Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberry and cranberry fruit with a hint of dried herbs. In the mouth, bright raspberry fruit is dusted with powdery tannins and the scents of dried herbs and orange peel. Excellent acidity keeps the wine bright and juicy. Hints of cedar enter the finish.

Light gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of lemon curd and cold cream. In the mouth, silky flavors of lemon curd and cold cream have a nice zippy brightness to them thanks to excellent acidity. Lemon peel and a touch of herbs linger in the finish.

Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and citrus pith. In the mouth, bright berry and citrus peel mix with Ranier cherries and a touch of tropical fruit. Excellent acidity and brightness, with a faint salinity. Quite delicious.

Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cedar and cherries. In the mouth, somewhat flat cherry flavors mix with cedar and hints of herbs. Faint tannins buff the edges of the mouth. Needs more acidity and more complexity, but there’s nothing wrong with these flavors.

Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry cordials. In the mouth, rich and sweet cherry and slightly bitter herbs mix with cedar and tacky, muscular tannins. Good acidity, but comes across as a bit too brawny.

Medium purple in the glass, this wine smells of dried flowers including lavender, and dark cherry fruit. In the mouth, slightly sweet cherry and black raspberry fruit has a nice brightness thanks to very good acidity, but also a sweet density that will appeal to those who like their Pinots dark and intense. Well balanced, though, for all that richness.

Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cranberry and cherry fruit. In the mouth, silky flavors of cherry and raspberry mix with a darker, earthier carob note that blends with the faint dusty dried herbs on the palate. Barely perceptible tannins. Very good acidity. Pretty.

Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of sweet cherry compote. In the mouth, juicy and bright cherry and raspberry fruit flavors are dusted with faint tannins and touched with a hint of citrus peel and dried flowers. Very pretty, with excellent acidity and length.

Pale greenish-gold in color, this wine smells of oak and lemon pith. In the mouth, lemon curd, vanilla, and the toasty notes of oak have a nice clarity and brightness to them, thanks to very good acidity. Silky and smooth on the palate, I wish I tasted less wood here.

Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon curd and lemon pith. In the mouth, wonderfully bright citrus pith and lemon curd flavors have a hint of vanilla and a wonderful floral citrus pith finish. Bright, juicy, and delicious.

What Is Sauvignon Blanc And What Does It Taste Like?Some wines to look for include La Crema Sauvignon Blanc 2020.

Cambria Estate Winery 2018 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir is Burgundy style from California: light and fruity, especially nice with a bean salad or grilled veggies.

La Crema Sonoma Coast 2019 Chardonnay is definitely a consistent favourite from California with notes of Meyer lemon, plum and melon. Lovely paired with a Cobb salad lunch on your patio.

Gran Moraine’s Brut Rosé is a blend of multiple vintages – with each vintage adding distinctive qualities to the final blend. It is the epitome of style, grace, and elegance. Made using the traditional méthode champenoise, the Brut Rosé is a blend of 57 percent Chardonnay and 43 percent Pinot Noir.

5 Sweater-Wather Wines With Christopher WatersThis is a one hundred per cent barrel-fermented Chardonnay with the richness of California. It features flavour notes of fresh fig, nuts, floral lift, pear and vanilla. Waters recommends pairing with chargrilled corn on the cob or grilled chicken.

Treat guests to the Penner-Ash Willamette Valley Chardonnay, 2018, an unexpected option from an area known for Pinot Noir. Rich and honeyed, this wine has yellow apple and ripe peach flavors with hints of nutmeg and vanilla. A luxurious lobster salad would pair beautifully.

In choosing whether to call their wine pinot grigio or pinot gris, wineries typically signal their wine’s style by the choice of language. For example, this plump, juicy wine sports the French version of the grape name as a subtle suggestion that it will taste more French than Italian. Secondly, the label’s fine print can be used to confirm or deny, since low-ripeness Italian-style wines will usually contain no more than 13% alcohol maximum. In this case, the wine’s 13.5% alcohol strongly suggests that the winemaking team took its inspiration from Alsace, which is easily confirmed on first sip. The wine’s vibrant flavors of hyper-ripe peaches and pears are far stronger than the delicate apple-y taste of a lighter “pinot grigio”. A faint thread of floral aromatics like violets and jasmine add French-style complexity as well. The result is a delightfully flavorful white wine well-suited to a wide range of boldly seasoned foods, from Vietnamese spring rolls to sausages and sauerkraut.

The finest game and wine pairings for elegant autumnal feastingWhile September isn’t the start of venison season, it’s such a classic game meat that knowing what to drink with it will always come in handy. Although leaner than beef it’s still a heavy red meat so will happily take on tannins in a wine, however they need to be silky and smooth in order not to feel mismatched on the palate.Right Bank Bordeaux, which is Merlot dominated, is always a great go-to as the variety is known for its ripe and luscious tannins. From the outstanding 2015 vintage which has given the concentration of fruit needed to match with the rich flavour of venison, this Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Château Lassègue has notes of ripe plum, black cherry liqueur, cassis, tea leaf and baking spices. A supremely velvety and unctuous wine.

