Out Of The Bottle

With David Ellis

Tintilla Estate Sparkling Red

'Classic White' is a moniker given many a white wine that can be a blend of anything that happens to be at hand at the time - and occasionally even 'parcels' of fruit that aren't of much value for anything other than blending.

That’s not to deride the majority of Classic Whites : there are some really great examples out there that are made from fruit purpose-grown for blending into ‘classic whites,’ and one well worth a try next time a seafood lunch is in mind, is Yilgarnia Classic White from Western Australia’s Denmark region.

Crafted by former agricultural scientist Peter Buxton who settled in Denmark on the State’s south coast with his wife Peg in 1997, this wine can genuinely be titled ‘Classic’ with its wonderful aromas of nectarines and citrus, pineapples and melons, and a fabulously enticing palate of citrus and stone fruits, pineapple and a touch of grapefruit.

Peter chose 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Semillon from vineyards that enjoy a beautiful Mediterranean-like climate for this 2009 vintage wine: moist winters are followed by dry summers whose average 26-degree temperatures promote a slow build-up of intense fruit flavours.

This one’s good value at $17 to enjoy with a platter of cold seafoods, a chicken salad or a selection of cheeses.

One For Lunch

Think sparkling wines and we tend to think of bubbly whites, rosés and lighter reds that originated in Europe, but in Australia we somewhat uniquely also produce bubbly reds from fuller-bodied Shiraz.

NSW Hunter Valley father and son winemaking team, Robert and James Lusby have now just released a great Tintilla Estate Sparkling Red made from predominantly Merlot fruit: a light, soft yet rich wine from the 2006 vintage with varietal red berry and plum fruit flavours that at $36 is a great party-time buy  – or to spoil yourself with a good book and a block of extra-cocoa chocolate.

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