10 Australian Wines to Try This Year

One of Victoria’s many excellent under-the-radar wine regions, Heathcote’s dramatic, boulder-strewn landscape is virtually prehistoric. The area is known for powerful yet fresh perfumed Shiraz, and this is a top example. Think berry cordial, dried violet, mint, and baking spice aromas with chiseled, powdery tannins with a Goldilocks weight—not too heavy, not too light. It’s a far cry from the overblown Shiraz of the past.

5. 2023 Dr. Edge Tyrannosaurus Dredge Pinot Meunier, Tasmania, $44

Peter Dredge is an Aussie wine rock star, and Tasmania is one of the nation’s coolest—both literally and figuratively—regions, famed for top-notch sparkling wine and Pinot Noir. This Pinot Meunier (the lesser known of the Champagne grape varieties) may be a rare bird, but stylistically it exemplifies the “new” Australia, with a pop of berry fruit, florals, and spice amid a satiny, fresh palate. The perfect chillable red.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran & Valentina Rodriguez

6. 2022 Delinquente Hell Nero d’Avola, Riverland, South Australia, $30

In a region as hot as Riverland, drought-tolerant Southern Italian varieties like Nero d’Avola thrive. Many winemakers, like Con-Greg Grigoriou of Delinquente, believe these varieties are the future of the country’s warmest wine regions. This bottle is part of a colorful range that exemplifies this shift. Remarkably vivacious, it evokes wild Aussie springtime flowers, blueberry and rhubarb crumble, and savory spice.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran & Valentina Rodriguez

7. 2022 Harkham Aziza Sémillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, $40

Hunter Valley has been making unique, long-lived Sémillon for nearly 200 years. Harkham’s version is made in a natural, zero-sulfur-added vein, so it walks to its own beat. Wild but not funky thanks to a palate of wildflowers, beeswax, lemon balm, and hay, it’s waxy-textured with a ping of pithy, lemony acidity. Plus, it’s just 10.7% alcohol and keeps improving days after opening.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran & Valentina Rodriguez

8. 2023 Ochota Barrels The Price of Silence Gamay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, $60

Adelaide Hills was ground zero for the country’s natural wine movement, home to a plethora of creative small-batch producers like winemaker Taras Ochota, who led the charge. After his untimely death in 2020, his wife, Amber, took the reins, and wine quality hasn’t suffered. Like everything in the Ochota range, this Gamay is fresh and perfumed, evocative of site and variety.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran & Valentina Rodriguez

9. 2022 Thistledown The Vagabond Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia, $58

If you find Shiraz too rich, then mid-weight Grenache is a step in the lighter direction. McLaren Vale is the variety’s spiritual home Down Under, with gnarly old vines and producers like Thistledown skilled at coaxing out Grenache’s plump berry, floral, and white pepper perfume and satiny texture.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran & Valentina Rodriguez

10. 2023 Grosset Springvale Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia, $38

Clare Valley and Riesling go together like cats and naps. The Aussie style is typically bone-dry with rapier-sharp acidity, chalk-dust texture, and delicate citrus and floral flavors. This version, from arguably Australia’s most renowned Riesling producers, is exemplary. It could age for decades, but is beautiful now, especially for the acid hounds among us.