Five delicious wines to try from Down Under
SIPPED
If you still think of Australian wine as the same stuff you were drinking 20, 10 or even five years ago, think again.
Decades spent fine-tuning grape-growing and winemaking practices coupled with fierce global competition have steadily pushed quality up while weeding out mediocrity, leaving some very good juice on shelves.
What’s more, Aussies deliver vast stylistic range swinging from silky fruit-bombs with broad appeal to more elegant, subtly nuanced wines — both still and sparkling — for those who prefer a bit more restraint. Taste these five gems to see what I mean.
1. Creamy and complex
2015 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Chardonnay, Padthaway/Adelaide Hills, Australia (LCBO 226860 $13.65 until Oct. 8, reg. $16.15 in stores and online)
Swirling with cool flavours of lemon curd and cooked apple laced with toasted oak, whispers of aniseed, struck match, roasted almond and brown sugar, this is a judiciously-oaked, well-made Chardonnay. Love how the vivid fruit tastes lifted and pristine, cool and crisp, without compromising the rich, creamy style of this classic wooded Chard — a style Australia does very well. For a treat, enjoy a glass with roasted salmon and Caesar salad. Score: 90
2. Stylish and saturated
2013 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Australia (Vintages Essential 84996 $28.95 in stores and online)
From the cool climate of Coonawarra comes this stylish Cabernet Sauvignon with inviting flavours of stewed plums, black currant liqueur, smoky cedar, sage and baking spices with a warm black olive finish. French oak maturation creates seamless complexity while vibrant juiciness keeps the wine supremely drinkable, refreshing sip after sip. And is a reliable bottle to pour with good company. Score: 92
3. Plush and succulent
2016 Lindeman’s Gentleman’s Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia (LCBO 461533 $18.20 in stores and online)
This wine was made to appeal to the millennial man intrigued by wine — especially rich, plush-tasting Cabernet Sauvignon — but doesn’t like his red too dry or tannic. And judging by the bottle’s popularity, it has clearly hit the mark. More than 60,000 bottles have been sold in Ontario since it first hit shelves one year ago. Expect a velvet hit of quite-sweet cherry-and-mocha flavour with a cassis, wild blueberries, toasty oak and dark cocoa undertow. My bet is the lads will like it with spice-rubbed grilled steak. Score: 90+
4. Sophisticated and dignified
2016 Thorn-Clarke Barossa Grenache Shiraz, Barossa, Australia (LCBO 499616 $17.95 in stores only)
This is a Grenache Shiraz with gravitas — a serious, bone-dry, almost austere red that will appeal to the connoisseur looking for sophistication and finesse. Cool aromas of blackberries edged with notes of stones and steel lead to an elegant entry that suggests violets, minerals and black plum held taut with bracing acidity. Then, stones and blackberries return on the slightly chalky finish. Here, power presents itself quietly with steely, stony resolve rather than robust muscularity. Totally my style of wine. In fact, I can’t wait to purchase and pour it again. Probably with braised short rib. Score: 94
5. Elegant and tantalizing
NV Yellowglen Pink Sparkling Rosé, Australia (LCBO 15867 $12.45 in stores and online)
Don’t be fooled by the cutesy bottle that suggests a saccharine style of bubble-gum pink pour. This wine is in fact quite fabulous — a very pale rosé that’s all about sheer elegance. Love the muted aromas of sugared plums and subdued, off-dry flavours of peach, orange peel, lemon zest, dried flowers and cream all delicately beaded with bubbles and laced with racy acidity.
Well worth keeping in the door of the fridge for any toastworthy occasion. And pairing with smoked salmon? Magic.
Score: 91