We gathered every Australian varietal vermentino we could find and set our expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines. Below are the wines that made the panellists’ top-six selections from the tasting.
Our panel: James Scarcebrook, winemaker, Vino Intrepido; Andrew Wyse, founder, Cardwell Cellars; Clementine Bird, senior sommelier, Reine & La Rue; Brad Lucas, owner, Cult of the Vine; Chad Parkhill, Wine Buyer, Young Gun of Wine; Callum Strong, wine educator, University of Melbourne.
Selected by Wyse, Lucas, Strong and Scarcebrook in their top-six wines from the blind tasting lineup, this wine was a clear standout for its poise, aromatic lift and compelling structure. “Nose and palate in perfect harmony,” said Wyse, noting a “reductive edge at first, then a slow reveal – almond orgeat, green melon, underripe Anjou pear, lime and passionfruit,” with jasmine-like florals and a bright, textured palate that “balances tension with graceful aromatics.” Lucas found it “curiously honeyed” with burnt toffee and botrytis tones giving way to “bosc pear, honeysuckle and bruised white peach burnished with beeswax and wet wool,” comparing it intriguingly to a “shades of Chenin” profile. For Strong, it was a “buxom whilst elegant wine” showcasing the hallmarks of confident viticulture, where “richness in flavour and fruit” met “retained acid” and possible skin contact or heavy pressing lent real presence to the mid-palate. “I was looking for some food, some company and some conversation,” he said. Scarcebrook praised the wine’s brisk freshness, subtle florals, and “very good length and a bit of complexity as well,” noting its “pithy texture, oily viscosity and salinity” as hallmarks of its balance and charm.
Included in the top-six selections of both Lucas and Wyse during the blind tasting, this wine made a lasting impression with its boldness and nuance. Lucas “swooned when sampling this,” drawn in by a “dramatic perfume pierced with kaffir lime and citronella,” leading to a palate brimming with “lemongrass and green mango,” and softening into “honeydew and apple gel” before finishing savoury and saline, with a “pleasing textural oiliness.” He described it as “opulent and layered while never oozing out of bounds,” capturing “presence and swagger” and suggesting grilled swordfish belly and sea views as ideal companions. Wyse noted “a nose brimming with stone fruit, honeydew melon is the star here,” with a palate that “erupts with lime juice and agave before unfurling into crushed nashi pear, fine tannins and fragrant rosemary blossom.” Though he called it an “outlier” among the day’s wines for its broader frame and less overt salinity, it nonetheless impressed for its intricate citrus-driven fruit profile and structure “defined as much by texture as by freshness,” with a “cool, cleansing cucumber finish.” A wine that invites both contemplation and indulgence.
Selected by both Parkhill and Wyse in their top six wines from the blind lineup, this Vermentino was a standout for its expressive aromatics and vibrancy. Parkhill described it as “a heady riot of ripe white peaches and yellow nectarines,” with an earthy undertone and leafy lift that “feels like stepping into a stone fruit orchard at the height of summer.” That generous fruit spectrum continues on the palate, where a “silky body is framed by filigreed acidity,” layered with “hazelnut and fuzzy peach skin,” and finishing long and saline. Wyse noted “a beautifully expressive nose—lime, grapefruit, pear, and a touch of sea spray,” with a palate “awash with tropical fruit, jalapeño, and cool cucumber,” adding that it was “zesty, mouthwatering, and utterly margarita-like.” With its bold flavour profile, creamy texture, fine tannin and bright acidity, this is a wine that balances complexity and fun, equally suited to fish tacos, prawn ceviche, or a golden-hour aperitif.
Bird, Parkhill, and Scarcebrook all selected this wine in their top six from the blind tasting, drawn to its quieter, more introspective take on Vermentino. “Soft and autumnal,” noted Bird, “this wine drapes itself over the senses like a well-worn cashmere scarf,” with aromas of peaches and cream and “a nostalgic nod to arrowroot biscuits.” Parkhill found it “less aromatically exuberant” than some but praised its “aromatic precision,” with “white grapefruit zest, almond blossom, and just-ripe white peaches” gliding across a “silky body” defined by a “latticework of acidity.” Though not overtly long, he admired its subtlety, calling it “the best example of the ‘light, bright, and relatively austere’ school of Vermentino currently being made in Australia.” Scarcebrook offered a more playful lens, describing “real mojito vibes,” with “fennel, lime, and a mintiness” leading to a “soft and ripe” palate that’s “ideal for drinking by the pool.” With supple texture, gentle salinity, and delicate citrus and spice notes, this is a quietly compelling wine that whispers rather than shouts.
