I’m obviously not talking about diminutive people who live in a fantasy land where everyone else is equally diminutive. No I am referring to wines, or grape varieties, or producers, or regions or a mixture of these things. The little people are the lesser known grape varieties, the unfashionable regions, the small producers; this is where I want to be discovering my wine. There are a couple of key reasons for me personally; value and the thrill of the chase!

Buying wine is fraught with risk, but offers great rewards when you get it right. Every grape, every region, every blend; there are seemingly infinite choices when it comes to where to spend my wine pounds.

As I’ve learnt more about wine it has enhanced my need to discover new things and explore the vastness of options on offer. So where is the best place to buy wine? Again there isn’t really a simple answer. One of the biggest pluses I have found has been tapping into the expertise of proper wine merchants. These are people that live and breathe the wines that they sell. They handpick wines from a wide range of producers and merchants and bring a selection of wines that have been personally tasted by the team, to the consumer. By getting to know these people, giving feedback on wines you buy and developing a ‘relationship’ (I realise that sounds a bit wanky, but that is effectively what you’re doing in an ideal consumer – merchant scenario) you can end up reaping the rewards of consistently excellent quality of wines.

I’ve bought wines from £6 up to around £40 a bottle from various specialist wine merchants and without fail the bottles I buy deliver quality and value in spades. If I think back to the times that I’ve been attracted to deals from large multiple retailers, I’m so often disappointed by the reality of what’s in the bottle.

Some examples of where a specialist has paid off recently:

• Cesanese di Lazio from The Secret Cellar in Tunbridge Wells. An amazing bottle of wine for around £9. This blows most readily available Italian wines under £10 out of the water. Seek some out.  http://www.thesecretcellar.co.uk/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=3841
• Le Macchiole from Lea and Sandeman. Cracking value supertuscan blend of Bordeaux varieties from the Bolgheri region of Tuscany. Really classy and if you compare it to many cru bourgeois level wines from Bordeaux it punches well above its price tag. http://www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/wine/2009-bolgheri-rosso-le-macchiole-14977-00.html?pack=18728&categoryFilter=36&page=2
• Gigondas Pascal Freres 1999 – ok so the Rhone is exactly a small or unknown region, but a wine with 13 years of bottle age and bundles of class at less than £15, that’s a rarity. If I think of some of the standardised, frankly boring wines available in the aisles of our biggest shops around the £15 mark, it’s criminal that this is available for this sort of money really! http://www.yapp.co.uk/Wine-List/Rhone-Wines/Gigondas-Wines/Gigondas-1999/
• www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk – I can’t pick out a specific wine as there are too that I’ve bought from them to mention, but if you are in the Holborn / Covent Garden area you have to visit the shop. Consistently excellent wines at all levels (especially at the more premium end) and they have two bars in the city where you can enjoy one of their bottles for a small corkage charge.
• Quoin Rock Cape Blend. 8 years of bottle age. Bags of flavour and quite a bit of refinement in this gutsy blend from South Africa. Fantastic value at £9. http://www.thewinesociety.com/shop/shop.aspx?section=pd&pl=&pd=SA6411&pc=&prl=
• Latria – from the Monsant region of Spain. I would have overlooked this without some direction, but this is a belter. Garnacha and Carignan grapes make up a smooth and deep red wine which is so refined for the £7.50 price tag. http://www.thewinesociety.com/shop/shop.aspx?section=pd&pl=&pd=SP6861&pc=&prl=

(You need to pay a £40 joining fee to buy wine from The Wine Society, but it opens up an incredible selection of fairly priced wines and if you live near Stevenage, you can go and visit them in person!)

There are of course exceptions and you can find excellent wines in large multiple retail stores and through on-line options, but you really need to rely on third party reviews or strike it lucky with an unknown quantity. My preference will always be to know someone personally who knows the type of wine I like, explore new wines that they have discovered and continue to drink and enjoy great wines. Recently a hugely influential wine buyer from Costco in the US stated her opinion that buying wine was the same as buying toilet roll. Sadly I think that for a great deal of the mass market wines she’s got a point, but for the huge number of individual, small production wines from across the globe, she is way off the mark. I hope more people can discover their local independent merchant, go and speak to them, try some wines you don’t recognise and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed (disclaimer: my guarantee is not a real guarantee)

I’ve always had a problem with Merlot. Merlot on its own that is. Its great with other things. A bit of Cab Sauvignon or a bit of Cab Franc – lovely. Just Merlot, you can keep it. I have to hold my hands up and admit that a lot of this has probably been down to fashion, reputation etc. Turning up at a friends house with a bottle of Merlot (unless you don’t know them that well and don’t plan on seeing them much again) always felt a bit weird. I’m a changed man now.

