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Top Drops: July 2016

Our top ten alcoholic picks for the month.

Numbered from left to right, down the image.

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1. SUPER SAKE

Miyako-Bijin “White Label” Junmai Yamahai, Awaji-shima, Japan, $75

After importing and wholesaling for years, Black Market Sake are now retailing through their website, making it easier to get hold of stunning drinks like this: aromas of radish and apple, slinky texture, deep and complex umami-rich finish.

Imported by blackmarketsake.com

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2. SINEWY SYRAH

*2012 Cobaw Ridge Syrah,**Macedon Ranges, Vic, $50*

If you like medium-bodied, intensely flavoursome shiraz grown in cool, high-altitude vineyards, try this beauty: subtle but seductive scents of pepper and dark humus lead to a sinewy mouthful of glossy blackberries and powdery tannin.

cobawridge.com.au

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3. TONGUE HUGGER

2012 Celler Escoda-Sanahuja, Nas del Gegant, Conca de Barbera, Spain, $41.95

This bold Spanish red sits at the far end of “natural wine” production – biodynamic farming, no additions – but, thanks to its sturdy tannic backbone, tastes bold and youthful: superbly rich purple fruit, meaty, earthy, glorious.

Imported by apostrophewine.com.au

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4. RICH WHITE

The more blends of viognier, roussanne and marsanne I taste, the more I think how well-suited these grapes are to warm-climate regions like Rutherglen: this wine is ripe, complex and generously proportioned, but long and savoury, too.

rutherglenestates.com.au

5. COUNTRY WINE

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2014 Pyramid Valley Howell Cabernet Franc, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, $54

Slice some chunky terrine and crusty baguette and pour yourself a glass of this deliciously rustic, medium-bodied red with its wild hedgerow berries and touch of earthy funk. You might still find the 2013 around the traps: it’s also superb.

Imported by imbibo.com.au

6. BONZA VINO

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2015 Giovanni Armani Giorgio Bianco Superiore, SA, $25

Love the fake cheesy Italian name; love the daggy, early-’90s computer design (check out the website for a giggle); love the mouthful of melon-pulpy deliciousness delivered by garganega and sauvignon blanc grapes. Bravo!

gag.pizza

7. MID-LIFE TINNIE

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Pirate Life Throwback IPA, Adelaide, SA, $5

Brewing mid-strength (3.5 per cent alcohol) beer without sacrificing flavour is a challenge, but the Pirates have risen handsomely to the call: there’s loads of fragrant hoppy goodness and refreshing bitterness in this lovely little tinnie.

piratelife.com.au

8. SPANISH BOTANIC

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Cillar de Silos Golfo Vermut, Ribera del Duero, Spain, $75

This fabulous vermouth comes from one of my favourite producers of red wine in Ribera del Duero. At its heart is a base of super-rich tempranillo grapes, over which are draped layers of dark, swirling botanical complexity.

Imported by thespanishacquisition.com

9. NEW NERO

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2015 Eldorado Road Luminoso Rosé, North-East Victoria, $25

This terrifically dry, spicy and satisfying rosé is made from the black nero d’Avola grape variety, originally from Sicily, but now thriving in Australia’s warmer regions. Eldorado Road also makes a bold, slurpy $35 red from the same grapes.

eldoradoroad.com.au

10. TOP PET NAT

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2014 Brave New Wine Little Sister Pet Nat, Mount Barker, WA, $28

This little beauty from WA is one of the best Australian pet nats – naturally sparkling wines that finish fermentation in the bottle – I’ve tasted: it’s full of juicy little red berries, cascading and snapping and popping across your tongue.

bravenewwine.com.au

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