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Fizz
Arras Brut Elite
This is the non-vintage offering from Australia’s best sparkling winemaker: Arras. ‘Nuff said. Price $50. Get it at www.wineboss.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Unico Zelo Harvest Blanc de Blancs
A traditional sparkling made from Chardonnay in the Adelaide Hills, Harvest is a new venture from Unico Zelo where profits are shared with the grape-growers, “co-op” style. Price: $25. Get it from www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Yangarra “Pét’nat”
Made from Grenache, Cinsault & Greciano grown in McLaren Vale. Some pét-nats can be an acquired taste, but this is an absolute crowd pleaser, with strawberries and cream characters through and through. Price: $32. Buy it from www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Brave New Wine “Little Sister”
A Pinot Noir pét-nat from Mount Barker in the southern end of Western Australia. This is a purple, fizzy, spicey, fun Pinot with plenty of intrigue. Price: $28. Get it from www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
Classy whites
2011 Tyrrells “Stevens Single Vineyard” Hunter Valley Semillon
Hunter Valley Semillons offer great value and age tremendously. This is top-of-the-range Semillon from Tyrell’s, who have been in the game for over 150 years. This young pup has some lovely lemon and toast characters developing. Price: $35. Buy some from www.tyrrells.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Stargazer “Tupelo” Tasmania Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer & Riesling
An Alsace inspired blend from this newcomer. Highly aromatic, with gorgeous Turkish Delight notes on the palate. Price: $30. Get it at www.stargazerwine.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Best’s “Gentle Blend” Great Western
Another new and impressive Alsation inspired blend for the list, comes in Best’s 150th year. Four varieties at play here, with Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer & Muscat. This is a fresh, light and floral wine, with a citrus finish. Price: $35. Get it at www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Crawford River “Young Vines” Henty Riesling
In a word, delicious. A generous and immensely approachable Riesling that yet has many years ahead of it. If only more Rieslings could be this satisfying, this young. Price: $30. Buy it at www.crawfordriverwines.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Dirty Three South Gippsland Riesling
An off-dry Riesling with an unexpected savoury finish thanks to a little skin contact at pressing and keeping the wine in contact with its yeast “lees” until bottling. Price: $30. Get some from www.winerepublic.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Hoddles Creek Estate Chardonnay
The Hoddles Creek stable of wines offer tremendous value and interest across the range. This is serious Chardonnay at a phenomenal price. Price: $22. Get it from www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2014 Silent Way Macedon Chardonnay
At 500+ meters above sea level, Macedon experiences cooler conditions than the nearby Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, and is a relatively emerging region in comparison. This Chardonnay has some richness and texture, with white peach and florals, and a pronounced sherbet character. Price: $35. Buy it from www.winefront.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Murdoch Hill “Artisan Series - The Tilbury” Adelaide Hills Chardonnay
Murdoch Hill has quickly become a shining star of the Adelaide Hills. This is a light, elegant and composed Chardonnay. Price: $40. Get it at www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Tripe Iscariot “Absolution” Karridale Margaret River Chenin Blanc
New label Tripe Iscariot range includes multiple single vineyard Chenin Blancs, which is indicative of the growing care and attention to this variety in Australia. This, from the southernmost sub-region of Margaret River, Karridale, has a unique salty character. Price: $32. Find it at www.tripeiscariot.com. Photo: Supplied -
Freaky whites
2016 Koerner Wine “Pigato” Clare Valley Vermentino
Fermented on skins and matured in a combination of oak and qveri (amphora), this wine is peachy in colour and flavour. An absolutely delightful example of an “orange” wine. Price: $30. Get it from www.koernerwine.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
Sam Vinciullo 2016 “Warner Glen” Margaret River Semillon
After a winemaking stint on Mount Etna in Sicily, Sam Vinciullo returned home and started his own label in 2015. This Semillon is slightly cloudy and super refreshing, with bright lemon zest characters, and an easy drinking roundness to the palate. Price: $43. Get some at www.campbellburton.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Yelland & Papps “Second Take” Barossa Roussanne
This is the third vintage of what started as an experiment. A super cloudy straw colour, and quite cider-like with pear characters, this wine is as delicious as it is cloudy. Give it a shake if some of the sediment has settled, as this enhances the savoury side to the wine. Price: $40. Buy it from www.yellandandpapps.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Yetti & the Kokonut Eden Valley Sercial
