Neudorf Rosie’s Block Moutere Chardonnay, Nelson, New Zealand 2022 (from £34.99, tauruswines.co.uk; bowlandforestvintners.co.uk; thefinewinecompany.co.uk)
If you asked wine-drinkers in Britain to pick a red and a white grape variety to represent each of Australia and New Zealand, I reckon most would plump for chardonnay and shiraz for the Aussies, and sauvignon blanc and pinot noir for the Kiwis. But there are plenty of winemakers on either side of the Tasman Sea who make fantastic wines from the neighbouring country’s specialities – a fact that was confirmed at a tasting in London recently in which 10 examples of each of those big four varieties, five from New Zealand and five Australian, were lined up for comparison. Standout wines for me were evenly spread across the two countries, and included the pure, fluent Seifried Estate Aotea Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (£17.75, farehamwinecellar.co.uk) and the luminous peach and crème-fraiche savoury complexity of Neudorf chardonnay from New Zealand; and, from Australia, the mouthwateringly taut, clean lines of Ministry of Clouds Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2023 (£39.95, vincognito.co.uk) and the tranquil soft red fruit of Mac Forbes Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2023 (£28.95, fieldandfawcett.co.uk).
Agricola Ebenezer Syrah, Barossa Valley, Australia 2023 (£70, swig.co.uk)
The comparative tasting was just one feature of an event that illustrated the new spirit of cooperation between the New Zealand and Australian wine industries in the UK: for years each had hosted their own large-scale tasting for the trade in January, but this year brought dozens of importers and producers representing each country under one roof. A sign of just how hard things are getting for exporters to the UK amid the mounting costs of spiralling post-Brexit red tape, and ever-more complex and expensive duty regulations? Perhaps. But it also made for a much more compelling (and busy) event, with some outstanding wines dotted among the inevitable also-rans. At the top of my list the next time I’m planning a special occasion, are the wines of the Barossa Valley producer Callum Powell. Powell, who is steeped in Barossa wine culture as the son of the founder of the excellent Torbreck and who spent time working at the top Rhône Valley producer JL Chave, makes a handful of tiny-production wines from very old vines, among them the enchantingly, endlessly fragrant, elegant, rosehip-tangy Ebenezer Syrah.
Vasse Felix Classic Shiraz, Margaret River, Australia 2023 (£12.50, Tesco)
Of course, you don’t need to spend a fortune to find good and characterful wine from either New Zealand or Australia – although, like most countries these days, the quality-value sweet-spot does tend to be in the £10 to £20 range (exceptions such as Aldi’s darkly spicy Specially Selected Australian Shiraz 2022 at £6.99 notwithstanding). Antipodean wines that hit that spot that I’ve tried recently include the plump, juicy but freshly balanced shiraz from Western Australia’s Vasse Felix; Yealands Estate Grüner Veltliner Reserve, Awatere Valley, Marlborough 2023 (£12.99, Waitrose), a bright, gently herbal and spicy, lime-citrussy New Zealand version of Grüner that shows how the country’s winemakers are increasingly getting the hang of Austria’s signature white grape variety; the gently beetroot-earthy, strawberry-juicy, light, fresh red of Kumeu River Village Auckland Pinot Noir 2023 (£12.50, thewinesociety.com); and the gracious but vivaciously citrussy, subtly sweet but refreshing Pegasus Bay Riesling, North Canterbury 2020 (£19.50, Waitrose).