Parkhill, Lucas and Scarcebrook each selected this wine in their top six from the blind tasting, drawn to its bold herbaceous streak and fresh, saline charm. “This wine presents an unusual fresh basil note,” wrote Parkhill, “alongside fresh ripe stone fruit, white balsamic and a lightly roasted character—like grilled peaches on a Sorrento terrace.” For Lucas, it was “fiercely botanical… tonic water, mezcal and lemon balm” leading to a palate of “star fruit, jalapeño and green almond bitterness” fading to a “fine, chalky grip and a moreish salty sting.” Scarcebrook noted it was “very grassy but not in an ugly way—kind of compelling,” citing “dried thyme and cut parsley” over “great freshness and a bit of bite texturally.” With its vibrancy, lifted aromatics and savoury detail, this is a lighter style of Vermentino that pushes the varietal envelope with confidence and verve.
Strong and Parkhill each selected this wine in their top six from the blind tasting, both drawn to its complexity, balance, and confident stylistic expression. “I loved the collection of dried herbs and spices settled amongst the fruit,” noted Strong, referencing “nettles, pepper, sage and mint” alongside “grapefruit pith and lemon citrus” that flowed through to a juicy, generous mid-palate. “It quenched the length of its astringent phenolics,” he said, “and held intrigue well beyond the first sip.” For Parkhill, the appeal began with an “interesting lactic element” on the nose—“Greek yoghurt and crème fraîche” layered with “lemon blossom, nasturtium, almond meal, white nectarine and pink grapefruit zest.” While the nose leaned fruity and floral, the palate skewed savoury, “veering more towards a salted almond profile,” with silky texture, driving acidity, and “a self-confident expression of Vermentino made by a producer who intimately understands how to get the best out of this variety.”
Wyse and Parkhill both selected this in their top six from the blind tasting, each drawn to its distinctive character and complexity. “A razor-sharp, crystalline nose, taut with reductive tension,” said Wyse. “The palate unfurls with a touch of oiliness before snapping into a saline rush of lime juice and crushed seashells. Grapefruit, pear and white nectarine cascade through, each edged with piercing minerality, while passionfruit pulp and starfruit bring tropical brightness, grounded by white pepper and crushed rock. Electric, textured, and utterly compelling.” For Parkhill, the wine stood out for its savoury and nutty profile, contrasting the more fruit-driven styles in his top six. “There’s a full spectrum of almond aromatics here—from green and blanched almonds through to roasted and salted ones—layered with grilled yellow peach and a savoury parmesan note. The palate is lighter and leaner than others, but the salty sapidity offers a different kind of balance. It feels like Vermentino interpreted through the lens of Manzanilla Sherry, and I’d love it with green olives, almonds and razor-thin slices of jamón. Not your typical Aussie Vermentino, but utterly charming in its idiosyncrasy.”
Scarcebrook selected this in his top six from the blind tasting. “I like this one,” he said. “It’s fresh and dry with some nice texture, the brine character is subtle, it’s refreshing and not too alcoholic, with depth and texture. There’s nice fresh pear and ripe quince, and it’s delicious and moreish. Works just as well on its own as it does with food.”
Strong selected this in his top six from the blind tasting, drawn to its fragrance and evolving depth. “This wine immediately jumped from the glass with an intriguing fragrance. Slightly golden in colour, and the aromas had weight—spices, almond, oil of clove. With time, daffodil and frangipani floral notes emerged. The palate started bright and mineral, then moved to oily texture and chalky finish, with phenolics and almond pith bitterness. It absolutely made me crave food—oily fish and a sharp salad.”
