Karen Coulston’s favourite wines by variety and place

Remember that I am biased and tend to more savoury, medium weight wines in recent years (since chemotherapy).

White wines

Riesling

• My preference is for dry as most Australians are.
• A perfect fish wine (think fish and chips on the beach, the acid cuts through the fat).
• I love aged Rieslings evolving to kerosene.
• Tasmania, a beautiful pair, medium sweet and dry, is from Frogmore Creek (sweet is labelled FGR for forty grams residual sugar).
• Clare / Eden Valley.
• Geelong / Henty.
• Far south WA.
• Alsace, France for all beautifully aromatic whites, dry → very sweet.

Chardonnay

• Only with some oak influence. I like a creamy but mineral Chard.
• Cooler climates preferred but most places can grow good Chardonnay.
• White Burgundy.

Pinot Grigio / Gris

• Cool climates again, wherever Pinot Noir grows well.
• I prefer the more acidic Italian style Grigio, fresh, lively, almost cutting.
• Gris style is richer, sometimes with a touch of sweetness and old oak fermentation. This is the French / Alsace style suited to creamy seafood and chicken dishes (traditionally bottled in Riesling bottles).

Sauvignon Blanc

• Not my favourite Australian white, where it is often overpowering in tropical fruit but lacks structure – too simple.
• I like the New Zealand grassy, gooseberry style.
• The French Loire style is different again, with bright fruit and structure.

Semillon

• Only old ones from the Hunter Valley where the lemon curd of youth (often pleasant) develops to buttered toast under the lemon spread.
• I don’t like Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends – often cheap and nasty.

Other

• I’m not keen on Viognier, Verdelho or Chenin Blanc, although WA does make some exceptions.
• Never serve me a moscato!
• Alternative varieties from Italy and Spain can be very interesting:
• Fiano, Arneis, Friulano, Gavi, Vermentino often blended as in Italy.
• The Victorian King Valley experiments well with Italian varieties.
• French alternatives, Marsanne and Rousanne, often in a Rhone blend:
• Lovely aromatics that age to honeysuckle.
• Central Victoria grows more than Rhone.
• Stickies made from Riesling or Semillon (and Sauvignon Blanc in Sauterne):
• Must be from Botrytis affected fruit for concentrated marmalade/ginger/apricot.
• Ice wines are simply concentrated without the extra dimension of Botrytis and ridiculously expensive.

Sparkling wines

Champagne

• I prefer the classic Champagne blend but always from cold climates.
• Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir:
• Blanc de blanc is all Chardonnay, ultra fresh, touch of citrus.
• Blanc de noir is all Pinot Noir – more meaty, masculine, deep.
• Rosé has some Pinot Noir skin contact for colour.
• Vintage means the grapes are from one year. The Champagne houses only produce a vintage Champagne in exceptional years.
• Non Vintage (NV) means grapes are from several years and base wines from different vineyards can be blended (as can be the case for vintage as well).
• Big houses tend to make more complex sparklings because they blend more base wines. Small producers make individual wines that vary from year to year.
• Ideally have 3 years on lees before disgorgement to get good autolysis character (crusty bread, dough, Vegemite).
• Tasmania vies with Champagne for the best. The UK performs well too.
• Methode champenoise best but good safe wines from transfer (pressure tanks) too.

Prosecco (and other non Champagne varieties)

• Prosecco (and other non Champagne varieties) make simple wines but non challenging and good value bubbles.

Sparkling reds

• Particularly Australian, usually Shiraz, often with Durif in Victoria.
• Often made from finished red wine that needs to be diluted before sparkling.
• Not as complex as whites and doesn’t benefit from autolysis.
• Great with Christmas dinner turkey.

Red wines

Pinot Noir

• My love for elegance, savoury character and wonderful structure.
• Must be cool climate:
• Burgundy.
• Tasmania.
• Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Macedon.
• Adelaide Hills.
• Far south WA.
• New Zealand (I prefer Martinborough to Central Otago).
• Oregon, Canada.
• Be prepared to pay >$40 for anything good. Be sceptical about second labels often sold to restaurants at <$20.

Cabernet Sauvignon

• The classic French variety, usually blended in Bordeaux but a straight varietal in Australia (sometimes middle palate softened by Merlot).
• I like the cool climate wine with a touch of herbs/greenness and an austerity that promises longevity:
• Coonawarra.
• Margaret River.
• Yarra Valley in warm years.
• Bordeaux.
• Big cassis, brambly flavours in Australia. Taut tannins worthy of ageing.

Merlot

• To me best as a blender, too soft except in Pomerol.

Shiraz

• Australia’s own but the same variety as Syrah in the Rhone.
• Cool climate style is spicy and peppery, round but big tannins:
• Heathcote, Yarra Valley, Geelong.
• Adelaide Hills, Clare.
• Cote du Rhone.
• Warmer climates produce big, bold almost jammy Shiraz:
• McLaren Vale, Barossa.
• Hunter, Orange, Mudgee.
• Swan Valley.
• Blends well with Cabernet for the iconic Australian red.

Alternative reds

• Italian varieties:
• Sangiovese Italian like from cool areas like King Valley.
• Nebbiolo likewise (tar and roses in Italy and KV).
• Primitivo (Zinfandel) bigger, broader red.
• Nero D’Avola, Aglianico, big reds from Italy’s warmer south.
• Spanish varieties:
• Tempranillo, Rioja, does well in much of Australia.
• Grenache (Garnacha) old stalwart of SA, pretty wine rather than iconic, good for rosés.
• French minors, not usually stand alone, good blenders:
• Malbec, Mataro (Mourvedre), Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc.
• Durif a very big red in Rutherglen region.
• Gamay the grape of Beaujolais but a poor cousin to Pinot Noir.

Fortified wines

Sherry (Apera in Australia)

• Best from Spain.
• Flor (oxidative film yeast) produces flavours.
• Solera system blends over years in pyramids of barrels (done in Australia too).
• Fino dry and delicate, beautiful with a light soup.
• Amontillado, richer, try with a creamy soup.
• Oloroso coarser, sometimes sweet, it matches the hearty soup.

Port from Portugal

• Rutherglen best in Oz.
• Sweet red fortified mid ferment.
• Vintage made from one year’s grapes, bottled early then bottle aged.
• Traditionally, a bottle should be consumed in one sitting (to avoid oxidation or just the British?).
• Tawny is aged in the barrel, a blend over many years, brown from oxidation/age.

Muscat and Tokay (Topaque in Oz)

• Basically fortified grape juice.
• Rutherglen’s own from super ripe Muscat and Muscadelle grapes.
• Intensely luscious and aromatic.
• Classified into Rutherglen, Classic, Grand and Rare priced accordingly.