We have an affinity for white wine here in Australia. With the perfect drinking climate and our love for outdoors is there anything better than a glass of white wine after a long day? We think not. Here are our top picks of the best Australian white wine at the moment.
Whether it’s fish and chips on the beach or grilled snapper on a crisp white tablecloth with an ocean view, 2014 Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc, $25, is the ultimate seafood match. This vintage is the 25th release of this iconic style. From the cool climate of Adelaide Hills, this is a subtle, more restrained version of the sauvignon blanc style, with a citrus bouquet followed by super-fresh, crisp white-wine flavour.
Whether your version of camping is a swag in the outback or a fully serviced luxury tent, pack a bottle of 2014 Stargazer Riesling, $30. A fitting accompaniment to your adventures in the great outdoors, this wine pays tribute to explorer Abel Tasman. Crafted in Tasmania, it’s bright and fresh, with lifted floral and grapefruit aromas, and a refreshing palate. Serve it super-chilled, then kick back and enjoy the night sky.
This Barossa Valley winery harked back to its German roots to bring back to life a traditional, lightly sweet, gently fizzy riesling. Live Wire is wickedly perfumed, foral and citrussy, tastes like crunchy green apples and finishes fresh.
Gewurztraminer is generally up there in the style stakes with wearing underpants over a pair of trackies. From the relatively unsung region of New England, NSW, comes a pot-pourri bouquet with ginger-’n’-spice fruitiness, resulting in one of Australia’s best examples.
There’s a splash of gewurztraminer in this riesling-dominant wine. Gewurz usually stands alone, but here it’s used like a drop of potent elixir to lift the perfume into the stratosphere and give added glide to the silky texture. The result is a riesling showing added complexity, with nutty savouriness and spice among refreshing citrus-fruit characters.
Hunter Valley semillon should be in the repertoire of every wine drinker the world over. In its youth, it’s light, crisp, tight and blindingly fresh. With age, some honeyed goodness creeps in. Semillon is also uniquely Australian, so you’re also doing your patriotic duty. Brokenwood’s version is always reliably delicious.
One of Australia’s most distinct and iconic wine styles is Hunter Valley semillon. Squeaky acidity, purity of fruit and a youthful energy makes for sensational drinking while young, but mellow and honeyed with cellar age. The ultimate complement to seafood.
Hip design. Low-carbon footprint. Handy two-litre pack. Cask wine is an Aussie innovation that has been given a reinvention thanks to The Winesmiths in South Australia. This is a ripper drink built for guzzling with gusto or tossing some ice into. Great value, too.
McLaren Vale’s Coriole winery was one of the first Australian producers to work with Italian grape varieties. They don’t disappoint with this seriously refreshing, easy drinking, lightly nutty white wine produced from the fiano grape variety. The drop pairs superbly with pesce crudo (raw fish).
Young, fresh, crisp riesling is such a good foil for the change of season and works well with salads of raw seasonal vegetables or, if daring, fruit platters. Majella’s riesling has that gentle lick of fruit sweetness that should serve well when thirst-quenching is urgent.
Yalumba’s organic wines can often be found at bargain prices, which is handy if you’re putting on a larger shindig. It’s a crisp, fresh-fruited, chardonnay that sits in the crunchy, white fresh stone fruit spectrum of bouquet and flavours.
