New South Wales Wines

Hunter Semillon is Australia’s gift to the world of wine and McWilliam’s have a proud history of making the variety. It’s already spent five years in the bottle so it’s showing superb age development, which Hunter Semillon is famous for. It shows citrus and lanolin on the nose before a honeyed palate that’s still vibrant with lime and grapefruit with a drawn out mineral finish. Perfect chilled and served with seafood dishes.

If Mudgee is to compete with other wine regions in NSW then they have to offer a point of difference when it comes to wine varieties. The Hunter has Semillon, Canberra has Riesling but Mudgee have cornered the market with alternative varieties. Some of the oldest Barbera vines are planted to the region providing medium bodied, food-friendly wines that team well with the local produce. Expect a savoury and complex red with cherry and berry fruit, gentle tannins and firm tannins. This is a real pizza magnet that over-delivers in every way.

Sexy, sleek and sometimes savoury, Sangiovese has come of age in Australia and has found a comfortable home in Mudgee. The Montrose vineyards were the first to be planted back in the 70’s by a couple of wine-loving Italians Their vision paid off as alternative varieties have really give Mudgee a fine reputation. Pietra is the Italian for stone and this wine lies on quartz and limestone imparting a complex minerality. The wine is full of bright, savoury fruit, with crisp acids and soft tannins that make it a must for pasta and meatballs.

From the Hilltops region of NSW, this big and bold blend has lovely, powerful fruit, a firm structure and brilliant length. Drink it now for pleasure or give it five years in the cellar to see its best.

If there’s one thing that get ‘s the heart beating and the blood pumping faster its the unique and seductive nature of Canberra Shiraz. To be fair there’s not much else in Canberra to get the heart beating energetically so you’ve got to take what you can get and you should get on this reserve style from Brindabella Hills. It’s been awarded an amazing 95/100 from wine critic James Halliday and shows off the regions cool climate credentials with finesse. Fragrant and spicy, this is a medium bodied red with great depth and structure.

Hunter Shiraz remains one of the country’s most collectable and cellar worthy red styles thanks to its acid structure that allows it to age gracefully. This star performer from Lambloch is a classic example of the region and their flagship wine. It exhibits some scintillating fruit aromas of plum and mulberry as well as trademark savoury tones of leather and earth. The palate delivers plum and spice before a seamlessly silky and persistent finish.

Not the most attractive name for a wine but it refers to the original Hungarian migrants who were shocked by the hot conditions in the Hunter and called it “Pokolbin” which roughly translates as hell-hole. This style of Shiraz typifies the Hunter in that there’s sweet fruit, savoury elements and an attractive, medium bodied palate. As always it’s full of character, regional flavour and super soft tannins that cascade across the mouth. One to put away in the cellar as defined acids ensure this will last a decade or more.

The Montrose vineyards in Mudgee are the oldest in the region and as winemaker James Manners points out this Shiraz is about balance, flavour and a true expression of the Mudgee region. Reds of the area have been referred to as Mudgee mud in the past, but we like to think earthy is a far more apt description. The fruit is concentrated with a solid oak integration and a nicely rounded tannin structure. It makes for great drinking now with a charred steak but will cellar well for the next five years too.

The Hilltops is fast becoming a region to watch for cool climate reds and the Moppity Reserve Shiraz is one of the icons of the area. This is intelligent stuff destined for your cellar. It’s not just for mid-week quaffing, no, this is the real deal, what we’d describe as a cerebral wine and it needs food to bring out its best qualities. A small amount of Viognier has been added to fill out the palate and lend aromatic lift with brilliant results. It’s brimming with dark fruit and spice, shows a multi-layered complexity and has an extraordinary silky texture.

The Outlaw is a wine that needs to be captured by your tastebuds and imprisoned on your palate. It celebrates the Stockmen that roamed this part of the Central Ranges and this premium Shiraz is the kind of wine that would go well with an open barbecue in the outback. It has recently picked up an amazing three trophies at the small winemakers wine show celebrating its immense quality. It’s got a vivid nose of berries, chocolate and coffee tempered by subtle spice. A silky palate shows a perfect combination of fruit, acid and tannins bonding harmoniously.

