WINES

DOMAINE DE RAPATEL

Origin: Languedoc, France
Type: White
Grape(s): Chardonnay, Roussanne, Viognier
ABV: 14%

The colour of this wine hits somewhere between gold and copper, like a treasured sweet wine almost. On the nose, it’s a bouquet of faded roses and orange blossom with a dash of dried apricot and some exotic spices in the mix as well. On the palate, it’s all about balance. It’s sleek and taut, but with this rich, ripe texture that feels almost buttery, like melted down luxury in liquid form. Bright, zesty energy on the finish. Feels like it’s showing off but in the best way possible!

DOMAINE DE RAPATEL

Origin: Languedoc, France
Type: Red
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault, Merlot
ABV: 14%

The color is deep garnet here. The nose is fine, complex, on stewed plum, leather, dried orange peel…and lots of other things (including a hint of VA that brings things up nicely). The palate is just as fine, tense, with a silky and fresh material gradually gaining in density, and a decadent aromatic, marrying a vibrant fruit with tertiary notes. The finish delivers a fine tasty chew, with a return to the plum enhanced by citrus peel and spices.

NICOLA GATTA

Origin: Lombardy, Italy

Type: Traditional Method

Grape(s): Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

ABV: 12%


When Nicola Gatta fell in love with natural wine he decided to renounce the Franciacorta DOCG as they tried to restrict and control too much of his production. The fascinating thing about this winery is that the soils of Gussago are very similar to those of Champagne, so Chardonnay and Pinot Noir give exceptional expressions. Lovely aromas of dried meadow flowers, apple chips, lime curd, lime zest and fresh peach. Medium-bodied with quite some energy.

HOFGUT FALKENSTEIN


Origin: Mosel, Germany
Type: Light
Grape(s): Riesling
ABV: 9%



In addition to the fine minerality, the nose reveals a lot of fruit in the form of yellow apple, peach, lemon, as well as a floral fragrance, white flowers and a little acacia honey. Everything is delicately and elegantly packaged to really get going on the palate. The radiant Riesling fruit shines together with tart herbal spice, then the expressive acidity follows, fizzes on the tongue, creating a wonderful balance with the playful fruit sweetness.

CHALARI

Origin: Frankland River, Australia

Type: Light

Grape(s): Riesling

ABV: 12.5%


Alexis Christidis makes one of our favourite Rizzas from Australia. We are loving his 2023 releases and think they will pair phenomenally with the food you’re having today. Lime, ginger, a saline and savoury input too, some aniseed, green melon and apple. It’s juicy, but fleshy, something of a salted pistachio character, a dusty white peppery texture, with a tight mint and green apple finish of excellent length. A bit Germanic, in a way, and very good too.

MITJA SIRK

Origin: Friuli, Italy
Type: Light
Grape(s): Tocai Friulano
ABV: 13.5%



Marzipan meets floral. Bright, lifted and cleansing bouquet – seems frisky, edgy. Smooth glide of flavour across the palate, a touch of waxiness to texture but underpinned with glossy acidity. It’s sort of juicy and yet crisp, and the finish has a likeable citrus freshness and sweet-sour pucker with a trail of marzipan nuttiness. Delicate, in a way, but has curves, and importantly great drinking.

CASCINA DEGLI ULIVI


Origin: Piedmont, Italy
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Cortese
ABV: 12%


A distinct seaside white wine vibe here. Sea spray whiffs, fennel, lemon blossom, green apple and green almond scents feel inviting and voluminous. The palate, more saline elements, crisp green apple, green pear, faint nougat and an aniseed meets salt bush finish. It’s even, as the name suggests, and feels thirst-quenching and readily drinkable. It nails the variety, and delivers much charm. Good stuff.

DOMAINE LEFORT

Origin: Burgundy, France
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Chardonnay
ABV: 13%


From a tiny appellation in Burgundy called Rully. As always this is a neat, well-composed and well-made wine but with this 2020 we see an increase in sheer intensity of fruit flavour. This release really does have a power to it. Citrus, grapefruit, green pineapple, pear and cedar notes take full command of the palate before pushing confidently through the finish. It’s taut but not too much; everything here feels perfectly placed.