Sercial is the grape used for Madeira, and I’m not aware of another Sercial vineyard or wine in Australia. This wine was picked up by René Redzepi’s Noma pop-up restaurant in Sydney. It looks like cloudy Passiona, and tastes dry with with citrus fruit and a textural grip thanks to 10 days skin contact in winemaking. Sadly, the 2015 is no longer available, but the 2016 which is just as good has just hit the shelves. Price: $38. Photo: Instagram -
2016 Brash Higgins ZBO Riverland Zibibbo
This wine grows in reputation each year. The Zibibbo grape also goes by the name of Moscato. Made in terracotta amphoras from a local potter, it is floral, slightly cloudy and rustic. Price: $37. Get some at www.brashhiggins.com. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Dormilona “Skinnie” Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc
For the second release, Dormilona have pushed the style a little further. One month skin contact with further time in barrel and amphora. Hazy and straw in colour, the texture and savoury notes bring a new dimension to the grassy Sauvignon characters. Price: $30. Buy it at www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 La Violetta “Ü lèvre d’orange”
Based in Western Australia’s Great Southern region, La Violetta offers one of Australia’s most exciting range of wines right now. This is the Rolls-Royce of “orange” wines in Australia. Riesling is joined by Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris Skins. Quite amber in colour, it’s like an exotic tea you’ve never tasted before. Only one barrel of the wine was made. Price: $32. Photo: Supplied -
Rosé
2016 De Bortoli “Vinoque” Yarra Valley Nebbiolo Rosé
De Bortoli’s Vinoque range is full of intriguing wines. This rosé is very pale salmon in colour and bone dry. As winemaker Steve Webber puts it, it’s grown-ups rosé. Price: $25. Get it at shop.debortoli.com.au Photo: Supplied -
2016 Sutton Grange “Fairbank” Rosé
Made with Shiraz, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon from Bendigo. The textural rosé has strawberry and dry herb characters, that would go so well with a charcuterie platter and a game of Pétanque. Price: $22. Get it from www.suttongrange.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Whistler “Dry As A Bone” Barossa Valley Rosé
Coming from a combination of 50 year old Grenache and another block of “bush vines” with a few other red varieties. Made with an old-fashioned basket press, the result is a chewy light rosé with a moreish savoury finish. Price: $25. Buy some at www.whistlerwines.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
The pinot noir
2016 Elderslie “Hills Blend #2” Adelaide Hills Pinot Meunier & Pinot Noir
Elderslie is a new label by Adam Wadewitz, winemaker of Shaw + Smith. There are now a few producers blending these two varieties only previously seen in traditional sparkling blends. This is a red wine that is crisp and light, in fact, incredibly light. No teeth staining here. Price: $42. Get it at www.andrewguard.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Medhurst YRB Yarra Valley Pinot Noir Shiraz
Inspired by Beaujolias, winemaker Simon Steele set out to make a crunchy, easy to drink, low alcohol red. Just quietly, this has a little aromatic lift from some Chardonnay, Steele says around 1%. Another incredibly light red, with a delightful musk stick and charceuterie nuance to the fruit. Try chilling red wines like this. Price: $33. Get it from www.medhurstwines.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Schmolzer & Brown “Prêt-à-Rouge” Alpine Valleys Shiraz & Beechworth Pinot Noir & Sangiovese
It’s a very easy red to drink, it feels plush in the palate, and has layers of plumb, herbs and spice. A moreish red wine well suited to whittling away an afternoon. Price: $28. Available at www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Clyde Park Geelong Pinot Noir
Clyde Park was planted by local legend Gary Farr in 1979. This is a lean Pinot in the red fruit spectrum, but well structured with fine firm tannins. Price: $33. Get it at www.nicks.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Punt Road Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
This can be found around $24 at some retailers, which probably makes it Australia’s best value Pinot. It needs some air to show all its pretty cherry fruit, so give the wine a good decant before drinking. You’ll find this wine tastes even better a day after opening. Price: $25. Buy it from www.danmurphys.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2013 Moorooduc Estate Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir
Made with fruit from all three of Moorooduc’s vineyards, all within five kilometers of one another, this wine has a lively energy on the palate, with dark cherry and forest floor characters. Price: $35. Get it at www.nicks.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2014 Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir
The winemaking team here are a fast rising star, with Gilli and Paul Lipscombe having won the prestigious Jimmy Watson in 2015 for a Home Hill Estate Pinot. This Sailor Seeks Horse wine from their own vineyard, and is a powerful, darker fruited expression of Pinot. Price: $46. Available at www.blackheartsandsparrows.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Oakridge “Meunier” Yarra Valley
Pinot Munier is mostly known as the blending component of traditional NV Champagne styles, and thus seen as the poorer cousin of Pinot Noir. However, there’s a small but growing number of Aussie wineries releasing Pinot Munier as single varietal wines, which tend to exhibit cherry fruit and gamey characters. Price: $28. Get it at www.oakridgewines.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
New wave reds
2016 Meadowbank Tasmania Gamay
Gamay is the grape of Beaujolais. Today in Australia there’s now a few dozen wineries releasing a Gamay. This is all light red fruits and gamey leather characters. Beaujolais style wines are the quintessential example of reds sometimes served chilled. Price: $42. Get it from www.meadowbank.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Chalmers Heathcote Nero D’Avola
This variety from Sicily was first brought to Australia by Chalmers in 1998. A grape with much potential in our warm climate, it likes hot, dry growing conditions. In the glass, this is a very friendly wine; florals, bright red fruits and cloves, this wine smells like summer. A definite crowd pleaser. Price: $27. Buy some at www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Little Reddie Beechworth Nebbiolo
A new label by a new winemaker, this is the juiciest Nebbiolo I’ve ever tasted; a completely unexpected expression of the grape. Bright red fruits and fennel characters. In a word: yum. Another red that may be enjoyed chilled. Price; $30. Get some at www.veno.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Fleet Wines Gippsland Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc, the parent to Cabernet Sauvignon, makes aromatic, light and herbaceous wines. This is a very impressive introduction from a new label. Another wine worth trying chilled on a warm day. Price: $33. Get it from www.oakbarrel.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2014 Mac Forbes “EB14 Nebbiolo” Yarra Valley
EB is Mac Forbes’ code for Experimental Batch, and this is the first time they’ve made a Nebbiolo. Red fruited and floral, Mac Forbes wines are always super elegant. Price: $40. Buy some at www.moreishwines.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Out of Step Malakoff Estate Pyrenees Nebbiolo
From an increasingly well known vineyard where a number of winemakers are sourcing their grapes. Nebbiolo is such good food wine, sit down to it with a ragu. Sharing is optional. Price: $33., Get it at www.farmhousedirect.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2013 Denton View Hill Yarra Valley Nebbiolo
Made by Luke Lambert who has become something of a local legend with Nebbiolo. This is a modern Nebbiolo style, with an alluring perfume of vanilla, cherries and leather. Price: $49. Get it from www.winehouse.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 SC Pannell McLaren Vale Touriga Cabernet Mataro
Touriga Nacional is Portugal’s famous highly aromatic grape variety, most commonly seen in Port. The generosity of this wine is astounding, without being “big”. It has an intense perfume of summer fields, coupled with dark fruit and chocolate throughout. Price: $45. Get some at www.pannell.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
Classic reds
2015 Innocent Bystander Yarra Valley Syrah
Serial winner of show awards, this is a super value, cool climate Syrah from the sibling of the Giant Steps range. Price: $25. Get it at www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2012 Collector Wines “Marked Tree Red” Canberra Shiraz
A lighter weighted shiraz style with an intensely perfumed nose of red fruits, autumn leaves and baking tray vegetables. Price: $26. Get it from www.collectorwines.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2010 Cirillo “1850 Old Vine” Barossa Grenache
This is an incredibly complex and layered wine coming from the world’s oldest Grenache vines. It’s Grenache that looks Pinot-like. Price: $50. Get it from www.differentdrop.com. 2011 available only. Photo: Supplied -
2016 Ochota Barrels “The Fugazi Vineyard” McLaren Vale Grenache
Taras Ochota has recently been named in Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 wineries of the world, with the 2014 Fugazi having honour of the highest scoring Grenache. Price: $40. Get it at www.ochotabarrels.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Lino Ramble “Gomas” McLaren Vale Grenache
Another almost Pinot-like Grenache, red fruited with savoury herbs and spices. Price; $30. Get it from www.differentdrop.com. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Ravensworth Murrumbateman Shiraz Viognier