Lucas and Scarcebrook both selected this in their top six from the blind tasting. For Lucas, this was a “bountiful style that opens with scents of orange blossom, beeswax and some soft, smoky reduction lending appeal, ahead of an unctuous palate brimming with honeydew, lychee and fleshy white peach dabbed with meringue. Yet all that creamy largesse slips into a satisfying savoury mode, broad and supple, laced with nuance and sea-kissed freshness. Fetch me a parcel of battered scallops from the nearest fish and chip shop, please and thank you.” Scarcebrook noted a “slightly sherbety nose, a bit of candied lemon, slightly floral but not exuberant, with more depth. The palate is riper and broader, showing some oak. A more relaxed expression, soft and supple, finishing clean and food-friendly.”
Wyse and Strong both selected this in their top six from the blind tasting. “A lifted nose of white flowers, white peach, lime, and faint agave,” said Wyse. “The palate opens with a rush of salt and lime, unfurling into orange blossom and crisp green apple. Quartz and crushed gravel bring tension mid-palate, then a radiant finish of rock melon. Herbal complexity weaves through—dill and marjoram adding a savoury edge. This is screaming out for oysters, no garnish required.” Strong found it “tight, bright and lean—a delicious Australian take on an emerging variety in the New World. Fresh citrus fruit, sure, but complexity came from the delicate herbaceousness—cucumber, mint, even fresh asparagus. Pristine and lean, with wet rock, salinity and high acid. Seafood and briny accompaniments needed!”
Lucas selected this in his top six wines from the blind tasting. “Gently Loire-esque scents of gooseberry and meadowy herbals segue into sugar snaps and freshly picked dill before the fruit swells into a riper orange-citrus spectrum with daubs of pomelo and mandarin peel,” he noted. “It all coalesces around a thread of fine, focused acids with lovely integration from front to back palate, punctuated by saline glints and finely pixelated phenolics. It felt polished, harmonious and complete—crying out for some charred snow peas with marinated chèvre.”
Bird selected this in her top six wines from the blind tasting. “Generous in texture, this wine is slightly pulpy yet lifted by spry acidity,” she said. “It dances between sweet and savoury, conjuring visions of a Mediterranean feast—hand-peeled mandarins and briny Sicilian olives savoured under the midday sun. At its heart, stone fruits—apricot, nectarine, peach—meld effortlessly into the ensemble. The wine glides across the palate with playful ease, its buoyant nature beckoning another sip. It’s a wine meant for adventure, best enjoyed from a picnic basket or poured into glasses at a secret swimming spot.”
Strong and Scarcebrook selected this in their top six wines from the blind tasting. “This was a medium-full style of Vermentino with generous weight on the mid-palate, which I believe reflected a riper pick than most,” said Strong. “To the nose, ripe fruit and confected citrus—think lemon lollies—formed the undertone to a fresh aromatic profile of daffodils, white rose, orange pith and citrus. The palate followed suit, showing surprising brightness drawn out by fruit weight, with subtle phenolic structure and impressive persistence.” Scarcebrook found “a bit more colour to this wine. It opens with an almost salted caramel note, like crème brûlée, then pear and apple, followed by fragrant floral tones. Ripe and flavourful but still light on its feet, there’s some texture—possibly from time in oak—adding a slightly toasty, apple crumble dimension. Definitely more of a food wine.”
Parkhill selected this in his top six wines from the blind tasting. “One of the most overtly floral wines in the lineup, with a beautifully perfumed mix of jasmine, lemon blossom, and almond blossom leaping from the glass,” he said. “Behind the florals are ripe tropical fruit notes of honeydew, rockmelon, and red papaya. On the palate, a well-balanced saline thread weaves through the fruit, and there’s just enough acidity to keep things afloat. While I personally would have liked a bit more freshness for contrast, the wine finishes long with an appealing note of phenolic bitterness. Rounder and more hedonistic than most might expect from Vermentino, this wine shows how rewarding it can be when given the space to ripen properly.”
Bird selected this in her top six wines from the blind tasting. A beguiling wine with a distinctly savoury tilt, she noted its nose “weaves together brie, white almond, and jamón, evoking a beachside tapas spread.” On the palate, it’s lush in texture yet brightened by meyer lemon and yuzu, with a lingering white nectarine finish that refuses to be ignored. Serious and layered, this is not a wine for quiet solitude—it’s made for storytelling around a dinner table, shared with company as intense and complex as the wine itself.
