WINE CHEAT SHEET
CHEAT SHEET TASTING WINE CAN BE A BIT INTIMIDATING, SO WE’VE COME UP WITH A WINE-TASTING 101 GUIDE TO HELP YOU SIP AND SWIRL LIKE AN EXPERT. WORDS: DANIEL HONAN
SEMILLON
VERDELHO
CHARDONNAY
(PRON. ‘SEMM-IH-OHN’)
(PRON. ‘VER-DEL-LOH’)
(PRON. ‘SHAR-DOH-NAYE’)
Arriving in Australia in the 1800s, the Semillon grape variety is a Hunter Valley classic, the basis for the region’s most distinctive white wine. Semillons are long-lived, typically light- to mediumbodied and bone-dry, with high acidity.
Originating from Portugal, Verdelho grown in the Hunter Valley is usually made into light, dry, fruity and easy-drinking white wines. However, there are also some excellent fortified examples made in the region.
Chardonnay is one of the wine world’s most versatile grape varieties. Hunter Valley Chardonnay is generally fullbodied, soft and lush; great examples are dry, elegant and age-worthy.
SMELLS LIKE: Fresh citrus fruits, lemons and limes, freshly cut grass. Older examples can acquire aromas of buttered toast, hay, honey and apricots.
SMELLS LIKE: Full-on tropical fruit and floral aromas similar to those of passionfruit, mango and guava.
TASTES LIKE: Young Semillons are fresh, crisp and high in acid. They can taste bright and citrusy, like crunching into a green apple that’s been splashed with lemon and lime juice. As Hunter Semillons age, the acid fades, leaving a soft, honey-like richness with a touch of nutty, buttered toast. GREAT WITH: Fish and chips on the beach during summer. LABELS TO LOOK FOR: Mount Pleasant. Gundog Estate. Tyrrell’s Wines. WINEMAKER’S QUOTE: “Hunter Semillon... delivers an authentic sense of place that is unique in the world of wine.” – Jim Chatto from Mount Pleasant
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TASTES LIKE: Light- to medium-bodied with hints of ripe tropical fruit, such as pineapple and passionfruit. GREAT WITH: Enjoy chilled by the pool with a bunch of friends, the loud music pumping, served with a platter of fresh cheeses and a big bowl of fruit salad. LABELS TO LOOK FOR: Bimbadgen Estate. Tulloch Wines. Macquariedale Organic Wines. WINEMAKER’S QUOTE: “Hunter Valley Verdelho is a wine that should compete with Sauvignon Blanc drinkers because of its clean, crisp and refreshingly ripe tropical flavours.” – Rauri Donkin from Bimbadgen Estate
SMELLS LIKE: Ripe yellow tropical fruits – golden pineapples, peaches and melons – usually with a slight scent of honey, oak and sometimes, surprisingly, flint and wet stones. TASTES LIKE: Anything from bonedry, crisp and lean, to rich, soft and fleshy, and sometimes buttery and oaky. Typically tasting of tropical fruit – soft peaches, pineapples and fresh melons. GREAT WITH: Serve chilled with cheese, fresh seafood or roast chicken. LABELS TO LOOK FOR: Tyrrell’s Wines. Oakvale Wines. Harkham Wines. WINEMAKER’S QUOTE: “I think good Hunter Chardonnays have a white peach character with grapefruit-like acidity. With age they get similar toasty, rich citrus characters to those that Semillons can develop.” – Chris Tyrrell from Tyrrell’s Wines