DOMAINE DE RAPATEL


Origin: Languedoc, France
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Chardonnay, Roussanne, Viognier

ABV: 14%


The colour of this wine hits somewhere between gold and copper, like a treasured sweet wine almost. On the nose, it’s a bouquet of faded roses and orange blossom with a dash of dried apricot and some exotic spices in the mix as well. On the palate, it’s all about balance. It’s sleek and taut, but with this rich, ripe texture that feels almost buttery, like melted down luxury in liquid form. Bright, zesty energy on the finish. Feels like it’s showing off but in the best way possible!

DOMAINE MǍMǍRUTÁ


Origin: Languedoc, France
Type: Light
Grape Varietal: Macabeu, Carignan Blanc, Grenache Gris
ABV: 13%


Golden colour in the glass. Scents of wild honey, lillies, warm terracotta and nectarine. Flavours feel similar - a dry earthiness lends savoury character, stone fruit again, generally moreish and inviting to sip on. Has this kind of squeakiness to texture which we quite like. Good length, nice medium weight feel, but fresh and frisky. Great drinking right here from an odd combination of grapes, but it works wonders.

VINDEN WINES

Origin: Frankland River, Australia

Type: Light

Grape(s): Gewürztraminer

ABV: 12.5%


The wine is “experimental” because two portions of the grapes spent time aging differently – one in amphora, the other in tank. Very floral and aromatic, lots of peach, nectarine, lychee, kumquat, frangipani, jasmine, yet feels well balanced and appealing in scents and flavours, particularly with the chalky pucker in texture and core of zingy, minerally acidity going on. Flows well, frisky and bright, refreshing and quietly complex. Smart wine.

PETER RADOVIČ

Origin: Friuli, Italy
Type: Light
Grape(s): Malvazija Istriana
ABV: 12.5%

Bright amber in the glass. Nose is explosive, with scents of candle wax, lemon balm, green melon and some savoury, salty-nutty notes faintly there too. Also, dried flowers, a kind of rosy pot pourri. Slippery texture with a light, chalky pucker to close. Sensual, perhaps. It feels righteous. Deliciousness of flavour in all that fruit and savoury character, the nutty-yeasty notes amplified a bit. Complex, intriguing, brilliant wine.

PETER RADOVIČ

Origin: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana
ABV: 13%


The wine has a bright amber color. On the nose, there are intense notes of ripe fruit, such as succulent apricot, spices such as rosemary and white pepper and a note of marked minerality. On the palate, a complex and enveloping structure is perceived, with subtle but pleasant tannins, perfectly integrated. The fruity flavors intensify, accompanied by a pleasant freshness and a remarkable persistence that leaves a lasting impression on the palate.

DOMAINE MĂMĂRUTÁ

Origin: Languedoc, France
Type: Light
Grape(s): Syrah, Carignan, Macabeu
ABV: 12%


A blend of two black grapes and one white. From a producer that we really love and whose wines you will see often on our list. Peach tea, melon, a herb and floral perfume, fennel seeds, strawberries too. It’s juicy, but balanced, lots of fresh strawberry and raspberry, bright acidity, with a chalky and dusty texture. A glycerol slipperiness, though it finishes tight, with a twist of blood orange and excellent length. Nice.

DOMAINE DAVID BEAUPÉRE

Origin: Beaujolais, France
Type: Light
Grape(s): Gamay
ABV: 12%

This release is superb and needs to be drunk in a couple of bottles over good conversation. The red berried fruit flavours here, while medium in weight, come across as a bright and refreshing, beautifully ripened, fresh. There’s some twiggy hints here as well. It’s a subtly complex wine but it’s not showy about it. Superbly well integrated, soft tannins. And the flow through the finish is pure and even. Just delicious.

PETER RADOVIC


Origin: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Type: Light
Grape(s): Terrano
ABV: 12.5%


Terrano is a grape native to northern Italy. High-pitched blackberries, plums, tart currants, fresh earth after the rain. Crunchy berry mix tingles your nose and flavours finish on a high note with a bitter orange twist. Tannins are plush and smooth. No need to write more, it’s such a delicious drink that can be fun or serious. Or both. You decide. More seductive Terrano like this one is needed in our lives, for sure.

