Many of us are now drinking less and seeking a more blissful experience when we do pour a glass. Still, the reluctance to spend-up on wine to drink at home is deeply ingrained, even among those who regularly drop £50 feeding their lukewarm Deliveroo pizza habit. I blame the power of instant (or near-instant) gratification.
If you are contemplating a budget reallocation away from convenient mediocrity and into the pure pleasure of a single, beautiful bottle, then please consider the finer wines from the Antipodes, overlooked by many drinkers who “still think [wrongly] that New World wines are over-oaked and lacking freshness”, says Antonio Palmarini, the incoming head of wine and sake at Aki in London. Like many of those who look after the most tempting wine lists I see, Palmarini is a big admirer of the more serious wines from New Zealand and Australia, which he lists because he admires them rather than because customers hunt for them.
“[These are] still something that have to be recommended [to the customer], though when they taste wines like Jim Barry Clare Valley Assyrtiko – super-nice acidity, long finish, really floral, fantastic as an aperitif – or Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz – super-affordable, it has got a fantastic price – they come back and order them again.”
For the record, I like both of those too, especially the shiraz; you can find the assyrtiko at Laithwaites (£25) and the shiraz in Majestic (£15) and Booths (£15.75).
Australia has a whole panoply of excellent wines to offer, from streamlined grenache, almost pinot-like in its silkiness, to wines made from unexpected grapes such as lambrusco or nebbiolo. The most sought-after fine wines from Australia, though, are currently chardonnay and pinot noir.
New Zealand is no slouch in those departments either. “In terms of value and quality I think chardonnay and pinot noir from both countries are in an incredibly strong place right now [especially] with burgundy prices continuing to rise and access becoming harder due to smaller vintages; these wines offer serious alternatives,” says Katie Exton, the director of restaurant Lorne in Pimlico, London.
“I’m drawn to fruit in wines, and think the best [Antipodean] producers capture it with remarkable clarity, without the old cliché of new-world ripeness,” says Exton. “I also think the quality is always improving. There’s a sense that producers are constantly pushing themselves. Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay is, in my view, one of the best-value wines in the world.”
I agree. I recommended the white peaches and lemon curd roundness of the Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2024, Auckland, New Zealand in Telegraph Luxury last autumn; at £23 (Laithwaites), it might feel a lot to those whose wine budget never moves out of the pint of lager range. For a slice of luxury, though, £23 is not a lot to pay.
Dining and Cooking