Wyse selected this in his top six wines from the blind tasting. “Very aromatic, refined but intense,” he said. “The palate is a live wire—charged with energy and piercing minerality. White flowers, acacia, and wild herbs tumble into a saline rush, with grapefruit and salt dominating, brightened by tarragon’s lift. Incredibly savoury, the citrus is electric, with almond paste, a trace of eucalypt, and a whisper of parsley adding complexity.”
Bird selected this in her top six wines from the blind tasting. “From the first sip, it’s evident this wine is an unashamed libation to the sea-gods,” she said. “It crashes over the palate with saline intensity, like a wave breaking against rock. Briny, seaweed-laced savouriness underscores a tightly wound acid core, with sharp citrus notes that bring to mind a bone-dry martini. It calls for food that can match its maritime force—prosciutto, jamón, and Sicilian olives with fatty meats to temper its oceanic fervour.”
Strong selected this in his top six wines from the blind tasting. “As the most delicate expression in the lineup, this was soft and ethereal,” he said. “Subtle aromas of green apple and fresh herbs gave it an elegant lift, mirrored on the palate by purity of flavour, bright acidity, and gentle minerality. Powdery phenolics built ever so quietly, demanding another sip—and then another. Simply moreish and simply delicious.”
Bird selected this in her top six wines from the blind tasting. “An idiosyncratic wine in the lineup, carrying the weight of age—or perhaps the imprint of oxygen—with poise,” she said. “The bouquet released hot beeswax, burnt caramel, blood orange rind, and ripe green olives. On the palate, these rich tones are lifted by thyme, sage and oregano, all woven with nutty depth. Not a wine for patience, but for presence—best enjoyed immediately with hard cheeses like well-aged Comté to amplify its layers.”
Lucas selected this in his top six wines from the blind tasting. “Immediately inviting marine scents—sunshine and herb-smacked sea breeze tinged with jasmine and gentle musk—presage a palate of cucumber, chamomile, and samphire, with licks of rock salt and finely fleshy nashi pear,” he said. “There’s texture and a dulcet, languid flow, yet vivid definition, hitched to a certain shimmer that evokes the sights and smells of the Ligurian sea. This would evaporate in no time next to a plate of fried zucchini blossoms.”
Bird selected this in her top six wines from the blind tasting. “Compelling in its drinkability, this wine is defined by juicy fruit and mouthwatering acidity,” she said. “The nose is delicate yet expressive—light stone fruits, honeyed florals, and confected red apples. On the palate, golden apricot and yellow nectarine take centre stage, until a pithy grapefruit bitterness turns the finish toward something more serious. Best enjoyed under fruit trees with an amusing book in hand.”
Vermentino is generally considered a coastal variety, with the grape tracing the Mediterranean from Languedoc-Roussillon through Provence (it is called rolle in France) and onto Italy where it is grown in Liguria, with vineyards arrayed on the towering cliffs above the Italian Riviera. It is also grown minimally in Piedmont, further inland. Arching along the Ligurian coast, it is picked up along the coast where the region gives way to Tuscany and the vineyards of the Maremma.
The Maremma is an area that is a relative newcomer to serious Italian viticulture, with the land only made viable after what was essentially swampland was drained by Mussolini – a rare high point in his career. Today, Tuscany has around 14 per cent of Italy’s plantings – and growing – eclipsing Liguria (though the crescent-shaped region retains the fame), but it is on the island of Sardinia that the bulk of the grapes are harvested, with nearly 70 per cent of Italian plantings.
In Sardinia, vermentino is a large part of the island’s vinous identity, with an island-wide DOC, Vermentino di Sardegna, as well as the island’s only DOCG, Vermentino di Gallura, which is in the north, and though many vineyards are inland, with some quite elevated and cool, the impact of the at times wild maritime climate and granitic soils help to shape the gently aromatic and often saline wines.
Liguria’s key DOCs are Riviera Ligure di Ponente to the west and Colli di Luni further south-east towards Tuscany, with the sub-alpine and maritime influences, along with ample sunshine, generating bright-fruited wines, which are also often kissed with sea spray notes. A local variant of vermentino called pigato is also less widely grown, though it is prized. Vermentino also crops up as more of a curio in Piedmont.
