2006 PEWSEY VALE CONTOURS RIESLING - ON SONG

Pewsey Vale is one of Australia’s best recognised labels when it comes to the Riesling grape. It is one of very few producers to release a wine, The Contours, with extended bottle age, just as the wine is starting to enter its long drinking window.

The 2006 rendition of Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling captures the essence of Eden Valley Riesling. It displays the hallmark delicacy and interplay of floral and citrus notes we associate with Eden Valley. Six years on from vintage, the wine has started to unfurl and flesh out, acidity playing a supporting rather than dominating role.

It is a highly engaging and dangerously drinkable example of Riesling, a wine that would many Riesling naysayers over to this great noble grape. While offering plenty of drinking pleasure now, it should be capable of aging for another two decades under screwcap.

2006 THE CONTOURS RIESLING
Producer: Pewsey Vale
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2006
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $27.99
Date tasted: 16 December 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright silvery lemon. Alluring aromatic nose of lemon zest, green apples, and white flowers. Ever so slightly off-dry, bottle age has seen the palate flesh out, medium bodied, delicate yet full in flavour, once again in the lemon/lime citrus and apple orchard vein. Plenty of depth here, cushioned by fine balancing acidity. Dangerously easy to drink.
Score: 17.5+/20

2011 CANTINA ZACCAGNINI CERASUOLO D'ABRUZZO - AN ITALIAN FOOD LOVERS ROSÉ

At one time eschewed by serious wine drinkers, rosé continues its ascent as the wine style of choice for many, especially during the summer months. As rosé has emerged as a serious player on the wine scene, consumers have been conditioned to think that ‘quality’ rosé must be relatively pale in colour, with the delicate onion-skin hue that typifies the rosés of Provence.

While it may be true that Provencal rosés are among the world’s best, we shouldn’t be confined to one style, particularly when it comes to enjoying wine with food. This example from Abbruzzo in central Italy is far deeper in colour than the rosés of south-eastern France, but it is by no means inferior. Made from the Montepulciano grape, it is bone dry, displays excellent depth of flavour (raspberry, dark cherry) and possesses a touch of grip on the finish. It is an entirely convincing, food friendly rosé that will suit any number of dishes from a basic charcuterie platter, a light salad, pasta and even a steak off the barbecue. Best of all, at a modest 12% ABV, one can enjoy a few glasses without falling victim to the summer sun.

2011 MONTEPULCIANO ROSÉ
Producer: Cantina Zaccagnini
Variety: Rosé (100% Montepulciano)
Vintage: 2011
Region: Abruzzo, Italy
ABV: 12%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 11 December 2012

Tasting Note:
Raspberry red. Clean nose of dark cherry, raspberry, touch of animal fur. Dry, medium bodied and savoury, quite meaty, red berry fruit, subtle touch of grip on the finish. Although deeper in colour than the current style of rosé that is in vogue, the wine displays good depth of flavour and is extremely food friendly.
Score: 16+/20

2009 FATTORIA CORONCINO VERDICCHIO SUPERIORE 'IL BACCO' - ATOMIC

A criticism sometimes levelled at Italian white wines is that they can be neutral to the point of being bland. While this may be true of the ocean of Italian white wine produced on inferior sites and harvested at high yields, it is most definitely not the case when it comes to Italy’s great producers and appellations. The excellent Verdicchio ‘Il Bacco’ from Fattoria Coroncino is a case in point.

Although not über-complex, the wine possesses a beguiling texture, that literally teases the palate. At 14% ABV, it is weighty, yet by no means glycerolic or heavy. A fine ripple of acidity. As with many interesting Italian white wines, it is not a powerhouse, but delivers interesting layers of flavour, in this instance melon, grapefruit and suggestions of cut grass. It is a very food-friendly wine, that would work with a range of seafood dishes, and would stand up well to a simply roasted chicken. At under $30, it represents excellent value for money.

2009 FATTORIA CORONCINO VERDICCHIO SUPERIORE ‘IL BACCO’
Producer: Fattoria Coroncino
Variety: Verdicchio
Vintage: 2009
Region: Marche, Italy
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 7 December 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright straw gold. Interesting bouquet of honeydew melon, grapefruit pith, touch of honey and spice. Medium bodied, lovely textured palate, quite weighty but balanced by a fine ripple of acidity; white peach, melon and a touch of grapefruit/lemon citrus on the finish. Only moderate complexity, but this is a wine that is as much about texture and mouthfeel as it is about flavour. Delicious, extremely enjoyable and excellent value for money.
Score: 17/20

2008 BELI KRIŽ - DECENT QUAFFER FROM SLOVENIA

Slovenia is an emerging player on the world wine scene. Thanks to its location, it has a number of influences; Italian, Germanic and central European. These influences are manifest in this particular wine from the Marof estate.

Beli Križ (which literally translates as white cross) is a blend of central Europe’s Laski Rizling (also known as Welschriesling) together with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It is a thoroughly modern wine, vibrant and fresh, with modest aromatics and a rounded, very clean palate.

