BEST BUYS: AUSTRALIA

Best Buys Main

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• Hunter Valley semillon from Margan; shows more balance, charm and restraint than most HV Semillons. Nice depth in this price range!
  
  

• Aussie rieslings from Craneford and Leconfield. Two fairly high acid wines in a dry, somewhat steely style, the Craneford even more so than Leconfield. Both show good depth and fruit for this price range.
  
  
  

• NV Tawny Port "Old Cave" McLaren Vale (Chateau Reynella) Reviewed, March, 1999.  Also for even less,  you can get Yalumba's well known, great value Clocktower Tawny Port, a sweeter, gentler, style.
   

• NV Tawny Port "Old Codger" (Dutschke) (December, 2007) An Aussie tawny with the acidity of Portuguese...$12
  

• NV Tawny Port "Trafford" DP 30 (Seppelt) Reviewed, November, 1999.  For under $10, a terrific, juicy value that clobbers many higher priced wines.

• 1997 Rosemount Grenache/Shiraz  Reviewed at May/June, 1998 Tasting Notes, 1998
  
  
• Seppelt Terrain wines (cabernet, shiraz) These "Terrain" wines, a logo indicating low cost varietals,  feature good fruit, easy drinking, and low price tags.  I especially liked the cab. Available in the USA, too.   Reviewed, April, 1999.
  
  
• 2002 "Classic Dry White" (Cullen)  Sharp and interesting--and only $150 a case in Australian dollars if you happen to be in Australia.  (September 2003)
  
• 1997 Rosemount Shiraz    Reviewed at November, 1998 Tasting Notes
  
  
• 1996 Chardonnay (Salitage)  Reviewed at May/June, 1998 Tasting Notes, 1998
  
  
• Chardonnay (Deakin Estates) Reviewed at May/June, 1998 Tasting Notes, 1998
  
  
• Chardonnay  "Olive Grove" (d'Arenberg)Reviewed at May/June, 1998 Tasting Notes, 1998
  
  
• Shiraz / Grenache "d'Arry's Original" (d'Arenberg) Reviewed at May/June, 1998 Tasting Notes, 1998
  
  
• 1997 Chardonnay (Mad Fish) Reviewed at May/June, 1998 Tasting Notes, 1998
  
  
• Penfold's Bin 2 Shiraz/Mourvedre
  
  
• Penfold's Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz
   
• 2004 Shiraz/Viognier (Mr. Riggs)  (January, 2006)  Delicious, balanced, about $20.
   
• 2004 "Pillarbox Red" (Henry's Drive)  (December 2005) About $10--beautiful structure for a cheapie..
  
  
• 1994 Cape Mentelle Shiraz  Reviewed at July/Aug Tasting Notes, 1997
  
  

• 2002 Shiraz (Woop Woop) (March 2003) Whoopee! $10. Delicious.
  

• 2001 Cabernet (Sticks)   (March 2003) In an era where drinkable Cal cabs cost and arm and a  leg, you could enjoy this as much as thing three times the price.
   

• 2001 Footbolt Shiraz (d'Arenberg)   A reliable shiraz, always a value. (June 2004)
  
  

• Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Mourvedre

  Australia is a Best Buy drinker's paradise. On one trip, I found so many fine wines at low price points that I could fill a book. But I'm not going to bother to list them all, or list a million things that can't be found here.

  Find any inexpensive red made by Penfold's.... One of the most consistent red wine producers in the world, and they concentrate on value for your money, notwithstanding their prestige wines like Grange. The Bin 389 Cab/Shiraz is close to $15 but usually exceptional in its price range, too.  There is a tendency to overoak some of these wines,  like the Koonunga Hill,  and that will certainly turn some folks off, me included, despite their many virtues. So if toasty, new American oak offends, try Rosemount, below, which usually doesn't have quite as much.  The major producers in Australia, the big corporate giants, the Seppelts, and the like (many of which wind up under the same corporate umbrella) do a pretty fine job of churning out enjoyable, low priced wines.

  Australian fortified wines. A very well kept secret. The rascals don't even export the best stuff to us.  We have to make do with the Chateau Reynella and Clocktower, lovely wines at a mere $12.99. The Old Codger, with Portuguese acidity and Aussie sweetness and pricing is a steal at $12.  One day, we'll get revenge for this, right?

  The Rosemounts are  lush, rich wines that belie their price levels,  around $10.  The Cape Mentelle is just around $12, and is rich and luscious.   The Footbolt is bigger and denser, more likely to age, the d'Arry's is sweeter and easier,   a rich, charming, albeit,  uncomplicated wine that many would call the quintessential Aussie stereotype: fruity, a bit oaky, forward, lush, easy and friendly, and not exactly in danger of falling apart. Steals. 

  The four chards are just lovely.  The d'Arenberg goes for the fresh, crisp clean look. A great summer match for plainer foods.   The Salitage is longer and deeper, and adds a touch of oak and some lees flavoring, while remaining elegant and well balanced.  The Mad Fish and Deakin are odd ducks, with a bit of semillon mixed in.  They are not exactly chards, but they sure taste good. The Deakin is a touch sweeter and more flamboyant, the Mad Fish drier and more focused. The Deakin is by far the better buy at around $12. Depending on the marketplace, the Mad Fish will fun about $4 to $6 more.  It stretches the limit, but I include it as a useful counterpoint to the Deakin, and you may be able to get deals on it. 

  One could write a long time about Australian bargains. These are just some useful examples.

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