If serving the newest, coolest Spritz is the mission at your next dinner party or knowing all the new cellar door openings is at the top of your agenda, then our curated guide to Australia’s latest in drinks news will be your boozy bible.
From the winners of GABS Hottest 100 in Aussie Craft Beer to Vinteloper’s chic tasting room upgrade in the Adelaide Hills, these are the spots worth having on your radar this month. And if trending sips are what you’re looking for, then we’ve curated the best, from Spritz alternatives to non-alcoholic bitters and the lesser-known spirits riding on a high this summer.
Here’s our guide to the latest drinks news to know about.
GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer winners announced
Every year, Australian beer lovers cast their votes in the country’s nationwide craft beer awards. This year, Blue Mountains-based brewery Mountain Culture and its Status Quo Pale Ale has taken home gold at the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers for the third year running. The beer is bright, lively, and tropical and is brought into balance with dry hop. Other beers flying high on the GABS radar are the classic Coopers Brewery Original Pale Ale, which was placed second and imparts a crisp bitterness and fruity character, and Queensland’s floral and aromatic contender Balter XPA in third place. Other notable mentions include BentSpoke Brewing’s Crankshaft, Gage Roads Single Fin Summer Ale and Range Brewing Disco Pale Ale.
gabshottest100.com/au
Tasmania’s Tolpuddle opens new tasting room
Tasmania’s Tolpuddle vineyard has opened a sleek new tasting room in the Coal River Valley. Expect to sip on Tolpuddle’s collectable chardonnays and pinot noirs as expansive floor-to-ceiling windows give way to sweeping views of the vines, while wooden interiors and rattan accents appoint a luxury mood.
Vinesmith is the new city cellar door in Melbourne
Melbourne’s Flinders Lane has a chic new opening to check out. Vinesmith’s city cellar door shows off a local wine list with drops from the Blue Pyrenees and Glenlofty Estates on the tasting menu, while walnut interiors set a sleek tone. Joining the venue’s roster is a late-night bar, French bistro and wine shop.
Adelaide Hills’ Vinteloper opens new cellar door after bushfires
South Australia’s Vinteloper has entered its relaunch era following the 2019 bushfires that took out its heritage farmhouse. The new opening sees high-spec restorations to its tasting room and cellar door, taking in its Adelaide Hills surroundings and showing off drops from new varietals to vintage releases.
Top drops for summer sipping
Papa Salt Paloma tins
Cool off this summer with TikTok’s trending sip, the Paloma. Where warmer weather usually calls an Aperol or Hugo Spritz to mind, the Paloma is typically a grapefruit, tequila and lime refresh. Gin-based riffs are also on the rise, as seen here with Papa Salt’s easy-drinking Paloma tins.
Hickson House Oyster Shell gin
Joining traditional and Australian botanicals, repurposed oyster shell is the not-so-secret ingredient lending Hickson House’s gin its minerality and creamy mouthfeel. Saltbush and seaweed add to the oceanside ambience, while finger lime and ruby grapefruit shape its smooth, dry finish.
Pundi bitters
First Nations farmer Dominic Smith is bringing a native edge to summer spritzing. This trio of homegrown bitters picks up on the trend for non-alcoholic drinking with flavours of wood, leaves and fruit. Expect local mint, rosella, smoky peppercorn and wattleseed to amp up summer drinking.
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