Ditch the ordinary and find your next favourite wine among these hidden gems!
Let's be honest, we all have our go-to wines. The trusty Shiraz. That Pinot you buy on autopilot. The Sauvignon Blanc that somehow keeps finding its way into the trolley.
But every now and then it's worth wandering off the well-worn path.
Some of the most memorable wines we've ever tasted have come from producers, regions or grape varieties that some people wouldn’t have heard of. They're the bottles that make you stop halfway through the first glass and think, "Where has this been all my life?"
If you're keen to shake up your wine rack, these are the wines we'd point you towards. Different enough to be interesting, delicious enough that you'll probably come back for more.
Forget everything you think you know about Pinot Grigio.
This is rich, textural and packed with personality. Pear, stone fruit, gentle spice and beautiful minerality combine to create a wine with real presence. It's the sort of Pinot Grigio that converts sceptics into believers.
While inspired by the great Pinot Grigios of northern Italy, wild fermentation and extended lees ageing have given this wine a distinctly Alsatian feel (the French region... not the dog). There's Chardonnay-like texture here, but with the freshness and vibrancy that Pinot Grigio does so well.
The fruit comes from high-elevation vineyards at Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula—one of the region's premium pockets—and it absolutely shows in the glass.
Drink it if: You love Chardonnay but want something a little more adventurous
Proof that great fruit doesn't need to hide behind oak.
This is bright, vibrant and effortlessly drinkable, with juicy red berries, spice and enough structure to keep things interesting. The absence of oak means the quality of the fruit takes centre stage—and it's putting on a pretty impressive performance.
Created by Southern French winemaker Samuel Delafont and his distribution partner, this wine draws fruit from the Cévennes IGP in the Languedoc. The region sits at the crossroads of Provence and the Southern Rhône—quite literally a "point of convergence"—bringing together the best characteristics of both.
The first glass has an annoying habit of becoming two.
Drink it if: You enjoy Rhône blends but prefer elegance over sheer weight.
Mecklen Old Vine Barossa Grenache 2024
Dry-grown fruit from 100-year-old Barossa vines delivers incredible concentration, perfume and complexity, with expressive red and black fruits, warming spice, subtle cedar and remarkable balance. Frankly, we'd expect to see a much bigger price tag attached.Mecklen is a tiny, premium Barossa producer crafting wines under the guidance of legendary former Jacob's Creek winemaker Bernard Hickin. Their prized Grenache vineyard sits at around 250 metres elevation on cool east-facing slopes, where century-old vines produce tiny yields of intensely flavoured fruit.
The result is classic Barossa depth with a modern sense of freshness and elegance.
Drink it if: You want to experience just how good Australian Grenache has become.
We love a blockbuster Barossa Shiraz as much as anyone, but there's something incredibly satisfying about a cool-climate example done well.
This Adelaide Hills Shiraz is all about finesse. Blueberry, cherry, cracked pepper and spice sit over fine graphite-like tannins and beautifully judged oak. Powerful? Absolutely. Heavy? Not even close.
Give it an hour in the decanter and you'll be rewarded with extra layers of perfume and complexity.
Longview's estate at Macclesfield is one of the Adelaide Hills' gems. Reds are planted on warmer north-facing slopes to maximise ripeness, while whites occupy the cooler southern aspects to preserve freshness and acidity. It's thoughtful viticulture that translates directly into the bottle.
Perfect excuse: Light the charcoal, throw something substantial on the grill and let this wine do the rest.
If you've never tried Graciano before, this is an excellent place to start.
Medium-bodied, fragrant and wonderfully different, it layers violets and herbs with berry and blood orange fruits, a little smoked meat and anise wrapped into something that's both familiar and completely unlike the average Aussie red.
It's complex without being complicated.
In Spain, Graciano is traditionally blended into Rioja, where its bright acidity and intense fruit help wines age gracefully for decades. Alex Russell and Lara Suitor have built a reputation for embracing varieties most wineries wouldn't touch, producing everything from Saperavi and Lagrein in the Riverland through to elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling from their Tasmanian vineyard. Safe to say they don't like colouring inside the lines.
Drink it if: You're ready to discover a red that doesn't taste like everything else on the shelf. Pork & Fennel sausages to accompany.
The Best Wines Aren't Always the Most Famous
The fun of wine isn't just drinking what everyone else is drinking—it's finding the bottles that surprise you.
Whether it's a Pinot Grigio that drinks like fine Alsace, a French Grenache Shiraz with effortless charm, an elegant Adelaide Hills Shiraz, a wonderfully left-field Graciano or an old-vine Grenache punching well above its price tag, these wines all have one thing in common:
They're memorable.
Give one a go. You might just discover your new favourite.