McPherson Aquarius Marsanne Viognier, a blend of Southern Rhone varietals. from the Goulburn Valley in Central Victoria. A super-cool, hip label! A light golden colour in the glass, with a perfume led by floral notes of honeysuckle and flowering citrus. More citrus, ginger, chestnut, peach and red apple follow on the nose. The Viognier leans towards the pretty, sweeter side, with the Marsanne adding more structure, depth and complexity. Good minerality and acidity, with some fruit tannin adding a phenolic bite, but the texture envelops the palate towards the end, in a swathe of generous lushness. 91pts

The first red wine is from one of my favourite regions for red wines – Richard Hamilton Shiraz 2020 is from McLaren Vale. I tasted their ‘Lot 148 Merlot’ recently – it featured on the Australian side of our Single Varietal Reds Top 10 Tasting – www.winefolio.co.nz/?p=6756. Blackcurrant, raspberry, black pepper, cedar and chocolate on the nose. A good tang of crunchy, ripe fruit powers the palate which has some powerful weight – quite burly and robust. Firm, fuzzy tannin, and a soft texture. A straightforward example of a Shiraz – this should be a crowd-pleaser. 88pts

José Luis Oilveira da Silva ‘Amoras de Portugal’ 2020 is from the area south of capital Lisbon. Using local varietals – Castelão, Camarate, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet. A definite warm-climate wine, laden with jammy, juicy flavours of kirsch, plum, cherry and cassis. Oak frames the ruby fruit with vanilla and toasty cedar, and the tannins are supple and savoury. A touch on the sweet side, but unctuous and ripely delicious because of that. A great alternative to a big Aussie red if you’re looking to explore. 90pts