Spring Has Sprung – 2018

There’s Prosecco and then there’s Bellenda Prosecco. The only Prosecco to be named in the Top 100 wines of Italy at last year’s Opera Wine. The three brothers who run this ground-breaking operation have single-handedly taken Prosecco to a new level. They have applied classic in bottle fermentation to their wines and successfully campaigned to have this quality-driven methodology added to the rules of the Prosecco DOCG. Soft silky mousse with lemon and melon palate. Finished off orange blossom and sherbet. Moderate dosage and pristine fruit make this the ideal aperitivo or with something a little more serious.

Vermentino originates from the Mediterrean coastal areas and is most prolific on the island of Sardinia and the Tuscan coastal zones. It’s ability to deal with heat and harsher climates makes it an ideal candidate for Australia and this rendition from Chalk Hill in McLaren Vale emphatically makes this point. Apricot and peach aromatics frame a moderately textured palate of peach and stone fruit flavours. Finishes with vigour and energy. Great accompaniment to fishy things!

The Apostrophe label is the brainchild of one of Australia’s greatest modern winemakers, Larry Cherubino. He has used the label to experiment with various field blends from the many vineyards he either owns or controls in WA. The deal is to find that sweet spot of aroma, flavour and texture that suits the new way of drinking as well as the more Mediterranean style of food we all eat these days.

The Stones Throw pairs up the mineral cut and citrus of Riesling with a touch of the exotic of Gewurztraminer and then layers in some texture through the agency of Pinot Blanc. The sum so of its parts is so much more than the three on their own for a wine of this station. A dry white with initial citrus flavours with a faint rose water edge and slippery texture combine to make a perfect Spring white: enough urgency and verve for the sunny day but also enough texture and weight to go with some still heavier dishes for the cooler Spring night.

This outfit in the northern sub-Alpine reaches of Italy is one of the best co-operatives in the region and in fact the whole nation. As the name suggests its a merger of the first (erste) cooperative and the newest (Neue) and represents over 400 producers.

The Pinot Grigio is typical for the area. The aromatic suggesting freezing Alpine water running over quartz with the vibrancy and clarity of aromas of citrus and mineral writ large. The palate too is fresh and vibrant and the flavours are super pure while there is an unexpected and welcome hint of texture in the mouth that makes it a versatile pairing for a number food options.

Grown on the verdant slopes around Tuscany's "Medieval Manhattan", San Gimignano, these wines were the first ever to be given the DOC status (that’s right, most people, myself included, would have assumed that would have been Brunello or Barolo but not so) as it was widely regarded as the premium table white in the country. In the intervening years it was has been elevated to DOCG and, when made to its potential, is one of Italy's most interesting dry whites.

Fontaleoni is a family estate run by brother and sister team, Matteo and Simona Troiani, with a little help from consultant Paolo Caciorgna. They've succeeded in producing a range that is emblematic of the best of what the region has to offer with particular emphasis on Vernaccia which, it has to be said, has been a revelation in the years since we first started seeing them in Australia. In fact, I would say the wines of Fontaleoni are the essence of what I look for in Italian whites. They have texture, a little hint of bitterness (a very good thing) and plenty of fresh acidity making them not only the ideal accompaniment to a huge range of foods but also perfect for drinking with friends in the sun. What's more the basic bottling is brilliant value for money!

Dappled is the label of one of Australia’s most talented winemakers, Shaun Crinion. The 2018 Winner of James Halliday’s Best New Winery and People’s Choice Winner in the Young Gun of Wine Awards 2018, he and Dappled are the real deal!

The Appellation Chardonnay 2017 is a more than worthy follow up to previous vintages and epitomizes the quality of this outfit. Lithe and nimble on the palate, the wine presents nice pithy stone fruit and citrus completed by a hint of struck match and oak spice, though neither is any more than a seasoning element. The palate too is well balanced and expressive with each element there but none overdone. There’s a subtlety to the wine without sacrificing intent. It’s a new wave Aussie chardonnay at its finest.

Burgundy is too expensive! We hear you and there’s little doubt that the home of pinot noir and chardonnay at the upper levels has become the tipple of Russian oligarchs and billionaires the world over such are the prices these days. BUT there are still some superb examples that are still affordable if you know where to look. Take the incredible quality being turned out by Santenay-based producer Antoine Olivier. Newly arrived in Australia, this gorgeous entry-level from the Domaine offers up citrus into melon flavours with a whisper of oak and lingering mineral undercut. This wine bats seriously above its weight class.

It is the dawning of the age of Rose! What’s more the lollied pink drinks with lots of residual sugar are a thing of the past and the traditional dry, onion skin coloured and textural wines from France’s Provence are where you want to be.

This is a wonderful entry to the style. Faded pink to sepia in colour and wafting strawberry, orange rind and tarragon it screams of long summer days down on the Cote d’Azur (insert Terrigal or Anglesea here). The mouthfeel carries enough slippery texture and a faint hint of tannins to make it stand up to a plate of food and keep drinking it well after the plates are clean. Banging quality and just in time for the warmer weather.

The revolution has come. The Beaujolais Nouveau King is dead and thank God for that. The dumbing down of the Beaujolais breed that went on during the 1970s and 1980s has now been replaced by a quality conscious and uber talented new breed of winemakers rediscovering the renovating the reputation of this once famed area just north of Lyon.

Stephane Aviron is one of the very best and his family plots of old vines across the various villages of the zone are some of the most exciting wines being made today. The Fluerie is one of faves from the range. Lots of urgent dark cherry and spice aromas and flavours frames a wonderfully expressive and mineral flecked wine. There’s enough tannin to buffer the exuberant fruit and make it the perfect foil for roast chicken.

Steve Pannell is the guru of Grenache in this country and his renditions at all price points are benchmarks for the variety. The Garnacha references the Spanish nomenclature of the variety and its fermented with a little carbonic maceration to give it an accessible and playful edge. TDL

Rich-ish scents of warm berries, faint mocha powder, liquorice, fennel, pepper. Come hither and generous in a way. Soft in the palate, slurpy textured, dark fruit, faint herb, touch of cola, gently sweet then a smudge of chompy tannin followed by licks of pomegranate-esque acidity. It’s got plenty tucked into its medium weight frame and yet the skol factor is very high. You could pause over this in a big glass or knock a chill into it and drink from a tumbler. One of those totally moreish wines. MIKE BENNIE, The Wine Front 2018

Mesta is an organic and sustainable winery at altitude (930 mts above sea level) that turns out some of the best value wines from this remarkable wine-producing nation. The unoaked Tempranillo is fresh and bursting with juicy red and blue fruit within a medium bodied framework. It’s juicy, playful but full of interest and can scale from everyday quaffing to dinner party table with ease. It has been one of our all-time best sellers which is a testament to its quality price ratio.

Mencia is the variety and it is one of the hottest rediscovered grape varieties on the planet. Its spiritual heartland is the far northwest of Spain in the middle of Basque country. The landscape is mean, characterized by plunging scrubby gorges and slate sliding off the sides of vineyards. If you’re a vine, it’s no picnic but the wines that result are special. It kind of sets up a hypothetical blend of pinot noir, sangiovese and the camp fires aromatic of a great Cote Rotie.

This version comes off old vines and is made by one of Spain’s greatest modern winemakers, Isaac Fernandez. A medium-to-full bodied wine it’s brimming with blackberry and red fruit compote and communicates a cold black slate through the center of the wine. It makes it nervy but it’s also full fruited and nuanced with some ground spice aspects as well. Smoke, liquorice and incense form part of the tapestry in what is an exciting and energetic wine.