While it doesn’t hit the great heights of the truly great white blends produced on the Italian side of Slovenia’s western border in Friuli, it is nevertheless a decent introduction to the wines of Slovenia and can be acquired for a modest outlay. One should note that it sits within the Marof estate’s ‘Basic’ range and therefore is intended to be little more than an easy drinking wine for early consumption.

2008 BELI KRIŽ
Producer: Marof
Variety: Aromatic white blend (Laski Rizling 47%, Chardonnay 33%, Sauvignon Blanc 20%)
Vintage: 2008
Region: Prekmurje, Slovenia
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $24.00
Date tasted: 3 December 2012

Tasting Note:
Pale silvery lemon. Restrained aromatic nose of guava, lemon zest, pineapple and passionfruit. Dry, medium bodied, quite straightforward, moderate intensity, rounded and easygoing, lifted by bright acidity on the finish. A clean, modern wine, easy and uncomplicated, but lacking genuine depth and complexity.
Score: 15/20

2012 KT WINES PEGLIDIS VINEYARD RIESLING - CREAM OF THE CLARE VALLEY CROP

Over the past few years, former Leasingham winemaker Kerri Thompson has carved out a name for producing high quality distinctive wines, including stunning single vineyard Rieslings. This example, from the Peglidis vineyard is no exception.

While most Clare Valley Rieslings are characterised by a distinctive lemon/lime character (a trait that distinguishes the wines, but can on occasion make them a little tiring), KT’s 2012 Peglidis Vineyard Riesling is direct from the apple orchard, with crisp green apples and apple blossom driving both the bouquet and the palate.

It is a very delicate and fine Riesling, but certainly doesn't lack for depth or drive. There is no lack of intensity, but it manages to balance power with tremendous finesse. Without a doubt, this is one Australia’s best Rieslings, a great expression of site and the Riesling grape.

2012 PEGLIDIS VINEYARD RIESLING
Producer: KT Wines
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2012
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $34.99
Date tasted: 1 December 2012

Tasting Note:
Very pale silvery white. Restrained aromatic nose of crisp green apples, apple blossom, lychee and Nashi pear. Dry, very delicate palate, dances on the tongue, yet there is plenty of drive and thrust, lots of tension and energy, green apple, pear, subtle kiss of lemon. Finishes long with mouthwatering acidity.
Score: 18/20

2010 PINON VOUVRAY 'SILEX NOIR' - THE APPLE OF MY EYE

Chenin Blanc is a variety that is sparsely grown in Australia. In its place of origin, the Loire Valley, it is the source of many long-lived dry, medium dry and lusciously sweet wines, as well as being used in many sparkling (mousseux and crémant) wines.

Vouvray, alongside Savennières, is the best known appellation in the Loire Valley for Chenin Blanc-based wines. As a general rule, the wines of Vouvray tend to be a touch lighter, lower in alcohol and more delicate than those of Savennières.

This particular wine, from organic producer François Pinon, emphasises the delicate and mineral side of Chenin Blanc, typical of the grape when grown on the limestone rich and flinty soils found in Vouvray. Bottled slightly off-dry, the palate, although delicate, possesses great drive and tension, with a suggestion of smokiness lending lift on the finish.

Although there is plenty, especially in terms of texture, to enjoy now, there is sufficient depth of fruit and fine acidity to suggest that the wine should be capable of developing further in bottle for several years.

2010 VOUVRAY ‘SILEX NOIR’ 
Producer: François Pinon
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $34.99
Date tasted: 30 November 2012

Tasting Note:
Bright yellow with a golden hue. Typical Chenin nose of over-ripe/bruised red apples, pear, marzipan, struck match. Slightly off-dry up-front, moving a textured, slightly chalky mid-palate, apple and pear again to the fore. Finishes long with fine acidity. Should develop well over the medium term.
Score: 16.5+/20

N.V. SANCHEZ ROMATE FINO 'MARISMENO' - REASON TO BE CHEERFUL

Sanchez Romate is one of many high quality bodegas based in Jerez. It’s Fino ‘Marismeno’ is lighter in body and punchier in terms of flavour than many other Finos on the market.

Slickly packaged in screw-capped 375ml bottles, it bursts with ozone, brine and freshly baked sourdough, making it an ideal aperitif. Fino ‘Marismeno’ illustrates in spades why dry Sherry is one of the wine world’s great values. It is hard to think of any other wine in the world that is so distinctive and delivers such pleasure for a modest price.

NV FINO ‘MARISMENO’
Producer: Sanchez Romate
Variety: Sherry
Vintage: Non-vintage
Region: Andalucia, Spain
ABV: 15%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $18.99 (375ml)
Date tasted: 23 November 2012

Tasting Note:
Pale silvery white. Lifted nose of lemon citrus, seaweed, ozone, freshly baked sourdough. Bone dry, plenty of punch; bold salty palate, very lively and vibrant. Really ‘wakes one up’! Good depth, with briny saline notes making the wine very moreish. Delicious.
Score: 17/20