JEAN-PIERRE ROBINOT

Origin: Loire Valley, France
Type: Light
Grape(s): Pineau d’Aunis
ABV: 12.5%

This is a new cuvée for Robinot and it reflects the obsession that Jean-Pierre has long had with the lights and sights of the city of Venice. There is a real spiciness on the nose that is typical of Pineau d’Aunis and there is the characteristic slight bitterness at the end which is so endearing. The tannins in this wine are restrained and there is a streak of acidity which will ensure that the wine will continue to provide pleasure for any dish you throw at it.

NICOLAS CHEMARIN


Origin: Beaujolais, France
Type: Light
Grape(s): Gamay
ABV: 13%


This is tightly wound and compact with a slight haze to texture and a pleasing balance of sweet-sour-bitter of red berry fruit and herbal elements. It’s quite zesty as a red wine, succulent in texture too, a refreshing, if not crisp finish. Tart cherries, rose hip tea, a faint ginger element, dried basil and cardamom spice are the quarry. It feels very modern and bright and drinks suuuuper well.

KOERNER

Origin: Clare Valley, Australia
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Sangiovese, Grenache, Sciacarello, Malbec, Carignan
ABV: 12.8%

Corsican-inspired blend. An edgy and energetic wine with its vivacious acid profile and general pluck and crunch. Red cherries galore at the crisper edge of their profile. Strawberry in there too. A bitter-tartness amongst that more recognisable flavours. There’s a faint slosh of cola, a faint lick of liquid cinnamon/clove spice too. Tannins are firming, stony and proper. It feels a bit on the leaner side. Get some red sauce meatballs happening and watch it work its magic.

DOMAINE DAVID BEAUPÉRE

Origin: Beaujolais, France
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Gamay
ABV: 11.3%

This is a light and fresh, jubey and juicy red that sloshes around the palate nicely. Some crisp edges, lots of sappy red cherry, a bit of white pepper, some green herbs and a touch of dried cranberry tang. It’s a fun drink, a little spritzy on entry as well (gets shrugged off), lively, bright therefore and generally just a barrel of fun. Nothing too cerebral, but well made, good fruit, great thing to guzzle.

MARCO LUBIANA

Origin: Tasmania, Australia
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
ABV: 13%

A sappy and snappy Pinot Noir, crisp and bright, red cherry fruited with some pickled cherry elements, faint clove, some smoky paprika and mint. Pleasing bitter amaro characters with flavours and scents matching well. Sits at just shy of medium weight, a potency here no doubt. A spice trail lingering and puckering in the palate, flighty tannins shaping things nicely to a fine chew through the finish. For drinkers of the variety there’s depth and complexity in spades. Nicely done.

PETER WETZER

Origin: Sopron, Hungary
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
ABV: 13%


This is an interesting Pinot Noir from an “exotic” region. It’s certainly complex, which is always a good starting point. It tastes fresh, almost frisky, but then it has good ripe notes too, the latter courtesy of macerated red berry flavours, combined with subtle woodsmoke infusions, and rounds of twiggy herbs. Reduction has been used to positive effect and the wine’s tannin has a gummy softness. A very pretty red wine.

DOMAINE LEFORT

Origin: Burgundy, France
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
ABV: 13%

Coming from an organic/biodynamic estate in Rully founded in 2010 by David Lefort. Cherry, strawberry, quite some perfume of aniseed and dried flowers, and a modest amount of biscuity oak. It’s medium-bodied, gently ferrous with a slight orange peel edge, fine-grained tannin, cranberry acidity, dusty and peppery red fruits of some juiciness, and a bright finish of excellent length. Very good.

PETER JAKOB KÜHN

Origin: Rheingau, Germany
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
ABV: 13%

We’ve been drinking Kühn’s Rieslings for the longest time and now it’s time to showcase his flawless red. Aromatic, spicy, black cherry, cinnamon and earth, grilled meat and dark chocolate. Red fruit and black fruit. Plush tannin, firm but stony, has an almost primal earthy character to it combined with dried herb, orange peel, chicory and beetroot/seaweed. Lots of cinnamon and beefy red fruit through the finish, and a little oak. A distinctive and good wine.

PETER WETZER

Origin: Sopron, Hungary
Type: Medium
Grape(s): Kékfrankos
ABV: 13.5%

Perhaps you might already know this grape by its better-known name, Blaufränkisch. Cherry juice, peat and pencil shavings, dried herbs and spice. It’s medium-bodied, sour dark cherries with an earthy fungal quality, bright sappy acidity, distinct ‘mineral’ character mathcing both the acidity and tannin. All silty and rich, with a glassy and juicy finish of excellent length. It’s kind of an ‘off-road’ wine, but really interesting and good to drink.

DOMAINE DE RAPATEL

Origin: Languedoc, France
Type: Full
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault, Merlot
ABV: 14%

The color is deep garnet here. The nose is fine, complex, on stewed plum, leather, dried orange peel…and lots of other things (including a hint of VA that brings things up nicely). The palate is just as fine, tense, with a silky and fresh material gradually gaining in density, and a decadent aromatic, marrying a vibrant fruit with tertiary notes. The finish delivers a fine tasty chew, with a return to the plum enhanced by citrus peel and spices.

CHERUBINO

Origin: Margaret River, Australia
Type: Full
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
ABV: 14.5%

This is a true classic. It’s firm but fleshy. Oak-influenced but fruit-driven. Toast and peppercorn, blackcurrant and dark chocolate. Mint too. Tannin strikes through the back half of the wine but fruit flushes straight on through it. It’s a great wine for the cellar, but we love to make it approachable with a good decant and some serious meat. Squeaky clean wine. Quality at its most steady and reliable.

DOMAINE DE RAPATEL

Origin: Languedoc, France
Type: Full
Grape(s): Grenache, Syrah
ABV: 14.5%

This is a lustier red than most from Rapatel. Breathy with ripe, forest berry fruitiness, some mocha and char in game meat and dried herbs. The metrics of the varieties stack up well in flavour and scent, the richness and toastiness and warmth just a tad out from freshness but you get a generous red here of fuller weight done well. A good scrunch of tannins helps to freshen things too. It’s got charm in its bolder way.

MARC SORREL

Origin: Rhône Valley, France
Type: Full
Grape(s): Syrah
ABV: 14%

Deep ruby in the glass. Nose is undoubtedly Syrah, marked by notes of plum, blackcurrant, olive tapenade and violets. Plump body with lively acidity and just a light grip of tannins. Moderate alcohol that’s well-balanced with the bright freshness. Reminds us more of Gamay on steroids than a classic Rhône Syrah. Lovely wine for those who seek freshness and richness at the same time. Pair with hearty dishes.

KALLESKE

Origin: Barossa Valley, Australia
Type: Full
Grape(s): Shiraz
ABV: 14.5%

Greenock Shiraz is an icon, not just in Australia, but for wine enthusiasts all around the world. Deep purple-black in colour. The bouquet is extremely vibrant with aromas of dark roses, Christmas cake, black cherry, roast almond, cocoa, sweet tobacco and a touch of savoury spice. The palate is full-bodied and very generous. Vibrant dark fruits and subtle barrel nuances fill the palate. Tannins are fine, stylish and well integrated adding structure.

POWELL & SON

Origin: Barossa Valley, Australia
Type: Full
Grape(s): Grenache, Mataro, Shiraz
ABV: 14.5%

A slightly different take on the typical Rhone blend, the Powell & Son Riverside GMS offers notes of black raspberries, kirsch and mulberries layered with spicy notes. The palate is soft, richly fruited and delivers plenty of pure, uncomplicated flavors with great harmony. It’s complex, it’s slightly sweet, it’s floral and it’s smoky; it’s also threaded with tannin but, then, it’s so concentrated flavour that you barely notice the dryness. A great wine on its own or with rich dishes.

L’ARCO

Origin: Veneto, Italy
Type: Full
Grape(s): Rondinella, Corvina, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Molinara

ABV: 16%



A savory beast, with a burst of smoke and crushed rocks giving way to white pepper-tinged black cherries and wild herbs. It sweeps across the palate with silky textures and polished wild berry fruits, propelled by zesty acidity as salty mineral tones saturate toward the close. It finishes saline and youthfully tannic yet still quite fresh, leaving rosy inner florals and a chalky sensation that lingers on and on.