Getty
It’s no secret the Australian wine industry is doing it tough. The year kicked off with one of the most devastating bushfire seasons on record which wreaked havoc on regional vineyards and cellar doors that rely on tourist trade. Then came the current health crisis and the subsequent shuttering of bars and interstate borders which delivered another blow to Australia’s beleaguered wine industry.
So if there’s ever been a time to subscribe to a wine-delivery service that deals exclusively in Australian wines, it’s now. At Wine Selectors, a locally-owned and operated company, it’s not so much the quantity of wines – it stocks more than 3000 drops from more than 5000 wineries – that’s impressive, but it’s more so the people and places it supports. Its wines are Australian-only and sourced from wineries across the country including Wills Domain out west in the Margaret River, Corduroy from down south in the Adelaide Hills, and Contentious Character from the Canberra region.
The beauty lies in its set-and-forget subscription model – just select how many bottles you’d like per delivery (six or 12 bottles), and the frequency of your delivery, from as regular as every fortnight to once every 12 weeks. Staff then select wines according to your drinking preferences. You might favour a case that leans towards reds, perhaps a combination of shiraz, tempranillo and cabernet blends; or if you prefer drinking across the spectrum, you can mix and match red and white varieties, as well as sparkling, fortified and dessert wines. The subscriptions are flexible too. There are no lock-in obligations, and deliveries can be skipped, paused or stopped at any time.
There’s good value too. Prices start from $105 for a six pack, or $204 for a dozen, and for wines to be included in the range, they’re put through a blind-tasting process by the company’s eight-member tasting panel which includes Master Sommelier Kim Bickley and Hunter Valley winemaker Karl Stockhausen. To enhance your drinking experience, each delivery comes with wine tasting notes about the region and winemaker, the aromas and flavours of the wines, and food-matching recommendations.
For those stuck indoors to the grape-pickers out in the field, it’s a tough time. But for lovers of good wine, it’s still possible to do your bit for the local industry, from the safety of your home.
Subscribe to Wine Selectors’ Customised Wine Plan and take $20 off your first delivery by using the coupon code “Gourmet”. Offer available until 31 May.