As rolle along France’s Mediterranean coast vermentino is largely unsung and often absorbed into blends, though in Provence it has a starring, if not widely celebrated, position as the main white variety. As the New France’s Andrew Jefford said: “Côtes de Provence’s most underestimated wines, in my opinion, are its Rolle-based whites: filmy, soft wines of lamb-like gentleness – the finest tissue paper or silk chiffon rendered liquid.”
The other main growing region for the grape is in the French Island of Corsica, where it is called vermintinu, most famously grown in the Patrimonio region on the north-west coast. Corsican wine is less internationally recognised, and given that the grape is absorbed by appellation names in the rest of France, rolle/vermentino has less of profile there, but the volume of plantings is only marginally less than in Italy.
Pigato is a Ligurian specialty, with the vines catalogued separately for the sake of surveys. A little further inland and to the north, in Piedmont, vermentino is known as favorita. Again, favorita was considered as a distinct variety for some time, and indeed was declared as such by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture in 1964 due to enough variation in leaves, buds and bunches. It is still treated as such, though it is recognised as a clone or biotype of vermentino.
The vines of Liguria’s pigato and vermentino indeed present differently in the vineyard, with the leaves a slightly different shape and the buds of vermentino green to pigato’s pink. The grapes of pigato also have a mottled appearance, with the name pigato derived from the word ‘pighe’ in Ligurian dialect that means freckles, spots, speckles or the like. How different the resultant wines are is hard to assess, as pigato is often made to a fuller style and not infrequently with oak, where vermentino is treated as an earlier drinking wine.
And while DNA evidence has confirmed that vermentino and pigato are essentially the same variety, there is little doubt they perform differently in the vineyard and glass, albeit sometimes subtly. They are essentially clones of each other, or rather selections made from vine material that has mutated and is then propagated for perceived benefits or distinct characters.
The DNA evidence proves that the three ‘varieties’ are born from the same source, with mutations and vine selections for propagation over time creating material differences in the vines. What it doesn’t tell us is if there have been meaningful genetic mutations that have genuinely created new varieties. A full genome sequencing would be required for that, and with 220 hectares of favorita and 265 hectares of pigato planted (there are over 4,500 hectares of vermentino in Italy), there’s little call for that deeply involved and costly endeavour.
In Liguria, there are vineyards where vermentino is favoured over pigato, and vice versa, much as clones of pinot noir or chardonnay are selected based on climate and site nuances. Whatever the view on the validity of the different cultivars (a favorita variant is also available, though not yet imported) being separate varieties, treated as vermentino – as they are by international cataloguing – this variation is a boon to New World growers seeking to add complexity through clonal diversity or just to better match clone to site.
And while the clones perform a little differently in the vineyard, in general vermentino holds its acidity in warmer climates while reaching good flavour ripeness at modest alcohol levels. Taken further, those flavours will become fuller, and the acid will generally still hold well, making quite different styles possible. Vermentino will lose its acidity in very hot conditions, so careful viticulture is required, with enough sun exposure to ripen but not so much that freshness is lost. The grape is naturally seen as a good white prospect in Australia’s warmer regions, and with those more maritime, such as McLaren Vale, the suitability to coastal conditions is especially attractive.
Vermentino has hardly become a major player in New World vineyards, but there has been some growth in the past decade, notably in Australia and to a lesser degree in the USA, or more specifically California (which just happens to be responsible for 85 per cent of US wine production). In 2012, there were just under 20 hectares planted, growing to just under 50 hectares in 2020. It’s a modest representation, but the growth has been steady. Perhaps vermentino’s most famous exponent is Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, who planted it in 1993 and first bottled it solo in 2002.
In Australia, vermentino was first imported by the CSIRO in 1974, with the vine catalogued as rolle. It wasn’t until the Chalmers family imported cuttings that the grape established a footing, though. In 2001, they imported a clone of vermentino (VCR1) selected from Tuscany, then in 2011 a pigato clone (VCR367), which was released from quarantine in 2015 and planted in their Heathcote vineyard in 2015–16, with the first crop coming in 2018.
It’s hard to know how much vermentino is currently planted in Australia, with national records not frequently updates, but based on the 2021 vintage report, around 70 per cent of the national harvest of vermentino came from the Riverland, Murray-Darling (both Victoria and New South Wales) and Riverina regions. The tonnes harvested were 1,752, with that figure fluctuating over the last few vintages, both up and down, certainly due to vintage variation, but also these reports rely on self-reporting, so they are a more general guide than a definitive one. The last vine survey in 2015 tallied 121 hectares or so.
