Hamelin Bay Wines Chardonnay 2024

If you are a fan of Rhone grapes/wines then I have just the one for you. Coming in at AUS $30, $27 if you are smart enough to head to winedirect.com.au! The Schwarz GSM is UBER drinkable.  2017 wasn't the best vintage in Barossa but what the guys have done at the Schwarz company is a wine that you would think came from one of the better vintages! You get notes of soft red fruit, violet, mulberries, and licorice too alongside juicy tannins, perfectly balanced acidity, and a touch of oak. With ratings of 94 points from both Huon Hooke & Nick Butler, it's defo a great drop. 

The all-important Q - what wine should I drink as I cook this, whilst I eat it and open another bottle afterwards!!  This one was SIMPLE.  Chalk Hill Fiano from McLaren Vale.  I picked this one up from winedirect.com.au from my buddy Dan - a half-decent dude who might steer you in the right direction when choosing wine. ;) 

In terms of production, the Margaret River is a small player in the Australian wine world. Under 5% of Aussie wine comes from here, but over 20% of it is premium stuff. We're happy to see David beat Goliath in the award show if we keep getting those dry, fruity whites and supple reds. Go west, young man, and taste!

History

Much of the regions success dates back to the late 1800's when Italian immigrants Albert Credaro, Jimmy Meleri and Domenic Garuccio planted vines to make some of the good old table wines from the Old Country. Some learned gents took a punt on commercial production in the late 1960's, with the recommendation of the very learned Dr. John Gladstone in mind. The Doc pointed out the Margaret River region cool climate would give growers a fine yield of fruit to work with. Too right he was!

Visiting

Today the area attracts millions of visitors, with the wine being the bog drawcard to a stunning landscape of remarkable biodiversity and pristine coastline.