I started to see the light when I was touring round Australia and went on yet another ‘sightseeing’ trip to a wine region. This time it was the Hunter Valley’s turn. We were tasting at Sobel Wines cellar door and the enigmatic owner Kevin Sobel talked me into tasting his Merlot. I defiantly told him ‘I’ve never had a Merlot that I liked’ he defiantly replied ‘you haven’t had my one’ Fair enough. It was superb. Yes it was soft and supple and fruity as I expected, but it was layered and serious enough to warrant attention.

A couple of years later on I was speaking to the good people at Planet of the Grapes and they suggested I tried a Sebastiani Merlot. I wrinkled my nose a bit and said ‘ I don’t really like Merlot’ Marc’s immediate response was ‘do you like Pomerol’ to which I of course responded in the affirmative. ‘Well you probably like Merlot then’ Fair point. The Sebastiani Merlot had a few years of age on it and was absolutely delicious. Really complex and silky smooth, one of my favourite wines of 2011 in fact.

Then the other night I bought a couple of bottles of Morgenhof Merlot from Waitrose. They were on offer, I remember avoiding it deliberately previously but my recent Merlot revelations convinced me it was worth a buy. I wasn’t disappointed. Its young so at this stage pretty straightforward, but that said its a well balanced fruity and delicious mouthful. Well worth the money.

Anyway, my Merlot education has been slow but I’m a convert. Of course with decent ability to mingle with other grapes it will more often be a part of a bigger picture, but I’ve come to realise that its perfectly able to stand on its own two feet.

Finding truly artisan, limited production delicious wines is what I drink for. Speaking to Mike at The Secret Cellar in Tunbridge Wells recently led me to a couple of bottles of wine I would definitely have ignored without direction. Filature produce a Chardonnay and a Syrah from the Languedoc region of France. They are both ‘lowly’ Pays D’oc wines, as a consumer I might assume that my £14.99 could be better spent in wines from more prestigious French appellations – I found the reality to be very different.

Chardonnay 2009 – it looks brilliant golden in the glass. So inviting. It’s full of flavour but supremely balanced. Not overly oaky, not too buttery but with incredible texture. The tropical and stone fruit flavours filled my mouth completely, a really intense hit of pleasure. It pairs brilliantly with roast monkfish, but would be perfectly happy sipping on its own. Move this to Burgundy and this wine could easily hit the high £20’s in cost. I loved it. http://www.thesecretcellar.co.uk/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=3572

Syrah 2007 – wow, this wine had me from the first sip. It’s my kind of wine. Pure, intense, balanced dark fruits with a real freshness often missed by Shiraz from the New World. Also when I compare it to Northern Rhone reds that cost quite a bit more, it punches well above it’s weight. When I spend £14.99 on a bottle of wine I expect it to be good, this is better than that, a lot better. http://www.thesecretcellar.co.uk/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=3571

Now I just need to get my hands on a few more….

My wife said to me the other day “what wines would you like to have in your collection?” I’m not sure on the motive, I’m hoping she is planning well in advance for future birthday and Christmas ideas, (I will send her the link shortly), but either way it got me thinking. There are so many wines I would like to own and try. So extremely hypothetically typing, if I had an empty cellar, what would I fill it with?

Variety is the key in my dream world. I don’t want any region or grape variety left unturned (I’ve got other things to do, so no doubt there will be countless unturned grapes and regions) This is effectively a never ending post because I could keep adding and adding, but these are a starter for ten…

JJ Prum – Riesling Kabinett – everything I hear about these wines makes me want to spend loads of money buying them. Must taste soon and know if my efforts thinking about them are justified!

