Krondorf, Riesling, 2019, Eden Valley, Australia
Krondorf’s Riesling from the Eden Valley in Australia is a rather decent dry Riesling. There’s a freshness, a slight petroleum aroma, it’s the fruit concentration comes through on the nose and the flavours. You get lemon and citrus first with a little peach, minerality underlines it all with reason length.
At AUD16 a bottle it’s decent value and for me a good day to day white wine.
Clonakilla, Shiraz Viognier, 2018, Canberra, Australia
Wine from Canberra, the capital of Australia is pretty rare yet this is one from Clonikilla is one of the best new world wines out there. It’s dry, bold and pretty smooth. There are aromas and flavours of plum, blackberry, raspberry, pepper and spices with hints of oak and tobacco all in perfect harmony.
It’s a wine to go with food and a steak is perfect. The price tag of £90 a bottle is pricey and that’s a shame as it will put people off trying it.
Fat Cat, Cat amongst the pigeons, 2019, Eden Valley, Australia
Fat Cat, Cat amongst the pigeons from Eden Valley in Australia has a striking name and a striking taste. Dry and crisp, it’s got plenty of flavours and aromas. Grapefruit, lime, lemon, green apple, ripe pineapple with a kerosene high light binding them together.
It’s refreshing and perfect sitting in the garden on a summer’s evening with a big plate of salad, a lump of fresh fish. Quite frankly speaking it’s wonderful.
Dark Corner, Durif – Shiraz, 2021, Australia
Dark Corner, Durif Shiraz is a real Australian heavy red wine that that’s you back a decade or two. This is a dry big hitting red with plenty of black fruit aromas and flavours. There’s a chunk of spice thrown in for a wine that although smooth does shout meat and more of it. Its a wine that goes very well with steak or a hearty stew. A bit big on its own for me.
At £12 a bottle it’s OK value, you are unlikely to finish the bottle quickly.
Wynns, Coonawarra Estate, Shiraz 2019, Australia
Wynns is a well known Australian brand which generally delivers and this is no exception, especially at the £15 price mark. It’s a bold wine but reasonably smooth and fairly dry but at the end of day is that softness that you can’t help but like.
There are aromas of chocolate and pepper, plum and blackberry and flavours dark black fruit and vanilla undertone. Spice and a little jamminess makes this really good. It’s more a food wine. Steak and BBQ foods a good starter.
Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Australia
Australian Chardonnay use to be a bit oaky and big and this one from Soumah in the Yarra Valley has a lot of that.
Its dry with little aromas but a chunk of oak on the flavour front. Your do get flavours of citrus, apple, grapefruit and hints of vanilla but the oak is too much for me. Its not terrible but at £12 a bottle there are better Chardonnays out there.
Brand’s Laira, Blockers, Shiraz, 2013, Coonawarra, Australia
Coonawarra produce great, bold, flavourful red wines and this is good, not outstanding but it wont embarrass you if you served this with a chunk of red meat. With aromas and flavours of red and black fruits, pepper and oak. Its bold and pretty dry but 7 years on its smoothed out and is easy drinking. Have it with red meat or game bird and I’m sure you will enjoy drinking it, its worth taking your time and at £12 a bottle its OK value.
Supermarkets do sell excellent wine and this Extra Special, Chardonnay from the Barossa in Australia from Asda is pretty good, it may not be a gold medalist at Decanter but what I liked about it is how easy it was to drink.
Its light, medium bodied white with light aromas of peach and pineapple that come though in the flavour, there’s creaminess and hints of oak which are very welcomed. Day 2 and the pineapple came through more but still easy drinking. It lacks in many ways but as I’ve mentioned before with other wines, its a wine for a moment. In this case its in front of the TV or in the garden on a summers day. At £7 a bottle its great value, pick up a box of 6 and just enjoy.
Asda, Extra Special, Chardonnay, 2017, Barossa, Australia
Rieslings from Australia has come a long way in the last decade and this one from Rawsons Retreat shows another example of why Riesling is such a great grape. Dry with a decent level of acidity and aromas of ripe pineapple and kerosene that are followed with additional flavours of honey, lime and green apple.
At £7 a bottle its a wine that grows on you, not outstanding but great for curling in front of the TV.
Rawsons Retreat, Riesling, 2015, Australia
I had never heard of Fourth Wave Wine or their Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon but I certainly like it. You get a hit of blueberry and then blackberry on the nose with additional flavours of cherry and this is a very fruit driven, soft but very dry red wine. It’s not complicated, just well rounded and very easy drinking.
It only got a commended at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 which is stingy, bronze medal surely! At £9 a bottle it’s great value and worth a case any day.
Fourth Wave Wine, Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, NSW, Australia