September. Spring, technically, but has it really sprung? As the southerlies continue swirling through Melbourne and the mercury still dips into the single digits, here are the shoulder-season reds you need in your glass right now, according to some of our foremost drinks experts.
2022 Fleet Nostalgia Pinot Noir
“Nagesh Seethiah got me onto this and I’m stoked to be pouring it at work. Just a really well-made pinot that I’m pumped to drink as the weather starts warming up.”
Scott Eddington, Arnold’s
2022 Bandicoot Run Syrah
“Big reds can still be refreshing! What Adriana D’Amico and Al Johnson are doing in Gippsland is so wonderful to see: great viticulture and, most importantly, delicious, life-filled wines.”
Phil Bracey, Brico
2023 Mise En Place Homeblock Cabernet
“As much as it pains me to give him any compliments, my shed-mate Doug Lilburne of Mise en Place makes some phenomenal cabernet from the vineyard next to the winery. It reaffirms for me that the Yarra Valley is some of the finest cabernet country on earth. A full spectrum of savoury, perfumed flavours in a compact, low-alcohol package. The first and last cabernet I’ll ever plug.”
Mitch Solokin, Eleven Sons wines
2019 Punch Lance’s Vineyard Pinot Noir
“A tiny family business just up the road from us. A powerful wine featuring maraschino cherry, dark plum and a touch of spice.”
Zoe Birch, Greasy Zoes
2023 A & C Ainsworth Grenache
“Organically grown grenache from the Pyrenees. This wine is gorgeous: medium-bodied, with bright red fruits and florals backed up with firm tannin and refreshing acidity. Moreish.
2020 The Wine Farm Pinot Noir
“From a biodynamic, family-run farm in Gippsland. Neil Hawkins is truly dedicated to producing thoughtfully made, utterly delicious wines. This pinot is full of energy and personality. Perfect for a sunny, chilly day.
2023 Sorrenberg Gamay
“A biodynamic estate in Beechworth producing small quantities of outstanding (and very fairly priced) wines. Concentrated fruit with a floral lift and warming spice. Very elegant.”
Lyndal Taylor, Brae
2023 Dilworth and Allain Goonawarra Vineyard Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon
“I had the pleasure of tasting this with the lovely Loique Allain, who is also responsible for the beautiful linocut labels that grace their bottles. A blend of 75 per cent franc and 25 per cent sauvignon, this is a lovely ode to the beautiful, fresh cabernets of the Loire Valley. Screaming out for a great cut of Victorian lamb (from Bruce Rolfe at Oberon Suffolk Stud, say, outside Daylesford, if you are so lucky.) Red berries, earth and a touch of licorice, plus great acid and tannin to keep it all in check. Run, don’t walk; there isn’t a lot!”
Bronwyn Kabboord, Du Fermier
2019 Fighting Gully Road La Longa Sangiovese
“Regarded as one of the great Australian winemakers, Mark Walpole makes sangiovese that is considered some of the best outside of the grape’s homeland of Tuscany. La Longa is Mark’s love letter to brunello di Montalcino, made with clones of sangiovese from Montalcino, and then vinified in large oak casks for an extended period of time. You can almost taste the slow-cooked meat now.”
Hannah Green, Etta
2023 Cobaw Ridge Pyrenees Syrah
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen an estate syrah from Cobaw Ridge. In 2023 Nelly and Alan Cooper purchased some truly beautiful, certified-organic syrah from the Chapoutier vineyard in the Victorian Pyrenees. Somehow this has the Coopers’ syrah signature writ large, despite the differing fruit source; all black olive tapenade, lashings of flavour, and that cool acid line underneath.”
Jeremy Shiell, Saeke Wines
2020 Craiglee Shiraz
“Grown in Sunbury by Pat Carmody. Old vines, expertly made, insanely delicious and about $50; only shiraz can offer that value.
2021 Paul Osicka Moormbool Reserve Shiraz
“It’s such and awesome wine, savoury and salty with beautiful silken texture and red fruits that give you a hug. So good.”
Pat Underwood, Little Reddie Wine
2019 Avani Syrah
“I recently revisited Avani’s 2019 Syrah for Saavni Krishnan’s event a few Tuesdays back. It’s wonderfully elegant, poised, but powerful and expressive at the same time. And they’re the loveliest winemaking family ever.”
Nagesh Seethiah, Manzé
2023 A & C Ainsworth Syrah
“It has depth and savouriness, plushness and elegance.”
Heidi Modra, Pinotta
2023 Little Reddie Colbinabbin Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso
“Talented Central Victorian winemaker and all-round great guy Pat Underwood of Little Reddie has just released a number of new wines, and they just keep getting better and more refined every year. Even when it’s winter I don’t really reach for excessively bold, tannic reds, so the new 2023 refosco dal peduncolo is the perfect cold-weather wine for my palate. It’s loaded with pure fruit concentration with a perfectly restrained tannin profile and plenty of lifting acidity. Jubey black and blue fruits with a subtle blackberry leaf edge to it.”
Caleb Baker, Mr West
2022 Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Thorley Syrah
“A project over a decade in the making is finally coming to fruition for Tessa Brown and Jeremy Schmölzer. High up in Stanley, above Beechworth, the vineyard they planted together is starting to produce some of Victoria’s greatest new cool-climate wines. Don’t miss their vibrant, peppery syrah or the elegant, fine-tuned nebbiolo.”
Owen Probert, Vex Dining
2018 Fighting Gully Road Aglianico
“I am finding myself reaching for tried and true. Mark Walpole’s aglianico has never let me down, and is equally as delightful alongside pizza as it is a low-and-slow braise.”
Celia McCarthy, MDI Wine
2023 Saeke Wines Dry Red
“This new wine to the scene shows cool fruit, with a northern Rhone-ish style to it and all the things you need for a cool night in Melbourne. Made by Jeremy Shiell, who has worn many hats in the Melbourne and Victorian wine scene before turning his hand more recently to winemaking, this drinks like a balanced shiraz with a little lick of cab for tannin and structure.”
Simon Denman, Old Palm Liquor
Paternoster Rosemary Pinot Noir Shiraz
“I can’t tell you how moreish this wine is. It drinks like a high-end bunchy pinot with red earth spice, generous red fruits and homemade pastry. It’s well-priced and big-hearted.”
Jasmine Wakely, Vinoshis Beverage Shop
2023 Hey Tomorrow & Chalmers Nero D’Avola
“Hey Tomorrow team up with wineries to put good wine into boxes – it’s better for the environment, but also means you don’t have to open a whole bottle when you just want a glass! This juicy, brambly nero from the Chalmers family (who introduced the variety to Australia to begin with) is the perfect cosy red.”
Cara Devine, Behind the Bar
2017 Syrahmi La La Shiraz
“Adam Foster makes some of the best examples of Victorian shiraz. The La La is only made during an exceptional vintage from a single vineyard, and it spends three years in barrel. It’s fresh and vibrant, masculine but refined; how a modern Victorian shiraz should look.”
Sean Lam, Atria, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne