Any price
Forest Hill Highbury Fields Great Southern Shiraz
Forrest The Doctors' Marlborough Rose
Dr Forrest and his wife Brigid (also a doctor) use techniques in the vineyard to allow the grapes to obtain maximum flavour, but keep sugar (and therefore alcohol) levels down. No fancy winery or laboratory tricks – just some very clever canopy management and timing as to when they pick. This delicious lower alcohol (9.5%) Rosé melds Pinot Noir with the white grape Arneis to create a delightfully fresh and lively pink, bursting with fresh strawberries, ripe red cherry, and just a hint of aromatic herbs like sage and thyme.
Forrest The Doctors' Sauvignon Blanc
A dazzling Sav Blanc that almost leaps out of the glass. Red capsicum, passionfruit and fresh herb notes on the nose lead on to a crunchy, refreshing, tropical Marlborough finish. The difference? It's only 9.5% in alcohol. Not that you'd notice - that's the magic of 'The Doctors'! Dr Forrest and his wife Brigid (also a doctor) use techniques in the vineyard to allow the grapes to obtain maximum flavour, but keep sugar (and therefore alcohol) levels down. No fancy winery or laboratory tricks – just some very clever canopy management and timing as to when they pick. Their Sauvignon Blanc comes in at 9.5% and it's simply stunning. As Dr Forrest proudly points out, the wines have such structure, tannin, depth and balance that even experienced tasters would struggle to pick out the lower alcohol wine in a blind tasting line up!
Beneficio Cellar Reserve Langhorne Creek Chardonnay
Strout Vintners Langhorne Creek Chardonnay
As you can imagine, the folk who live on Strout Road have heard a lot of trout jokes. If you can’t beat them, join them, say the Strout Rd Vintners. They may only be a small outfit, but they’re certainly making a big splash with their luscious, mouthfilling wines, like this fresh and beautifully balanced Chardonnay which takes its fruit from vineyards in Langhorne Creek, which has long been a region touted as an insider's top tip for exceptional value.
Greedy Bird South Australia Sauvignon Blanc
BedLam & OrdEr Langhorne Creek Chardonnay Blend
Selección Especial Numerada 67 Rioja Gran Reserva
Our Selección Especial Numerada range is reserved for some very special one-off parcels of wines where our Buyer for Spain has negotiated a great-deal price in exchange for winery anonymity. That’s exactly what you have here and this magnificent Gran Reserva Rioja has all the credentials. It’s pure, old-vine Tempranillo, which accounts for this great wine’s incredible intensity. Ageing for over two years in a mix of tight-grained French oak barrels and more opulently vanilla-scented American oak, and finished with over 30 months ageing in bottle, has lent layers of mesmirising complexity and length. This is a wine to savour – an ideal wine to save with slow-roasted lamb shoulder, game dishes or exotic mushroom tapas.
Cia' Ludo Montepulciano
In a region famous for both its azure-lined Adriatic coast and snow-capped mountains, Abruzzo, you'll find the inspiring young winemaker, Ludo to her friends. You'll usually see her on her bike, pedalling the hills between vineyards, waving 'cia' - hello and goodbye – to those she passes. This is her homeland, so she knows it well, loves it, too. Trebbiano is her (and Abruzzo's) white grape of choice, making vibrant, lemon and lime-fresh white. For reds, her passion is the Abruzzo hero Montepulciano – that bright, plum-filled, all velvety-supple character, the reds of which are deliciously moreish, especially in the able hands of Ludo. A great all-round red. In summer, try it lightly chilled. Raise a glass, remember her name. Cia' Ludo!