I’ve been getting lots of requests for wine recommendations as I discover some of the delightful wines down under, particularly from pals in the UK who also want to know where they can buy them!
So I thought I’d start a monthly wine recommendation…
First up for January I had to start with my wines of the year from 2021. I actually first discovered these wines in the UK whilst waiting for the Aussies to let me in but since getting here have loved learning more about them and I still think they are delicious wines and unbelievable value for money.
WHITE OF THE MONTH
So my white of the month is Vasse Felix Filius. Delicious, crisp Chardonnay with lots of lemon and grapefruit citrus with some honey and even a bit of spice coming through. It’s well integrated, with great minerality and has a smooth finish. This is a wine from the Margaret River region in Western Australia, it was the founding wine estate of the region and they are well known for making premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Filius range or ‘son of’ the premium wine is excellent value for money from a beautiful winery – sadly I haven’t made it over there as the borders to WA are still closed but hope to as soon as I can!
For my UK readers you can purchase this wine from Majestic at the moment for only £12.99 a bottle if you mix six.
RED OF THE MONTH
And for my red of the month, it has to be Crimson from Ata Rangi. An absolutely delicious Pinot Noir from Martinborough, New Zealand that I drank again and again last year and enjoyed every drop! Rumour has it a certain someone took a tour to Burgundy and took a cutting of the famed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Pinot vines, snuck them back in a rugby boot (of course!) and began planting these famous vines on Kiwi soil. Crimson is made from their younger vines but they’re getting more mature and the wine quality is enhancing as a result.
This wine has delicious red and black fruit with savoury notes of charred wood and earthiness coming through – it’s very more-ish, dangerously so!
For my UK readers, I first sourced this wine from The Wine Society so I hope they’ll get it back in stock at some point this year (keep your eyes peeled) but for now you can source from a New Zealand specialist here at £22.99 per bottle
Hope you enjoy, cheers!