After enjoying the best part of a decade as the darling of British
wine writers, Australian wine has come in for a bit of stick in recent
months. Tim Atkin, writing in the Observer, criticised Aussies for
being overly defensive and then went on to blast the deteriorating
quality of many of their wines. My view? I'd split the Aussie wine
scene into three genres (or levels). At the bottom end, Aussie branded
plonk is mostly bland, dull and lifeless. There's little worth
drinking under a fiver. Many of the more reliable brands (e.g.
Lindemans Bin 65, Rosemount diamond label varietals) have now crept up
in price and are quite frankly not up to the competition in the
£6-£8 bracket. Correspondingly, mid-priced wines that used to offer
great value in this price range are now selling for a lot more: the
middle ground is increasingly dominated by rather 'manufactured' wines
dressed up to look the part but failing to offer any real value. But
get above the £10 barrier, and everything changes. Australia still
makes a lot of interesting, characterful wine; we've just got to get
used to paying a bit more for it than we have in the past. This is
what I set out to illustrate in this tasting of 12 Australian wines
that I put on for a group of friends. The wines were selected to
illustrate some of the diversity to be found in Aussie wine, both in
terms of wine style and regional identity. Of course, it's impossible
to give a comprehensive overview from just 12 bottles, but at least
this showed that there's much more to Australia than the brands that
everyone is so familiar with in the UK. Probably my favourite of the
night was the Stonier Pinot Noir. It's happy to be what it is: light-coloured,
varietally true and oozing subtlety; not like some older-style Oz
Pinots, dark coloured wines and with jammy, extracted fruit. And my
only real disappointment was the Nepenthe Pinot Gris, which was just
weird.
Brokenwood Chardonnay 1999 McLaren Vale/Cowra/Padthaway,
Australia
A multi-region blend from leading Hunter Valley producer
Brokenwood. It's a rich textured, ripe, nutty Chardonnay. Delicious,
exotic stuff with real character, very much in a new world style.
Quite oaky, but it works. Very good+ (£9.99 Oddbins)
Tyrells Hunter Valley Semillon Vat 31 1996, Hunter Valley
Although it's the current release, this traditional Hunter Valley
Semillon from the Stevens Vineyard probably needs another five years
or so to show its best. It's a rather understated crisp white wine
showing some herby, toasty elements, a touch of smoke and is beginning
to fill out a bit on the palate. Unoaked, and with high acidity. Very
good+ (£9.99 Oddbins)
Nepenthe Pinot Gris 2000, Adelaide Hills
I was disappointed by this wine from well regarded producer
Nepenthe. Slightly pink-tinged, it has a big, aromatic, oily nose,
with a rather odd chemical edge to it. The thick-textured palate has
good acidity and a touch of spice, but it's spoiled by the quirky
nose. OK (£8.99 Oddbins)
Tim Adams Riesling 2000, Clare Valley
I'm a big fan of Tim Adams' whites. An intense, characterful dry
white. The nose is lovely and citrussy, and leads to a juicy, savoury
palate showing fresh lime fruit and tingly acidity. Powerful. Very
good/excellent (£7.99 Tesco)
Stonier Pinot Noir 1998, Mornington Peninsula
Quite a pale cherry red colour, I was wowed by the lovely, open
cherry and herby nose. A bit of undergrowth and animal 'stink' add
some complexity, and the palate shows medicinal ripe fruit. Good
varietal character here. Very good/excellent (£12 Handford)
Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley
The nose is a little muted, but the palate shows lovely spicy
cherry fruit, along with some silky tannins. A relatively structured,
savoury Pinot Noir that stays true to its varietal origins. Very good+
(£11 Oddbins)
St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 1992, Barossa
I was a tiny bit disappointed in this wine. It was nice enough,
but didn't quite live up to its reputation. The sweet, spicy nose is a
tiny bit muted. The palate is rich and spicy, with the oak a little
dominant. There's still a bit of tannic structure suggesting the wine
may yet develop some more. Very good+
Wirra Wirra RSW Shiraz 1998, McLaren Vale
A lovely thick red wine with bags of classy, ripe fruit. An inky
red/purple, the nose is dominated by liquouricey ripe berry fruit
together with some new oak. The palate is dense and rich, with spicy
notes. Very youthful, and quite delicious now. Very good/excellent
(£14.99 Oddbins)
Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 1997, Western Australia
Blending fruit from the Margaret River and Mount Barker regions,
Vasse Felix have fashioned a lovely Cabernet, showing blackcurrant
fruit with a leafy, minerally core and a touch of spice. Great balance
here. Very good/excellent (£14 Handford)
Hewitson Old Garden Mourvedre 1999, Barossa Valley
The claim to fame of this wine is that it is made from some of
Australia's oldest vines. As you'd expect, it shows a good
concentration of sweet fruit with a spicy, cinnamon edge and a herbal
quality. A rich, sweetly fruited style, it's a nice wine but didn't
quite show the sort of individuality I was looking for. Very good+
(£13 Handford)
Petaluma Cabernet Merlot 1995, Coonawarra
A mini vertical of one of my favourite Coonawarra reds. The 1995
shows an open, spicy nose that leads to a palate showing ripe cassis,
chalky tannins and a lovely minerality. Drinking very well. Very
good/excellent
Petaluma Cabernet Merlot 1996, Coonawarra
Lovely rich nose of blackcurrant and minerals. Palate is firm,
with tightly wound tannins, some spicy character and good acidity.
Very good/excellent