Displays a lovely purity of fragrant, fresh raspberry with mouth-watering pithy pomegranate, cranberry, al dente red cherry and cherrystone fruit, some grip/grit to the tannins and savoury undertones. Youthful as it looks, it’s lively in the mouth – energetic, with a coiled tension. And, though intense, the fruit cleaves close – with a certain sparseness and economy about it – as if to remind you, like the vines, it has staying power and will only get better! Layers of flavour unravel given time, with musk (dried roses), pepper, citrus orange peel and lavender inflections. The (natural) acid backbone, the tannins – sandy and mineral, sinewy and scratchy (thoroughly engaging) – make for a long, linear palate, with great persistence. Culminates with a sandpaper over the tongue quality to the finish. These gnarly old vines and this winemaking produces a long haul wine. Fraser reckons it starts opening up in 6-8 years (he mentioned that the 2013 & 2014 are just opening up, but still quite primary). At 8-10 years, he says it’s “very safe and covers off best of both worlds, but there’s no reason they will not go 20 plus in the right conditions from the best vintages.”

A bit of bold if the night turns cold - Good old GrenacheAs much as we’d like to think the winter chill is behind us, nature does tend to remind us every now and again of the season past. If that’s the case, bust out a bottle of the 2018 Yangarra ‘High Sands’ Grenache from McLaren Vale.Purchased in 2001 after falling in awe of the gnarly old bush vines of the property, Californian wine pioneers Jackson Family Wines promptly appointed local guns Pete Fraser as winemaker and Michael Lane as viticulturer. Yangarra’s combination of ancient geology, higher altitude and Mediterranean climate provide the ideal growing conditions for the best grape varieties of the southern Rhône.This allows expert craftspeople to use individual barrels to showcase the pedigree of the deep sand, with lifted fragrance, intense fruit expression and fine, gritty long tannin structure going into the final wine.This brings an intense ruby colour, bright and clear throughout the glass. Wine gums, dry earth and wakame on the nose. The palate is medium in weight but full in power. Fruit sits with depth, but the tannin profile is something special in its intensity and grip.This wine sits with ease at the pinnacle of Australian Grenache, rubbing shoulders with the best the world has to offer such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Priorat. This is a wine for contemplation and joy!Drink with roast duck and plum sauce, or any darker meat based Asian dishes ~ Just mind the chili level, as the alcohol will interfere a touch! As the saying goes, best not to fight fire with fire….Coming out of hibernation, you’re ready to drink now but don’t fear if you need to chuck this in the cellar for a bit to really bring out its full character.It’s a bit at the higher end at $200, but one to cherish.

The cabernet shiraz blend – often labelled “claret” back in the day – is a classic Australian wine style, and this is a terrific example. It’s made entirely using grapes from the 50-year-old blocks of cabernet and shiraz planted at Clarendon, with Chris Carpenter looking after the cabernet and Peter Fraser the shiraz in the winery. The best barrels of each are then blended to produce this plush, generous, bold red wine, with dark purple fruit, hints of roasted mocha and mouth-coating tannins.

Made predominantly from a steep block of shiraz vines planted in 2002, with a third of the grapes from the older contour plantings. It’s a pretty, spicy, perfumed, modern expression of shiraz – arguably more “syrah” in style – beautifully poised and seductive. Unlike the other two wines reviewed here, both of which deserve to spend many years in the cellar to reveal their best, this young shiraz is dangerously ready to drink right now – although it will also age well.

Two-thirds of the grapes for this wine come from the 1971 contour plantings, with the rest from a block planted in 2002. I have a big soft spot for cabernet grown in the cooler parts of McLaren Vale, even though the region is far better known for its shiraz. When it’s really good, like this one is, McLaren Vale cabernet ranks among the best in the country: intense blackcurrant fruit characters, complex layers of dark savoury flavour, hints of graphite and iodine, and long, fine, grippy, bittersweet tannins.

The 2017 Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico Riserva is a little more modern, with 10 percent cabernet sauvignon in the blend and some time in small French oak barrels. But the sangiovese shows in the wine’s rich red fruit and note of tea. The riserva is more expensive than the estate’s Chianti Classico, but I think the balance here is better. The estate was acquired by Jess Jackson and his wife, Barbara Banke, in 1994 and is now part of Jackson Family Wines.

The Best American Sparkling Wines to Try in 2021Gran Moraine Brut Rosé comes from the Willamette Valley, Oregon, and is a blend of 57% Chardonnay and 43% Pinot noir grapes. The Brut Rose is made using the traditional Methode Champenoise – the traditional method of secondary fermentation made famous in Champagne, France.Brut Rose fermentation is conducted at cool temperatures, in stainless steel tanks for freshness and intensity before a selection is further aged in inert French oak barrels for three months to add a spicy depth and complexity. The final blend then spends three years en tirage for it to fully develop into this premium quality, lightly sweet rose bubbles with the aroma of strawberries and stone fruit, balanced by citrus fruit and watermelon on the palate.