The first commercial crop off the Chalmers family’s original plantings at their old Murray-Darling Vineyard in Euston (they are now in Merbein) came in 2004, and it was a foundational wine for what has become Australia’s most significant nursery project for Italian varieties, along with Chalmers being one of Australia’s preeminent producers of Italian varieties.
“We launched the Murray-Darling Collection in 2003,” says Kim Chalmers. “We had a tempranillo, a viognier, lagrein… but 2004 was the first Italian white.” That wine was a vermentino called ‘A Murray Cod Called Bruce’ (in homage to family patriarch Bruce Chalmers, the region and a suitability of vermentino to seafood), and it was launched at Stefano Pieri’s eponymous restaurant in Mildura in the same year.
It was an important moment in Australian wine, and one that marked a turning point in the way we drink, but Chalmers notes that it was also the beginning of a lot of hard work. “I remember Max Allen writing about it, and it’s when people were just drinking chardonnay, and it was really well received,” she says, but helping the broader Australian public understand its natural charms would take time.
Even in 2004, the Chalmers family had a decent amount of vermentino in the ground, with di Lusso Estate debuting a varietal bottling in the same year from Chalmers fruit, and they were selling nursery cuttings, too. It wasn’t long before larger companies were experimenting with the variety, but it was losing some of its soul. “We thought vermentino would make a big splash because it makes such fresh, beautiful white wine, but it got derailed for a time,” Chalmers adds. “People started making it like sauvignon blanc, which was big at the time.”
Chalmers notes that in the push for clean aromatic wine, much was lost, with many missing the textural component that she sees as so vital. “It took time for it to get back to its salty, delicious roots,” Chalmers says, but she believes that the true identity of vermentino is now showing through again. Additionally, she stresses that it can thrive in many growing conditions, excepting those without enough sunshine.
“In Merbein, we get a clean chalky character, while in Heathcote we get much more complex minerality, but both vineyards have that saline sea spray character,” says Chalmers. “You don’t need to plant it on the coast, like the Italians insist!”
In the Clare Valley, the Koerner brothers have been taking vermentino as seriously as anyone in the country, now making three versions, employing minimal to extended skin contact and raising in some in large oak and some in steel. “Dad planted the vines in 2009, on the northern side of the hill just above a block of riesling in Watervale,” says winemaker Damon Koerner. “He was basically looking for something different to offer winemakers who bought his riesling, and he’d done a bit of research into what was best suited to his vineyard and came up with vermentino. He was on the money!”
Koerner began to experiment with the grape in 2013, a vintage before their eponymous label was launched. “I was instantly hooked on it due to the intense flavours and textures the wine produced,” he says. “We work a lot with the skins and the solids. I find the juice on its own can be a bit neutral, boring. The skins bring in some fresh flavours, lemon, lime, peach iced tea, sea spray. The solids add more lemon curd, oyster shell, fresh seawater-like flavours.”
In the Clare climate, Koerner says the vine handles the heat very well. “It has big leaves that create a good amount of shade for the fruit, and it doesn’t require huge amounts of water,” he says. “The berries that do see the sun actually provide the wine with interesting flavours with skin contact. Vermentino is also very good at maintaining natural acidity up until ripeness, and it also ripens early, producing lower alcohol wines.”
Chalmers believes that sunshine and enough warmth is vital, with trials in places like Macedon (notably at Cobaw Ridge) proving too cool. “It’s a big-berried grape and it needs sunshine,” she says. “And though it doesn’t hold its acid as well as say fiano, it does much better than the classic French varieties.”
Koerner sees a growth for the variety not just in the Clare but in many other regions that are adapting to a shifting climate and changing drinkers’ preferences “We are definitely seeing more wineries adapt to the changing conditions, which is not only climate based but also consumer based,” he says. “I dare say we’ll see lots more of these styles of wine entering the market over the coming years, which is great to see as it helps continue to create Australia’s wine identity.”
