Mixed half dozen: Australian wines to buy right now

Australian vineyards were first established just outside Sydney in 1788. Plantings intensified in the 1930s to destabalize military’s rum monopoly -- the unofficial currency of the time.

Production today is spread across 40 distinct winemaking regions and sub-regions, each with climates and soils suited to particular varietals of grape wines.

Now, the fertile valleys of South Australia are consistently rated among the best in the world and the unique Hunter Valley in New South Wales is also respected. From these -- and the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and the lower reaches of Victoria’s Yarra River, here are six wines to buy -- right now.

1. Hunter Valley Semillon

Bruce Tyrrell’s great-grandfather was among the settlers sent to the Hunter Valley, northwest of Sydney, to plant grapevines to break the power of the Rum Corps. The light and sandy soil is perfect for planting white varietals like semillon.

“We are the most northerly of all the premium winemaking areas,” says Tyrrell. “Many people say we should not be growing wine grapes here at all because it is too hot in summer but we get around it by picking early in the season when the acid in the fruit is very strong.”

“That way we make wines that last a long time and can live in a bottle for up to 40 or 50 years. There are few white wines in the world that can do that.”

Semillon is un-wooded (fermented in stainless steel instead of wooden barrels) so the flavor is as nature intended. At a young age, it can be described as fresh or citrusy, but also sour.

After five years, the acid starts to settle into a considerable length and breadth of citrus fruit flavors. Few Hunter Semillons do this better than Tyrrell’s Vat 1 vintage, picking up 120 trophies, 384 gold, 209 silver and 269 bronze medals since its inception in 1962.

“There’s nothing better to accompany a bucket of fresh prawns and oysters or complex recipes because the acid cuts rights through the oil and cream to leave the palate feeling clean and fresh,” Tyrell says.

Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon 2005, $52.99, www.tyrrells.com.au

2. Barossa Valley Shiraz

About 100 years ago, an insect called phyloxera wiped out most of the oldest grapevines across Europe and America. But isolated grapevines in South Australia’s famous Barossa Valley planted in the 19th century were unaffected, and today are some of the oldest productive grapevines in the world.

“The oldest shiraz plantings we have access to were planted in 1885 and it’s still producing a very good crop of fruit,” says Andrew Wigan, chief winemaker at Peter Lehmann Wines. “There is a romance … we are drinking the stuff of our ancestors, and it’s those sorts of things that make our wines very interesting.”

The Barossa is consistently rated among the top two or three places in the world to grow shiraz. And the most diverse, with 130 different flavors reflecting the diversity of the soil.

Peter Lehmann’s 2009 vintage has aromas of dark plums and black fruits in accordance to the red-brown soil where it came from.

“A warm, rich style that has a softness on the palette,” says Wigan.

Peter Lehmann 2009 Very Special Vineyard 1885 Shiraz, $60, www.peterlehmannwines.com

3. Clare Valley Riesling

Named after Country Clare in Ireland, the Clare Valley is a kilometer-long corridor settled by Jesuits in the 1840s and used to make wine. They chose it because of the extreme diurnal temperature range in the growing season: the thermometer here in summer swings from 40C in the middle of the day to less than 5C at night -- perfect for riesling.  

“But the Riesling is the truest expression of fermented grape juice,” says Adam Eggins, chief winemaker at Taylors Wines. “We try to impact the grapes as little as possible in the winemaking process so the wine expresses the region.”

Taylors St. Andrews Riesling 2010 has an ultra-dry finish like semillon -- something the locals describe as white-lime flavor. Its palette also develops over time, developing high-sensory tropical flavors like passion fruit and rose water.

“This one also displays aromas of lemon and lime aromas and orange blossom,” says Eggins. “Today (the show wine) is Clare Valley Riesling. It's miles ahead of any other varietal in the category.”

Taylors St. Andrews Riesling 2010, $35, www.taylorswines.com.au