Ravensworth is an exciting label by Bryan Martin, who also works at the revered Clonakilla. Complex layers of plumb, herbs, hard cheese, leather and tobacco unfold from the glass. Price: $33. Get it at www.mywineguy.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 A. Rodda “Cuvée De Chez” Beechworth Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot & Malbec
The classic “Bordeaux blend” with lots of purple fruit doesn’t need cellar time to be enjoyed. Price: $37. Get the 2014 vintage from www.princewinestore.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Nocturne Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon
Nocturne is a vineyard owned by Julian Langworthy and his wife, and this is their first release. It has an immense tobacco perfume and dark fruits on the palate. Langworthy won the Jimmy Watson this year with a Cabernet from Deep Woods Estate. Price: $47. Buy some at www.harryandfrankie.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
2015 Ruggabellus “Archaeus” Barossa
All Ruggabellus wines are an exploration of blends, with each variety taking a lead role. The Archeus is Shiraz dominant expression of Barossa, with support from, Grenache, Mataro & Cinsault. Ruggabellus has become emblematic of the change in the stylistic interpretation of Barossa, where winemakers are seeking elegance, not weight. Price: $44. Buy some at www.ruggabellus.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
Festive spirits
Pfeiffer Seriously Nutty
This wine starts life as a fino style (Pfeiffer’s “Seriously Fine”) sherry and is then oxidatively aged to create complex and richer nutty aromas. Give this a try, as an aperitif or after a meal. Price: $45. Get it from www.pfeifferwinesrutherglen.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
NV Simao & Co White Port
Enjoy this fortified white wine from the Verdelho grape as is, or follow Simon Killeen’s (the winemaker) refreshing spritz cocktail recipe of: either 50/50; or, three parts port to two parts tonic, with mint and ice. Price: $28. www.wineandthecountry.com.au. Photo: Supplied -
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There has never been a better time to buy Australian wine. An explosion of producers and creativity, and a narrowing distance between winemaker and consumer has created the perfect storm.
Thanks to social media, winemakers can be more adventurous, and consumers aren't afraid to buy the same old thing. Crazy ideas hatched in the winery can actually have a life and new wines can go from winery to wine bar and pop up on Instagram all in a day.
See Also
Winemaker Simon Steele at Medhurst winery in the Yarra Valley says their Pinot Shiraz blend sells better than their Cabernet. Who'd have thunk it!
![Social media has given obscure vineyards a chance to gain an audience.](/web/20161225162431im_/http://www.executivestyle.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/1/f/g/image.related.articleLeadwide.520x294.gtfgp8.png/1482454772508.jpg)
Emerging names
The takeaway from this Top 50 list of wines under $50 for 2016 is that many of them are emerging, relatively new names. This stands to reason when you consider emerging labels tempt customers with more competitive pricing. As well, more risks can be taken with smaller volume products, which is where the creativity happens.
There are many wines and producers that are unlucky not to be here, so look for new styles and emerging names to find value in your own wine hunting in 2017!
To keep things simple, we've broken the list down into categories:
![2016 has been a great year for more experimental wines such as Yelland & Papps “Second Take”.](/web/20161225162431im_/http://www.executivestyle.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/1/f/h/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtfgp8.png/1482454772508.jpg)
Fizz
These delicious drops are a combination of traditional method and "pétillant-naturel" wines. Making traditional sparkling is a longer and more intensive (read: more expensive) process than pét-nat wines, which is a new style to Australian shores.
So, give pét-nats a try – but keep an open mind because these low-fi wines are quite radical by comparison.
Classy whites
Kind of says it all, doesn't it? These are those classic drams you can comfortably say everyone will love.
Freaky whites
The most exciting thing about wine is discovering new styles and new tastes. These are the more adventurous whites for people developing a risque palate might like to try with an open mind.
Rosé
Obviously. This is the quintessential wine of Summer.
Year of the pinot
Such is the volume of quality Pinot Noirs, we could do a Top 50 list dedicated to it, but it is the emergence of Pinot Muniers, and blends of these varieties with other grapes, that symbolises the creativity and change right now.
New wave reds
Like the art movement in the '70s, these are best examples of emerging grape varieties that defy convention.
Classic reds
From Margaret River to McLaren Vale, Barossa to Beechworth, No serious wine lover is without at least one or two bottles of these.
Festive season
'Tis the season…
Scroll through the gallery above to see the 50 top wines under $50 to stock up on.