Wondrous wines of 2022: Sparkling and whites
No scores, no top drops, but all winners – here are the liquid wonders that turned our wine writer’s head over the past 12 months. In part one: sparkling and white wines. Bookmark it for your next bottleshop trip or track the wines down online.
The Italian uber-alternative turning heads
And now for the next “alternative” variety which is having a dream run with show judges. Our wine writer unpacks why it’s garnering so much success and suggests some local bottles to try.
Charlish & Co Shiraz Viognier 2021
$25 13.5% Langhorne Creek The Shiraz is sourced by Rebecca Stubbs from the Borrett family growers in Langhorne Creek with a tiny 2% amount of Viognier blended in, helping the bouquet rise with a vanilla yeast bun like, nutty, spiced cream note, even a delicate orange flower. This initial sensory wave provides a complex aromatic […]
BK Wines Pur Jus 2021
$30 12.5% Adelaide Hills A Cabernet Franc block near Brendon and Kirsty Keys’ winery in Basket Range was grafted over to Pinot Noir but only about 90% succeeded, so this remains a true expression of the vineyard with Pinot and Cab Franc in a field blend – in 2021 in tiny quantities. The result is […]
Tim Smith M.G.S 2021
$30 14.5% Barossa The three initials are familiar enough, just not in this order. Tim Smith puts his passion for the Mataro grape out front here in a 60:20:20 blend, and it works insanely well. The fruit profile is black cherry and plum, the palate aromatics exotic, definitely sitting in the Chinese Five Spice mode […]
By any other name
Whatever it’s eventually allowed to be called, Prosecco is the essential, fun sparkler for a South Australian summer.
Loved SA wine brand finds its true mettle
How one farming family battled a corporate giant to regain its century-old South Australian wine legacy.
How the Barossa workhorse became a hero
One of the Barossa’s greatest assets, for years unheralded, is riding a new wave of awareness, producing wines of elegance and significance.
The sands of time
One wine variety South Australia can truly claim bragging rights over has risen to great heights, especially in a unique corner of McLaren Vale where some suggest it is equal to the finest international examples.
The climate is right for these cool reds
Many ‘alternative’ varieties that were once the backbone of Australia’s famed fortifieds are now resurfacing in a new guise.
