Mike’s pour

From stickies to semillon, Mike Bennie is flying the flag for old-school Aussie wines.

My not-so-secret secret is that I’m a card-carrying lover of old-school, good-school Australian wines. This means you’ll find Hunter semillon and Swan Valley chenin blanc in my esky – two of Australia’s most iconic white wine styles. They drink superbly and work magic with seafood – try Brokenwood, De Iuliis, Harkham, M&J Becker and Mt Pleasant.

Oaked-up Barossa shiraz isn’t on high rotation for me; I typically seek out ‘younger’ generation producers who manage potency of flavour without overt alcohol or oak taking away from the grapes’ natural expression. Managing this with aplomb are Sami-Odi, Spinifex and John Duval.

Fortified wines might not hold the same allure, but amazing things happen in Rutherglen and Swan Valley, where climate and grape varieties find synergy in these rich, unctuous wines. Morris, Stanton & Killeen and Chambers sit alongside Faber, Kosovich, Talijancich and Harris Organic. Some of the grandest and most brilliant wines anywhere in the world, right at our fingertips.

PATRICK SULLIVAN CHARDONNAY 2023, $30

A younger-generation producer inspired by the statelier chardonnays of Balnaves and Wynns of Coonawarra. Toasty, spicy with stone fruits galore. Delicious and generous.

FABER VINEYARD LIQUEUR MUSCAT NV, $60

Very old wines are blended with younger wine and then fortified. This is like liquid Christmas pudding but with an underlying vibrancy and coolness. Why not pour over ice cream, too?

BROKENWOOD HUNTER VALLEY SEMILLON 2023, $28

The Swiss Army Knife of white wines – a scintillating semillon of lemony tang, faint herbal elements and fine, briny minerality. Revitalising and so very refreshing to drink.