An Amazement of Alt Whites

Rich, complex, fragrant and textural, this is a ripper. It has spent time in old French oak with bâtonnage, aka lees stirred, employed to accentuate the wonderfully velvety fruit. If you like rich Viognier or buttery Chardonnay, this is worth a look.

A complex and tightly wound white that opens beautifully with a little air or decanting. The palate is layered and textural, showing white peach, kiwi, and nashi pear alongside spice, minerality, and a subtle savoury depth. Partial barrel fermentation and bâtonnage lend a gentle creaminess and a fine, grainy line of tannin to the finish. A sophisticated, food-friendly wine — superb with seafood.

There’s a lot going on here — from oyster shell and tinned pineapple to stonefruit, peach skin, green melon, and almond. A delightful lick of salinity runs through the palate, adding freshness to the texture and drive. It’s lively and textural, with bright acidity and the pure sensation of biting into perfectly ripe fruit that somehow tastes even better than the real thing. The best Australian Albariño we’ve come across yet — easily a match for its cousins from north-west Galicia.

Pecorino might just be our fave white atm. Sadly, there’s not much of it to go around and from being virtually unknown 10 years ago, it has become incandescent and top examples retail for up to $350 a bottle - not bad for an obscure white wine!

Pecorino is an ancient grape which produces crisp dry whites with excellent structure and acidity, aromatics of stonefruit, citrus, herbs, salinity and minerality. The Mazzarosa Pecorino is grown in the Colline Teramane sub region of Abruzzo which is considered the best site for Pecorino production in Italy. It will appeal to Riesling, Pinot and Chardonnay drinkers alike. This particular example is magnificent. In addition to the previous descriptors, we found green tea, green apple and voluptuous texture.

A bloody awesome, textural, spiced, pear laden, stonefruity and mineral PG. This is the kind of PG that turns lukewarm supporters into fervent believers. Stylistically reminiscent of the spectacular PGs from Alsace in France, this has a Chardonnay-like weight and texture and is absolutely worth grabbing at least a couple of bottles to try.

Classic Hunter Sem made with care. Handpicked and hand sorted, the fruit was then whole bunch fermented and gently pressed. Free run juice only was used in this wine. The result, a pure, linear Hunter Sem with lemon juice, decent palate weight and a softness to it which makes it an excellent drink already.