Hot Seat Sauvignon Blanc 2024

This varietal has a place in New Zealand customer’s hearts, but it is good to try what other places are doing with this classic grape. When one wins awards, such as a Double Gold medal from CWSA, then it is definitely work a look. Brimming with fresh fruits - blackcurrant, guava, passionfruit and citrus and greener notes of capsicum and pea pod. High acidity and bags of bright, easy to understand, refreshing flavours.

Don Cayetano Chardonnay 2024

Made by Luis Felipe Edwards from across their vineyards in Chile. “Don Cayetano” is the name given to this special line of wines, in honour of the founder of the vineyard, Don Luis Felipe Cayetano Edwards. The nose shows peach, citrus and pear with vanilla, lemon curd and baking spices. Quite creamy and textural on first sip, with the crisp bite of acidity then kicking in, accenting the grapefruit and mandarin notes. A touch of oak shows, and the finish has a little sweetness to round things out.

Thistledown ‘Gorgeous Grenache’ Rosé 2025

Colour in rosé wines is really important to the customer. And this pale coral pink example is right on the money in terms of what leaps off the shelf for rosé buyers. Good fleshy weight to the both the bouquet and the palate. Both show red berry notes and there is a nibble of both sweetness and tannin - balancing each other and underlining the ripe fruit. The finish has a juicy, refreshing edge, but is drier and shows persistence.

Way & Cat Grenache 2024

Grenache can be made in a range of styles from lighter chill-able reds for summer; to big, full-flavoured expressions taking inspiration from the Southern Rhône. This wine from South Australia is one of the latter. A deep garnet red, with a touch of pink, colour, with vivid aromas of raspberry, black cherry, bramble, cinnamon and white pepper. Medium-bodied to taste, with smooth tannins, and integrated acidity through the palate. 90pts

Angullong ‘Fossil Hill’ Barbera 2023

Winner of the Trophy for ‘Best Red Variety or Blend’ at the Orange Wine Show in 2023. Barbera is an Italian variety that has been grown in Australia since the 1960s. An aromatic red as a lighter-weight alternative to Pinot Noir. A bright, vivid perfume filled with cherry, blueberry and raspberry fruit, mixed with baking spice and lilac florals. Plump and fuller in the palate, with a drag of tannin across the tongue, and that spice turning earthy and savoury. 91pts

UMPF ‘Dark Red’ Shiraz 2022

I’m coming round to the idea that Shiraz is Australia’s ‘signature grape’, and the some of the best come from South Australia. A deep black-tinged red colour, but the palate has a delightfully lighter weight and movement to it. The fruit is intense, dark and juicy, but not jammy or over-ripe. Crushed pepper and woody spices add seasoning. Oak, acidity and tannin are seamlessly woven in, keeping the fruit as the star of the show. 92pts

Château du Tetre Belair 2022

When looking for good-value Bordeaux, it pays to take a look in appellations that neighbour more prestigious (and expensive) ones. This wine comes from Castillon, in the Côtes de Bordeaux - on the Right Bank, next to Saint-Emilion. Merlot-high, blended with Cabernet Franc. Cherry, plum and blackcurrant, with a little liquorice. Quite full bodied, it is juicy and plush, but with plenty of tannin and acidity adding structure. Layers of dried herbs, balsam and violet florals add that savoury edge that Bordeaux wine is known for, and extra complexity. 93pts

Blackstrap Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

A wine hailing from the South Australia sub-region of McLaren Vale with hallmark Cabernet style. Dark fruits of blackcurrant, bramble, plum and cherry mingle with a pencil-shaving graphite, bay leaf and olive notes. Well-structured, with spicy oak and fine, chalky tannin. Full-bodied and intense, revelling in its inky, dark depths - this is one for a thick steak off the BBQ, or to sit and contemplate on the last of these winter evenings. The finish is dry, peppery and long. 91pts