Australian Wine

Completion is expected by the end of the year and will create a level playing field for Australia’s wine imports with the major competitors from Continental Europe. (1)

So now is a good a time as ever to consider which Australian wines you have on your wine list. We have had a quick look at a few to think about. We start with Hardys. Hardys has over 168 years of winemaking history and has earned 9,000+ awards across its portfolio. Since 1853, Hardys has secured its status as pioneers in wine making and built a reputation for consistent quality across all its price points, elevating the brand from the crowd. Hardys is the UK’s number one wine brand and has been for over a decade.

Their Mill Cellars range  (exclusive to Matthew Clark) includes a shiraz and a chardonnay. There is also their Nottage Hill range which includes a merlot and a sauvignon blanc.

For something, a little different how about a Grenache from Aphelion available through Graft Wine. Winemaker Rob Mack was voted Australia’s ‘Young Gun of Wine’ in 2018, just a few years after setting up Aphelion with his wife Louise. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek meaning “from the sun to you” - pretty apt for the sun-soaked conditions in South Australia’s McLaren Vale. Rob and Louise source grapes from quality growers in Blewitt Springs and the White Valley, including some of the region’s oldest Grenache vines.

We finish up with Pinot Noir from Vinteloper which is also available from Graft Wine.  David Bowley created Vinteloper in 2008 and spent a decade sourcing grapes across South Australia and farther afield while renting cellar space. Now firmly established as one of the country’s leading lights, in 2018 finally Vinteloper found a home of its own in Cudlee Creek, only for the vineyard to be decimated in the December 2019 bushfires. The rebuild has begun with gusto and optimism and their wines are as good as ever.  It is already no secret that Pinot Noir is their 'thing'. Vinteloper has won the Pinot Palooza People’s Choice award twice ['15 & '16] and finished runner up twice ['14 & '17] for the best Pinot Noir in Australia.

1. Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated (Australian Grape & Wine)