Tasmanian producer House of Arras is a dominant force at Australian wine shows and has been recognised for lifting standards across the Australian sparkling wine industry. This is part of a recently-released collection of different styles and has spent 13 years on lees developing complexity. I shared this bottle of this chardonnay-dominant blend with a recent wine tasting class and all present admired its intensity and complexity. Superb mouthfeel; great work from visionary winemaker Ed Carr, and a terrific present for a lover of bubbles. Marvellous.
With summer just around the corner everyone needs a few bottles like this in the fridge. It's an ideal style for enjoying with a weekend picnic, with friends on the deck or over a Big Bash game on the TV. What I like most about this new release from the Frogmore Creek stable is its freshness and vivacity. While many producers have a bob each way and make wines that sit midway between gris and grigio in style, this is unashamedly made in the northern Italian style with brisk citrus and ripe tropical truit notes, allied to a cool-climate crisp acid finish. Great with seafood, spicy Asian dishes or simply for sipping on a warm evening. $27. https://frogmorecreek.com.au/product/pinot-grigio/
This is the second release of this popular collaboration between Hugh McCullough and Natalie Fryar; a very brisk, very crisp cool-climate riesling made this year from Tamar Valley fruit. The warm 2018 vintage helped in crafting a wine that has undergone some skin contact and was left on yeast lees to add structure and texture. The end result is aromatic and approachable; a riesling packed with citrus freshness aided and abetted by hints of pear and peach. The finish is tangy and bone dry with plenty of length. Highly recommended. Enjoy chilled. Preferably today. $35. https://wellingtonwolfe.com/
I was all set to write about the wonderfully zesty 2018 Freycinet Vineyard Riesling when this popped up; a mature, meticulously-crafted red blend that demonstrates how good cabernet can be when planted in the right sites in cool-climate Tasmania. Winemaker Claudio Radenti is right on target here with a wine made from 32-years-old estate vines on Tasmania's east coast. With a breakdown of 74% cabernet sauvignon, 8% cabernet franc and 19% merlot, this is very Left Bank Bordeaux-like in style with blackcurrant and fresh herb notes in harmony with smoky French oak. Elegant and immediately accessible, it is very stylish and highly recommended. Pair with lamb roast, or an aged Cheddar cheese. I scored this 94/100 and would recommend buying a half dozen, drinking a couple now and putting the rest away for a year or two. $38 CD. www.freycinetvineyard.com.au.
This unusual blend of riesling and gewurztraminer might not appeal to all wine drinkers but it will certainly reward those with a sense of adventure. The latest release from Tamar Valley wunderkind Ricky Evans is all about texture. He has taken a combination of barrel-fermented and stainless-steel fermented riesling left on lees for three months and then blended that with 7.5% gewurztraminer fermented on skins. The end result is a meaty, yeasty, crisp and fresh white wine of considerable palate interest. Evans describes his wines as being made "in small parcels with big love". Hard to find but try Drink & Co. in Hobart. $28. www.tttwine.com.au
A delightfully delicious chardonnay from Nick Glaetzer at Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers, made using quality fruit from the Upper Derwent Valley. There is something inherently Macon-like here in just the second release of a wine that is full of cool-climate chic. Tank-fermented and then aged on lees for four months, this has drinkability plus with crispness combined with impressive textural and mineral elements. You'll find it at the Glaeztzer-Dixon urban winery/cellar door on the fringes of downtown Hobart. $30. www.gdfwinemakemakers.com.
Winemaker Joe Holyman boasts that his entry-level Stoney Rise pinot noir has not seen a price rise in a decade. At a time when new producers are commanding staggering sums for Tassie pinots, that makes this new release terrific value. It is a medium-bodied red, juicy and red fruit-driven pinot with hints of white pepper and a soft mouthfeel. One for drinking over the next couple of years, Holyman recommends pairing it with gyoza, or steak tartare. $29. www.stoneyrise.com.