Today, there are vermentino vineyards planted right around the country, with South Australia’s Riverland by far taking the lead in volume, but it is planted in at least 20 other regions, from the cool of the Alpine Valleys to the blistering heat of WA’s Swan District. “There’s been so much work going in to getting where we are, and it’s so lovely being where we are. It’s so exciting – it’s just a part of Australian wine now,” says Chalmers, who says that their Chalmers vermentino, though priced as an entry level wine, is a flagship of sorts. “We made 30 tonnes this year, and we’re even exporting to the US!”
Our panel: James Scarcebrook, winemaker, Vino Intrepido; Andrew Wyse, founder, Cardwell Cellars; Clementine Bird, senior sommelier, Reine & La Rue; Brad Lucas, owner, Cult of the Vine; Chad Parkhill, Wine Buyer, Young Gun of Wine; Callum Strong, wine educator, University of Melbourne.
Strong kicked off the discussion by observing that nearly all of the wines were stylistically similar: “There was a bit of diversity of style, but nothing crazy. They all seemed to be in suit.” He added that the wines were “mostly aromatic and delicate in nature. There was a range. A number of wines were light and floral – cucumber and mint, this sort of thing – through to a few ones that were much richer in the fruit profile, but it didn’t go any further than fresh to ripe fruit. A lot of lemon-lime citrus, pithy fruit, as well as green apple and orchard fruits.”
Alongside these fruit characteristics, the panel concurred that many of the wines showed a strong mineral element. Parkhill observed that “Some of the wines are strikingly salty.” Bird added: “One of the tasting notes I wrote was ‘Like I just licked a salt lamp, in the best way possible’!”
“Suddenly some of them would fan out in a very savory, saline way – lending length and giving another dimension.”
For Lucas, this saline element built length: “The way that sort of salty savoriness revealed itself was deceptive in some of the wines – there was kind of fruit generosity front- to mid-palate, and then suddenly some of them would fan out in a very savory, saline way – lending length and giving another dimension.”
For Parkhill, the wines that stood out combined that saline finish with a touch of bitterness. “Quite a few of the wines had this phenolic bitterness on the finish,” he said. “Sometimes that was a little overwhelming, but I thought the ones that had that really judicious bitterness – where it’s sort of hard to tell where the salt finishes and the bitterness starts, or vice versa – those were the wines I kept coming back to.”
“Just a little bit of generosity, a little bit of extra fruit or sugar, can really bring the wine back into balance.”
“Austerity and neutrality – it’s a very, very fine line between the two.”
Wyse observed that the saltiness, combined with the acidity present in the wines, meant that lineup skewed towards the austere: “The wines can be very austere if there’s no generosity. So just a little bit of generosity, a little bit of extra fruit or sugar, can really bring the wine back into balance if it’s going maybe too far in one direction. Some of my top picks were wines that I felt have really good balance of fruit and also generosity.”
Scarcebrook observed that this tendency towards austerity meant that some of wines ran this risk of neutrality. “There were a lot of clean wines, a lot of clinical wines – some reductive wines that were too neutral,” he said. “Austerity and neutrality – it’s a very, very fine line between the two. And I think that several of the wines today were kind of erring on the side of being neutral or conservative. Fresh, dry – but, dare I say, simple.”
“You’d want snacks: charcuterie and cold meats, calamari, prawns, oysters. It’s that aperitivo style of drink.”
Some of the wines in the lineup showed evidence of skin contact or maceration, which the panel generally agreed added character. For Bird, there was “more of an aromatic component to the skin-contact wines, more of that apricot or mandarin.” She added, “I really enjoyed that as a way to kind of enrich the wines … bringing in a little bit of a bit more generosity on the nose as well as on the palate. I didn’t dislike it at all.”
For Parkhill, skin contact could add character to the wines, but had to be used judiciously. “The ones that worked that had that skinsy element seemed to be short macerations, rather than extended,” he said. “The wines that I saw that leapt out of the glass and said, ‘Hey, I’m an extended skin-contact orange wine!’ didn’t move the needle at all for me, personally. If your approach to this grape is just using it as a canvas for that self-consciously ‘natural wine’ kind of winemaker artifice, I don’t think it makes a very great canvas.”
For Lucas, the trend towards austerity in the lineup posed some difficulty judging the wines in a blind tasting context. “It’s a variety that sort of trades on neutrality,” he said. “I wonder, with our palate fatigue as the tasting went on, whether we were maybe a little more predisposed to the more opulent, expressive styles?” He added that he was “trying to rein that in” when he assessed the wines.
