I was looking for some wines the other day to top up the cellar; wines that are fine to drink now but have the ability to age and represent good value. Mid-week drinkers, if you know what I mean.
For whites I looked outside the big two varieties, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, and towards a couple of less popular, but excellent value grapes that have the ability to age: riesling and marsanne.
For years, and for several reasons, Australians have ignored the zesty flavours of our riesling and looked towards New Zealand’s sauvignon blanc for a refreshing drink after work.
Fair enough, too. The savvy Kiwis can pack a fair bit of flavour into their wines at a pretty good price.
The easily recognisable flavours of passionfruit, tropical fruits and, sometimes, freshly-cut grass, make sav blanc one of the market’s most accessible wines. So what is it about riesling that seems to keep it in purgatory with wine drinkers?
Maybe it’s the shape of the long, skinny bottles that remind us of our nan’s liquor cabinet, or the sweet wines from a cask that were passed around at high-school parties.
Australian riesling is on top of its game right now, and because it generally doesn’t spend any time maturing in oak barrels and can be quickly released to market, it is relatively cheap to produce.
You can pick up world-class local riesling for about $15-$30.
Add to this the fact that Australia is also home to some of the world’s oldest riesling vines and it is the best value wine variety on the market.
TASTINGS\
Jamsheed Garden Gully Syrah 2008
(Great Western)
$35-$39; 13.5%
5/5
Food match: Steak, chips & béarnaise sauce
This wine comes from vines planted in the 1950s, was hand-picked and fermented with wild yeasts. A lot of TLC has gone into this wine, which has aromas of blackberries, leather and clove spice. It’s silky smooth and has great structure, with flavours of blackberry, plums and white pepper. Only 180 cases made, this should be going strong in 10 years’ time.
Pewsey Vale Eden Valley
Riesling 2009 (Eden Valley)
$14-$18; 12.5% a/v
5/5
Food match: Cold prawns & aioli
Year in year out, this is an excellent wine and 2009 proves no exception. It’s fragrant, with hints of quince and vanilla, while it tastes of lime, green apple and grapefruit. It feels really smooth in the mouth and has a dry finish with good length.
Tahbilk Marsanne 2008
(Nagambie)
$9-$14; 13.5% a/v
4/5
Food match: Chicken roasted with
preserved lemon
This smells and tastes of lemons and peach, and
it’s just a little waxy. It’s really refreshing now and should develop some honey-like characters as it matures. Most of the Tahbilk wines age for a long time and this is no exception.
Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2008
(Coonawarra)
$14-$20; 14% a/v
4/5
Food match: Bangers from a local butcher & mash
At about $14 at the major chains, this medium bodied red represents excellent value. Smelling of blackberry pastilles, vanilla, clove and a hint of cedar oak, it tastes of red currants and plum and has a fine tannin structure usually seen in more expensive wines. This is a great mid-week wine as the evenings get colder. \