JJ Prum – Wehlener Sonnenuhr – Riesling Auslese – I know that this will be like drinking the nectar of the gods.

Dr Loosen – Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese Gold Cap – We’ll have an Auslese off. I tried a vintage of this once in Planet of the Grapes and it was awesome. Pure golden brilliance.

Tyrells Vat1 Hunter Valley Semillon – I’ve tried various vintages and for my imaginary cellar it will be as old as possible. Tough to describe, so I won’t bother here, its a wishlist not tasting notes after all.

Oceans Eight Verve Chardonnay – I can’t afford it right now, but if I could I would buy some.

Chateau Grillet – I love condrieu (not drunk much of it, but the stuff I’ve tasted has been immense) this is a fabled and expensive wine now owned by the same people that own Chateau Latour in Bordeaux.

Giaconda Aeolia – I love white wines that are interesting. This is 100% Roussanne (normally confined to blends with stablemate Marsanne) from Australia not the Rhone Valley. Wine people would be impressed when I pull this one out.

Cloudy Bay Te Koko – it would be much cooler to wish for some Greywacke Wild Sauvignon but I prefer the Te Koko. Funky complex flavours a million miles away from Kiwi Sauvignon, although it is.

Ridge Vineyards – I’m not fussy when it comes to Ridge. I’ve had Geyserville and Lytton Springs, but wouldn’t say no to Santa Cruz Estate or even a few Monte Bellos!

Jasper Hill Georgias Paddock Shiraz – the older the better. I tried a 2005 at a Yapp Brothers tasting and was blown away by it. Australian Shiraz this is not. Well it is technically, but not as we know it.

Chateau Le Pez – St Estephe – The couple of times that I’ve had it I’ve loved it. I remember it being powerful but graceful. Dark fruits but complex and smooth.

La Merle Aux Alouettes – A merlot based red from the south western region of France made by a guy called Alain Chabanon. Its a bit of a guerrilla wine in that it’s deliberately made outside of Appelation Controlée regulations and is ‘just’ a Vin de Pays. Tasted once and it blew a grand cru classé St Emillion out of the water.

Tignanello – tried this first in the Cantine wine store in Greve in Chianti. Fell in love with it then, tasted couple of times since. Would need a few of these in the cellar for sure.

Fontalloro Felsina – another Supertuscan for variety…

Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Papes – We shared a bottle of the 2000 vintage at a memorable meal at the Square restaurant in London. Definitely a wine to have a few of.

Hermitage Jean Louis Chave – another dreamy wine with a fanatical following. One for cold rainy days.

La Rioja Alta – Vina Ardanza Rioja Reserva Especial 2001 – I’d have this in magnums and whip it out for big Sunday lunch gatherings around my unexplainably big dining table.

Au Bon Climat – Knox Alexander Pinot Noir - I’ve had this a couple of times but when I had it in Hawksmoor in London, I remember it being so silky smooth with layers and layers of complex deliciousness.

Lemelson Pinot Noir – Oregon – Read loads about wines from this estate. Some of the single vineyard Pinots would do nicely.

Main Ridge Estate – ½ Acre Pinot Noir – the wine that affirmed my love of all things vinous. I drank this once in a pokey hostel room in Cairns watching the Australian Tennis Open Womens Final. It almost made me cry it was that good (the wine not the hostel room – although the room came close). Can’t buy it in the UK.

William Downie – Pinot Noir – Gippsland – would have it in an elaborate blind tasting of pinot noirs from the cellar – supposed to be ace!

By Farr – Pinot Noir – This can go in the Pinot Noir taste off. I’ve tried it and would definitely find room for a few bottles!

Travaglini Gattinara – weird shaped bottle, often seen never tried. Supposed to be superb Nebbiolo and I should have a few Nebbiolos in my imaginary cellar!

Gevrey Chambertin – Combottes – Domaine Dujac – just because I will need some decent premier cru Burgundy in the mix and Gevrey is a village I rarely get to drink wine from.

Nuit-St-Georges Premier Cru - La Maréchale – Jaques-Frédéric Mugnier – I own a lonely solitary bottle and it’s reputation is excellent. A few extra bottles would certainly be welcome.