When was the last time you had a Chardonnay from the Southern Highlands? Yes, we thought as much. When actually did you last have a wine from the Southern Highlands at all? This exhibits all the cool climate charm that you’d expect from Chardonnay with peach and melon fruit and the gentlest trace of oak. A keen core of grapefruit and citrus follows before a long, intense finish. When paired with seafood or chicken this wine will really shine.

If there’s one thing the Hunter does well, it’s Semillon. Young or old, this is a white variety that offers so much thanks to its fruit flavours and acid profile. We love the Hell Hole but would not want to live there, it relates to the ridiculously hot summers in the Hunter where the temperature becomes quite ‘hellish.’ Intensely citrus nose precedes a predominance of lemon on the palate supported by a defined acid backbone. If you love Semillon fresh and lemony, drink now, if you like it honeyed and complex, lay it down for five years.

Moppity is one of those wine-trade insider labels. We drink it, we buy it, we love it but we don’t tell too many people because the party might end when the world discovers just how good Moppity is. What we love here at Cracka is the wines unique mix of power and subtle character with tannins making it a true cellaring proposition. It is not Barossa, nor is it Adelaide Hills Shiraz – actually it is even better.

If there’s one region in Australia that’s going to give the Adelaide Hills a run for its money then it’s Orange. This Savvy from Printhie is a reserve style that is much more complex than most. It’s layered and complex with a textural and mineral quality that makes it one of the most envied an accomplished white wines of the Orange region. Pair it with a goat curd pizza for a match made in heaven.

If this is not one of the great bargains going round, then I truly am a monkeys uncle. No great surprise either as if you put Clonakilla winemaker Bryan Martin with superb Canberra fruit then you will get fireworks. Robust complex cranberry, spicy fruit, fine tannins and a beautiful long finish – the kind of wine you want to nurse curled up in front of an open fire. Just out and already rated 5 stars by Ralph Kyte-Powell in The Age – get it while you can!

As they say in the Hunter, this wine is Sem-sational and it’s no wonder that Australia’s gift to the world of white wine continues to gain loyal fans. Mike De Iuliis is one of a new breed of Hunter winemakers who manages to make wines that talk of place. Typically varietal and regional showing lemon and lime as well as cut grass aromas before a palate of fresh citrus fruit and a zingy acid finish. Drinking well now but will cellar brilliantly for a decade or more.

Now biodynamic since 2003, Lark Hill are extremely astute grape growers who continue to produce fine wines seemingly despite what ever nature can throw up. This Riesling is one of the stars of the Lark Hil show, a minerally, fine and long Riesling of texture and finesse. A sexy wine in anyone's language.

If you want to back a Chardonnay from Orange make sure it’s this one as it’s a Shaw thing. Excuse the terrible pun but there’s real talent in everything Philip Shaw touches due to over thirty years in the business. It was always his dream to make wines from the region and the Architect is a well-structured white. It’s full of rich aromas of citrus and honey. The fruit is subtle on the palate but it’s an elegant, structured white wine that really shows it’s true character with food, particularly chicken or seafood.

If you want wines with altitude then jump onto what Printhie are doing because this winery in the cool climate of Orange are forging ahead in terms of quality and consistently, making wines of real interest. This is Cabernet that really makes an impact, made in tiny amounts and showing a really good expression of vineyard site and the variety. It shows intense berry flavours with nicely bottle-aged characters of earth, flowers and tobacco before a long palate with elegantly weighted tannins.

Moppity are the kind of producer we are keen to champion as they make wines at the bargain end of town as well as the super premium. This reserve Cabernet shows Hilltops at it’s very best and in this incarnation winemaker Jason Brown has taken inspiration from the super Tuscan blends of Cabernet and Sangiovese. It shows typical berry fruits, anise and dark chocolate before a sumptuous palate with well-integrated oak and stylish tannins. This is a food wine of the highest order and goes nicely with roasted shoulder of lamb.