- Your Hunter Valley Magazine
Spring Sips Worth Savouring
Spring is the season to embrace the warmer weather and enjoy the outdoors! We've rounded up our favourite local wines that you can enjoy throughout Spring and take into Summer. Read more about these varieties here.
Hanging Tree Wines
2020 Pinot Grigio – $30 TASTING Light straw in colour with fresh notes of lime citrus fruit and hints of spice on the nose. This wine spent 3 months maturation on lees. The palate leads with fruit flavours of lime, citrus, poached pear, dried apricot and ripe peach. A refreshing and lingering finish – perfect for those warm, Summer days!
FOOD MATCH Enjoy with antipasti, fish and chips, light pasta, and an array of other seafood and Asian dishes.
CELLARING Perfect for drinking now or cellar 1–3 years.
Iron Gate Estate
2020 Hunter Valley Rosé (Shiraz Cabernet) – $30 This Rosé is predominantly made from early harvested Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Iron Gate Estate's home vineyard. The grapes were allowed a traditional short skin-contact time before being gently pressed, and then the clear juice was cool fermented over a few weeks. TASTING A light blush-pink in colour, with aromas of rose bud, redcurrant and fruit pastille and possessing a delicious and savoury cranberry palate, this wine is perfect for any occasion.
FOOD MATCH Delicious on its own as an aperitif or it will complement salads, cold meats, tapas, seafood, poultry and pork dishes.
CELLARING Drink now to 1 year (Best enjoyed while its fresh).
Thélème Wines – Black Creek Farm
2018 Semillon – $31
Thélème Wines' Semillon grapes grow on the lower end of the property near the creek where the soil is light, sandy and rich.
TASTING The Semillon is made using a stainless steel VAT (no oak) and develops those nice citrus and lemon flavours in the nose and the palate. This is a young Semillon with a pale robe and is very crispy and sharp in the palate with a nice acidity.
FOOD MATCH The 2018 Thélème Semillon can be enjoyed on its own, or as a pre-lunch drink. It is also a perfect accompaniment to seafood such as oysters.
CELLARING This wine will age beautifully for 10+ years. As an aged Semillon, it will become smoother in the palate and will provide deeper and complex sensations.
Savannah Estate
2020 Hunter Valley Pinot Gris – $27
TASTING This aromatic Pinot Gris produces perfumed characters of lime, orange blossom, pineapple guava, mandarin rind and soft white peach. The pallet is encompassed by green melon, key lime, honeydew and a rich oily nashi pear character creating a wonderfully long and generous finish, making it a versatile Spring long lunch wine.
FOOD MATCH Pear, walnut and blue cheese salad, pan roasted asparagus with pecorino, warm Israeli cous cous salad with marinated artichokes or sticky Vietnamese pork belly.
CELLARING Drink now.
Mistletoe Wines
2019 Home Vineyard Semillon – $24
Another high-quality off-dry Semillon from the Mistletoe Home Vineyard. Hand-harvested from low cropped 25-year-old vines, cold-fermented without any oak influence.
TASTING Fermentation was halted at 7 grams per litre residual sweetness and the wine was bottled early to retain the crisp acidity and lemony grapefruit characters typical of this vineyard.
FOOD MATCH An ideal luncheon wine with freshly shucked oysters or cooked prawns.
CELLARING Drink now or cellar with confidence to 2028.
Winmark Wines
2019 Single Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay – $49 Winmark Wines presents this widely anticipated release from the iconic Winmark vineyard. This 2019 Single Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay brings together the best pickings harvested from the rich soils of the property.
TASTING Aromas of roasted nuts and butterscotch, with depth and layers of expressions of citrus, apple and honey melon with a creamy texture and velvet undertone from the extended lees contact. This wine will mature beautifully over time.
FOOD MATCH Seafood, poultry, pastas with creamy sauce and pork dishes.
CELLARING Drink now or cellar to 2025. SHOP HERE