Gaja – Sito Moresco – Gaja are a legendary producer of top Nebbiolos. They command pretty hefty pricetags. My imaginary cellar is imaginary, but also realistic. Sito Moresco is from the Langhe appellation and throws in some Merlot and Cab Sauvignon. Tried it at an Armit Wines tasting and loved it.

Vietti Barolo – I shared a bottle of this at Planet of the Grapes once. Hugely memorable wine. I’ll make room for some (financially and in terms of space!)

Aldo Conterno – Colonello Barolo – tried this at the Bordeaux Index Italian tasting recently and it was unbelievably good. I would obviously need more than one Barolo to call on – obv

Altesino – Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli – I fell in love with the hilltop town of Montalcino when we travelled around Tuscany on our honeymoon. Brunello when done well is world beating for me. This one is particularly special.

Recioto di Valpolicella – I need to do some research but the one time I tried a recioto from the Valpolicella region of Italy I was hugely impressed. A producer like Allegrini might be a good place to start.

Banyuls – Yapp Brothers do a lovely Banyuls which is a rarely seen sweet red wine from the Roussillon region of France. Be nice to have a slightly weird option to pull out after dinner.

D’yquem – I might be able to afford a couple of ½ bottles for extremely special occasions. I’m yet to try this in real life (as opposed to in my dreams)

I love Pinot Noir. Its the grape variety that delivers the juicy fruit flavours I want to find in a glass of wine. Its often silky smooth and can be seductive as it develops new fragrant flavours in the glass. On the flipside though it can disappoint. Its a fickle grape that if not handled correctly can be thin and watery, sometimes overly acidic and more often than not it costs more than the majority of its red grape peers.

Burgundy is Pinot Noirs’ homeland. (just typing Homeland I am immediately excited by the prospect of this weeks latest episode with Clare Danes and Damien Lewis – I digress) However Pinot Noir has been grown with great success across many different regions across the world. I’ve paid over £20 for Premier Cru Burgundy a number of times and each time I’m left wondering what all the fuss is about. I’ve drunk Grand Cru Burgundy a couple of times and been blown away, but this stuff costs north of £60 a bottle and has no limit! £20+ (and often quite a bit less) of Pinot Noir from Oregon, California, Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania, Martinborough, Central Otago, Yarra Valley (I could list a few more) in my experience consistently beats their Burgundian counterparts. I am sure there are plenty of examples of where I would enjoy the Burgundy more, but at this stage I would honestly buy the Pinot’s from the other regions. These are some of my favourites from recent drinking:

Mac Forbes – Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2010 – £22 http://www.slurp.co.uk/red-wine/australian-red-wine/21807-mac-forbes-yarra-valley-pinot-noir-2010/

Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 2009 – Mornington Peninsula – £27.50 http://www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/wine/2009-yabby-lake-single-vineyard-pinot-noir-16615-00.html

Yering Station Pinot Noir 2008 – Yarra Valley – £12.79 http://www.drinksdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Yering_Station_Pinot_Noir.html

Misha’s Vineyard – Central Otago 2010 – £22.75  http://www.slurp.co.uk/red-wine/new-zealand-red-wine/26553-mishas-vineyard-the-high-note-pinot-noir-2008/

Paringa – Estate Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula £26.99 – http://www.thesecretcellar.co.uk/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=3885

Bouchard Finlayson – Galpin Peak – South Africa – £22.95 http://www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/wine/2010-galpin-peak-pinot-noir-bouchard-finlayson-16657-00.html

Long may the Pinot Noir discovery continue!

I’ve been fortunate to drink some brilliant wines this year. I’ve been working through my WSET Advanced qualification, so it’s all ‘study’ as far as I’m concerned. Now I’ve finished that, (hopefully anyway), I need a new excuse for next year! I’ve spat out a lot more wines in 2011 than ever before; the wines below are not those ones. I might have sniffed and swirled, but these are all wines I drank with great people and enjoyed:

Colledilia Chinati Classico – Castello di Brolio 2007 – £35-40 www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk , http://www.vintagemarque.com/Default.aspx

Another unknown quantity, to me anyway, but one I’m glad I increased my knowledge on. Tastes of mass produced supermarket ‘Chianti’ have led me to believe Chianti to be quite astringent, crying out for food to mask it’s rusticity (basically rough round the edges) This is a completely different wine. Smooth and mouthfilling with ripe red fruit and sour cherry flavours. It is delicate and complex and so so drinkable.

Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Papes 2000 – £50-60 – http://www.davy.co.uk/p/wineshop-buy-online/european-wines/france/rhone/chateauneuf-du-pape-chateau-de-beaucastel-perrin-2000-south-rhone.html?utm_source=Google%20Products&utm_medium=Internet

I couldn’t have built this up anymore. It has been sitting in my wine rack for five years, a single bottle from this revered Southern Rhone estate. I’ve been waiting for a choice moment when it might just be drinking nicely. So I took it to The Square for lunch (along with some people, not just me and the bottle) and it certainly delivered. The sommelier was in agreement. I kept using blood to describe it, it was deep and brooding but it’s the complexity that really gets you with this wine. It just keeps delivering new flavours with every sip. It was a wine that I didn’t want to finish (there’s plenty of them to be fair)

Raats Cab Franc 2007 - £20 ish – www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk
, www.alliancewine.co.uk

Biggest surprise of the year I think. I’ve tended to avoid single varietal Cab Franc as I have found some Loire versions, although great for what they are, not a style I warm to. This however delivered on texture, ripe sweet red fruits and nice layers of complexity.

Sebastiani Merlot 2001 – £20 ish – www.berkmann.co.uk

I wasn’t expecting this to be this good. Silky smooth texture, warming spices, dark red fruits, a wine that made me drink up and refill, but also had nice complexity from a bit of age that kept me really interested. Good value as well if you compare it to Merlot dominated blends from Bordeaux’s right bank….

By Farr Chardonnay 2008 – £45 – http://www.slurp.co.uk/white-wine/australian-white-wine/20046-by-farr-chardonnay-2008/

Chardonnay from Australia on my list of fave wines (and there were a few really good ones I tasted this year), wouldn’t have guessed that myself. Stunningly pure, crisp green fruits with a perfect amount of texture and complexity, without even a hint towards powerful oak. A wine I could happily polish off a bottle of without blinking. Not cheap, but something this good shouldn’t be!

Boscarelli Vin Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2001 – £ no idea

A good friend bought this from a little shop in Tuscany a few years ago and kindly shared it at ours after our daughter Saoirse was born. Such a great example of Sangiovese. Perfumed, rich and with great complexity; sadly this is probably the only time I will ever drink this.

Vietti Barolo Riserva 1997 – £100 ish – www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk

The ever so reliable guys at Planet of the Grapes (not sure how often they are described as that, but in terms of wine recommendations they are faultless) introduced me to another expensive but outstandingly good oldish Barolo. Subtle, feminine, sweet, savoury and a taste that lingered and lingered (in a very good way) Wish I could afford to drink this sort of wine more often.

Le Dome St Emilion Grand Cru 1998 – £120 ish – www.justerinis.com

Decadent, flashy almost, but undeniably good. Deep, dark black fruits, liquorice and spices. I don’t drink much Bordeaux (all too bloody expensive), especially anything with a few years of age, so this was a real treat.

Ridge Lytton Springs 2000 – £60 ish – www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk

Layer upon layer of dark fruits and chocolate and spice and generally nice things for your mouth to enjoy. With a bit of age its softer and has more complexity than current releases (although, current releases have been brilliant to drink through the year too!) Yet to be anything but impressed with any liquid stored in a Ridge bottle…!

Au Bon Climat ‘Knox Alexander’ Pinot Noir 2008 – £32 – £40 – http://www.slurp.co.uk/red-wine/american-red-wine/22491-au-bon-climat-pinot-noir-knox-alexander-bien-nacido-vin/

So brilliantly textured and full of sweet red fruits. Not as delicate and feminine as Pinot Noir can be, but a decadent and so drinkable style with plenty of layers to get your head around. There were a few knockout Pinot Noirs this year, I love the Galpins Peak from Bouchard Finlayson in South Africa and drank a brilliant Volnay 2006 from Domaine Comtes Lafon, but this Californian number was the one that stuck in the memory longest.

