vineyards produce pinot gris in the fully ripe, luscious and textural style as consistently and deliciously as Rita and Bob Richter’s Grey Sands vineyard near the Tamar River in Tassie. The perfect accompaniment to a chunky pork terrine.
2014 Harkham Aziza’s Shiraz, Hunter Valley, NSW, $30
2014 Harkham Aziza’s Shiraz, Hunter Valley, NSW, $30
Bottled without any added sulphur dioxide preservative, this is an exceptionally vivid expression of young Hunter Valley shiraz: bright black berries bounce merrily along your tongue leaving a trail of powdery tannin their wake. Yum.
2012 Hanging Rock Jim Jim Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges, Vic, $50
2012 Hanging Rock Jim Jim Pinot Noir, Macedon Ranges, Vic, $50
At a time when many pinot makers are chasing elegance and finesse, there’s something deliciously old-fashioned about this fuller-bodied, rather sumptuous example: spicy, black-fruity, earthy and wonderful with roast duck.
Nissos Pilsner, Tinos, Greece, 330ml, $9
Nissos Pilsner, Tinos, Greece, 330ml, $9
Relive your Greek-islands holiday with this lovely pilsner: refreshing in summer, but also complex and full-flavoured enough for the cooler months. Initially exclusive to the Nick’s Restaurant and Bar Group, a further roll-out is now in motion.