Bird added that many of the wines on show called out to be paired with food. “A lot of my notes said that it’s to be had outside, with good company,” she said. “The foods you’re wanting aren’t necessarily big, heavy foods, or even whole meals. To me, you’d want snacks: charcuterie and cold meats, calamari, prawns, oysters. It’s that aperitivo style of drink.” She added that the wines would work best “in this more Mediterranean context, where you’re not having those bigger, heavier meals.”
Scarcebrook concurred. “I think of vermentino as one of the most Mediterranean of varieties,” he said. “There’s very few things better than pouring a glass of vermentino – or pigato, whatever you want to call it – at beautiful coastal location on the Mediterranean. It’s a great summer wine. It’s really refreshing.” He added that it’s summer-wine status was “evidenced by the general style we were looking at – light, fresh, bright and dry.”
Strong concluded, “The amount of winemaker influence that was on top of the varietal expression was fairly light-handed, and seemed quite complementary. There was no overt use of oak. A lot of the texture that I found in the wines was varietally interesting, or light lees work. I thought the wines were, on the whole, very expressive.”
Andrew Wyse has worked as a Sommelier and Wine Importer for ten years, cutting his teeth in the industry as a wine importer and educator with a specialisation in German and Austrian wines in Portland Oregon, he relocated to Melbourne in 2017. In 2022 he opened Cardwell Cellars, a wine shop and bar focused on geography and wine with Swiss Cartographer Martin von Wyss of vwmaps and worldwineregions.com. Today he imports wine from Central and Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on Austrian and Hungarian wines.
Brad Lucas is a seasoned wine professional and writer with over a decade of experience in hospitality, retail, and wholesale. As the founder of Cult of the Vine, a Brunswick wine bar and bottle shop, Lucas built a respected community space known for its curated selections and engaging events. With a strong background in portfolio representation and marketing for Italian wine importers, he brings both deep product knowledge and creative flair to his work. Lucas is also an adept content creator, blending storytelling with technical insight to share compelling narratives across social media and beyond.
Clementine Bird is a Melbourne-based wine professional, writer, and educator with a background in wine buying, sommelier roles, and content creation. A WSET Diploma candidate and Certified Sommelier, she currently works as a senior sommelier at Reine & La Rue and runs Wine with Clementine, a digital platform focused on accessible wine storytelling. With experience spanning Domaine Chandon to editorial roles, Bird combines deep industry knowledge with a flair for communication. Her writing explores everything from producer profiles to trade insights, and she remains actively involved in the wine community through projects like Women and Revolution and Rootlings.
Callum Strong is a wine professional and educator with a strong foundation in hospitality, oenology, and science. He holds a Master of Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Melbourne. Strong has worked in both Australian and international wine regions, with hands-on roles in production and viticulture. He has held key sommelier and managerial positions, most notably at Farmer’s Daughters in Melbourne, and currently teaches sensory evaluation at the University of Melbourne. Passionate about wine education, Strong is also an active mentor with the SCARF hospitality training program.
James Scarcebrook graduated from The University of Adelaide as a Master of Wine Business before a 16-month global wine adventure saw him visit ten wine-producing countries, including working two vintages in Germany. Scarcebrook has worked in fine-wine retail, as a representative for two leading importers, both with a focus on Italian wines, and now makes wine full-time under his Vino Intrepido label. That label is centred on Italian varieties and a quest for finding Victorian sites where they excel, teased out in a way that reflects on Italian tradition but seen through a new lens.
Chad Parkhill is a beverage writer, sommelier, and the Wine Buyer for Young Gun of Wine. His work spans writing, wine selection, and venue management, underpinned by a deep passion for storytelling through drinks. Parkhill is the author of Around the World in Eighty Cocktails (2017), and his writing on wine, spirits, and cocktails has featured in The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (ed. David Wondrich, 2021), PUNCH, The Guardian, and more. From 2020 to 2023, he owned and operated the critically acclaimed Footscray cocktail and wine bar Trouble in Dreams, which was listed among Melbourne’s best by Broadsheet. Prior to his current role, Parkhill was sommelier and bar program manager for Melbourne’s Coda and Tonka restaurants.
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