A few wines I might be able to afford to drink again in 2012 and enjoyed in 2011!

All of the wines above fall into a bit a unsustainable price bracket, pour moi anyway, so these are a few I might get away with opening mid-week in 2012:

Tesco Finest Tingleup Riesling 2010 – £8.99 – available at Tesco’s (the clue’s in the title)

Absolutely love this wine, especially at this price, and even more when it’s on promotion, which seems to be quite often. Crisp lemon and lime with lots of good acidity keeping it so refreshing, but so tasty. It’s bottle drinkingly good.

La Vielle Ferme – Perrin et Fils – Cote du Ventoux – £7.49 – http://www.waitrosewine.com/230364962/Product.aspx

This is a bargain that is readily available when running round Waitrose (actually I tend to calmy amble round Waitrose and run round Tesco, but hey ho) Lovely gluggable Grenache based red from the family behind the mighty Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Papes. It’s rich and spicy and serious enough to serve to others and accessible enough to drink on a Tuesday….!

Chateau Valcombe – Cote du Ventoux – 2008 – £10.50 – http://www.yapp.co.uk/Wine-List/Rhone-Wines/Cotes-du-Rhone-Wines/Cotes-du-Ventoux-Rouge–Chateau-Valcombe-2008/

Slightly more luscious red from the Ventoux region (a great region to look out for value compared to more expensive Rhone versions of Grenache centric reds) Rich, spicy and hugely satisfying. Worth logging on and ordering from Yapp, they are a pleasure to buy from.

Archaval Ferrer Malbec – Mendoza – 2009 – £15 – www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk
or http://www.corneyandbarrow.com/p-22335-malbec-achaval-ferrer-2010.aspx

This is a really classy example of Argentinian Malbec. Deep, dark and rich, but with loads of finesse. Dark cherries, blackcurrants and liquorice are the main things you get and the obvious thing to do is to find the biggest slab of meat you can, grill it to medium rare perfection and enjoy. It is head and shoulders above mainstream branded Malbecs and worth the extra money.

Domaine Wachau – Gruner Veltliner – Austria – 2010 – £8.99 http://waitrosewine.com/230602928/Product.aspx

Lovely fresh and crisp green apple and citrus with nice bit of warming spice in the background. I’ve made the mistake of serving this ice cold; it doesn’t taste of too much when straight from the fridge, but give it 10mins in the glass and it’s beautiful.

Tim Adams – Shiraz – 2006 – Clare Valley, Australia – £12.99 – available at Tesco

Ultra reliable, not too extracted or overoaked, aussie Shiraz. This just delivers drinking pleasure when you want a full bodied, rich and spicy red wine. It’s not delicate, but the flavours of dark plums and pepper spice and liquorice and mocha are deliciously moreish.

Montes Alpha Syrah – 2008 – Chile – £12 – http://www.slurp.co.uk/red-wine/chilean-red-wine/14009-vina-montes-alpha-syrah-2008/

More refined example of Syrah than the Tim Adams. More deep ruby than purple in colour. Spicy, peppery, dark cherries and blackberries. A classy and elegant Syrah well worth seeking out.

Villa Peironte – Barolo – 2006 – £9 (normally £22) http://www.marksandspencer.com/Villa-Peironte-Barolo-2007-Case/dp/B000WIVNRO

If this is ever on this kind of offer again, I’m getting involved. For £9 this is an absolute steal. For the record I don’t think it’s worth £22, but somewhere in the middle it would still be cracking value. It’s got those beautiful perfumed aromas that screams Nebbiolo. So refined and a good wine to enjoy with rich meaty dishes.

Exciting. Wine. Yep and its no surprise (to me anyway) that those fun loving and extremely talented guys and gals from the land down under are the front runners in exciting things in wine. I know there are loads of good things happening in Argentina; and Chile is constantly making headlines for the quality of the wine that is being produced. However what stands out for me about Australia is the perfect mix of top top quality wines and a certain carefree attitude that is so alluring and so unique to the Australian market.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a tasting event yesterday hosted by Wine Australia at Australia House. I have also been fortunate enough to have travelled to a number of wine regions in Australia during my non wine related travels. I have always enjoyed Australian wines. I am often laughed at and ridiculed by my staunchly European focused wine drinking friends, when I extol the virtues of Australian wines. I’ve got a feeling that my long held view will more and more come to be realised by the doubters and sceptics! If yesterday’s tasting was a sign of things to come then I’m pretty convinced it won’t be long coming.

