10 top Australian wines: a personal pick

Food and wine writer Natasha Hughes picks the 10 wines that appealed to her most at the recent Australia Day tasting in London and suggests the ideal food match

Giant Steps, Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, 2007 (15.95, O W Loeb 020 7234 0385)
Giant Steps, in my opinion, makes one of the best Chardonnays in the Yarra Valley. The 2007, with its sensitive oaking and clean, pure fruit, won’t be available in the UK for another year or so, but the 2006 (which has reached our shores) is a more than acceptable substitute. With a wine of this elegance, you don’t need culinary fireworks to get it to reveal its best – serve it with a simple roast organic chicken, perhaps with some roast vegetables, and allow it to speak for itself.

Tamar Ridge, Devil’s Corner Pinot Grigio, Tasmania, 2007 (9.49-9.99, Ellis of Richmond, 020 8744 5556; Amps Fine Wine, 01832 273 502; Sheridan Coopers, 01273 870 055; Corks Out, 01925 267 700)
Tasmania has already got a growing reputation for the quality of its Pinot Noir and its Riesling, but some producers are beginning to explore the potential of other aromatic white varietals, particularly – on the evidence of last week’s tasting at least – Gewurztraminer and Pinot Grigio/Gris. Like most Aussie Pinot Grigio/Gris, this version occupies the middle ground between the neutrality of Northern Italian wines made from the grape and richer examples from Alsace. It’s got a slight herbal twist to some clean, refreshing ripe pear fruit, and it should work nicely with a mildly spiced seafood dish – perhaps a Keralan prawn curry – as well as smoked salmon or eel.

Mesh, Riesling, Eden Valley, 2008 (12.50-16, Philglass & Swiggot, 020 7924 4494; Highbury Vintners, 020 7226 1347; Flagship Wines, 01727 865 309)
Mesh is a joint venture between two of South Australia’s most iconic winemakers, Robert Hill Smith and Jeffrey Grosset. The grapes for this wine are grown in the Eden Valley, and it shows all the region’s characteristically intense lime fruit, along with hints of peachiness and minerality. It should age well, developing a toasty, marmalade character over time, but I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off it long enough for that to happen. I’d aim to drink my bottle this summer with some simply barbecued prawns, fresh off the griddle and tossed with a bit of chilli and a squeeze of lime juice. The 2008 hasn’t been shipped to the UK as of yet.

Suckfizzle, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River, 2005 (18.40, Alliance Wines, 01505 506 060)
Margaret River is a great source of Sauvignon/Semillon blends, the best examples of which provide competition for some of Bordeaux’s dry whites. Suckfizzle’s version has an intense nose full of grassy, herbaceous notes as well as citrus and gooseberry fruit. The palate reveals a flinty minerality, as well as a rich, creamy texture derived from the time the wine spends in oak. I’d be tempted to pair this with some white fish, perhaps something like bass or bream cooked with herbs, or even a turbot with a creamy sauce.

Mitchelton, Marsanne, Goulburn Valley, 2007 (11, Bibendum Wine, 020 7499 4110; Noel Young Wines, 01223 844 744)
Mitchelton’s Airstrip, a blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, is an absolute stonker, but I hadn’t tasted its single-varietal Marsanne until this year’s Australia Day tasting. While it’s less complex than its blended sister, it has plenty of attractive apricot, nut and honeysuckle flavour, as well as just enough creamy oak to flesh it out on the mid-palate. This rich but balanced white would be ideal with roast pork, especially if the pork was accompanied by some roast apricots.

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