For a good majority of the british public I reckon the classic image of Bondi beach, blue skys, searing heat, more heat, sand, surf and more heat, is what they think of when they think of Australia. In the case of my friends, this view is taken across when evaluating wine.

Heat = ripe fruit = high alcohol = blockbuster flavours

Aussie wine = big = oak = jam

Subtelty and elegance are not necessarily high on the list of natural descriptors when people think of Australian wines, but I can testify that those exact things are what is embodied by wines coming out of Australia at the moment. There has always been exceptions at the highest level, but aside from some mass produced brands, I would argue that these big, unsubtle, overoaked styles of white and red are fast becoming the exception rather than the rule.

There are a few notable areas that I am compelled to make sure have representation in my modest wine rack. They are Chardonnay from either Yarra Valley or Mornington Pensinsula; Pinot Noir from Mornington and classy elegant Shiraz made in a restrained style from Barossa or Hunter. I’m the first to admit that I now shy away from Shiraz from the Barossa. I expect massive overripe dark fruit, chocolate and oodles of oak. It doesn’t have to be like that. If you buy wine in the supermarket, the probability is that you will still find the old styles of Australian wine, the bulk market has not shifted yet. But if you speak to decent independent merchants and seek out the best examples, you might just be surprised at what you end up raving about! Wines I will be buying (once I work out where I can get them from) will be:

First Drop – Mothers Milk Shiraz – Barossa Valley – £12.99

The branding is fantastic, exactly what the wine industry needs more of in my opinion. But the wine inside very much speaks for itself. This wine is dark and brooding, but the bite of spice and the clarity of the fruit makes it so appealing. It’s use of oak is clever rather than clumsy and it’s the type of wine I could happily drink quite a bit of. It also has a surprising fragrance to it which gives it this elegance that has so often been missing in Barossa Shiraz that I’ve tasted. I’ll serve this blind to my southern Rhone loving friends, it will surprise them!

Innocent Bystander – Pinot Noir 2010 – Yarra Valley – £12.99

I remember trying the current release Pinot when I visited Mornington at the end of 2008 and thinking at the time that it was a bit light for my tastes. We had just come from Main Ridge and I had fallen head over heels for their much more expensive ½ Acre Estate wine (not available in the UK, boo hoo!), this is a completely different proposition. It’s vibrant red fruit is what this is all about. Really subtle oak gives it a nice texture, but it is as light as a feather. It has great refreshing acidity and at this price it is a steal compared to some Pinot Noir’s on the market.

Oceans Eight – ‘Verve’ Chardonnay 2010 – Mornington Peninsula – £23.99

Crisp, fresh, clean and steely with a decent and focussed amount of complexity. That doesn’t sound like an aussie chardonnay to me, but unless they’ve got some different wine inside the bottle, that it is what this is! Fantastic wine that I will seek out when I need an impressive white for a special occasion. The other thing worth noting is that this doesn’t need food in my opinion. It would be great to glug on its own, which again can’t be said for a lot of aussie chardonnays that I’ve drunk before in the past.

Paringa Estate – Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula – £24.99

I fell in love with this wine at the cellar door in Mornington and it didn’t disappoint when I tried it again yesterday. Such purity of fruit, great silky texture. It was fuller than most other Pinot’s on the day, but I tend to have a preference for slightly weightier Pinot Noir; although this could never be described as overdone. The acidity ensures it stays supremely balanced and good enough NOT to share….although that’s half the fun, so I’ll make sure I get a couple of bottles and we can nurse one each!

There were lots of other notable wines (we tasted around 50 in total, hiccup!) but I can’t write them all up (got a day job to do!) Overall I left excited and enthused by what I had heard and tasted. The input and insight of Andrew Jefford, Tim Atkin and Nick Stock was superb; fingers crossed for a written question on the terroir of Australia or the changing face of Australian wine in my upcoming WSET exam!