Ask the experts: Light Reds

Traditionally, red wine drinking in Australia has been synonymous with tannin-heavy Shiraz from the famous Barossa and Hunter Valley regions – wines that match perfectly with winter nights by a roaring fire. But as you can imagine, Australian conditions tend more towards summer weather and warmer temperatures, and the country has recently experienced some of its hottest years on record. We spoke with Sydney venue powerhouse Merivale’s Group General Manager – Beverage, and Master Sommelier, Franck Moreau to get his top picks for lighter reds this year. We’ve rounded up the thoughts of a few other experts on the subject too.

Gamay

Local winemakers in Tasmania and New Zealand’s Central Otago have been developing award-winning cool-climate reds including Pinot Noirs and Gamays, providing local drinkers with outstanding quality wines at affordable prices. Indeed, even Hunter Valley (typically warmer climate) producers have been exploring Gamay themselves to tap into the trend. Wine writer and critic Max Allen, speaking with Gourmet Traveller, believes its appeal lies in “how it sits so perfectly, stylistically, between lighter-bodied, more ethereal Pinot Noirs… and fuller-bodied, darker, more structural Syrahs.” Given the diversity of Australia’s population and therefore its cuisine, he loves “how its medium-weight-but-gutsy character makes Gamay such a versatile wine on the table, matching everything from the lightest fish dishes and salads to the richest, stinkiest sausages.”

Cabernet Franc

Typically seen in blends in Australia (and in Bordeaux of course), Cabernet Franc as a single varietal is seeing a resurgence with trade interest in examples from the Loire Valley growing steadily, a trend sure to pull through into consumer tastes in 2020. “We believe 2020 will be a year where some old styles become new again to the next generation of consumers,” says Richard Halstead, COO of Wine Intelligence. Like Gamay, its appeal for Australians also lies in its ability to be paired with so many meal choices with wine writer Tony Love from the Adelaide Advertiser describing Cabernet Franc as “perfect for Christmas Day as well as barbecues, pizza and plenty more casual eats.”

Grenache

This warmer-weather varietal has been part of Australia’s wine-drinking history for more than 100 years, with Australia boasting some of the oldest surviving plantings in the world. And yet somehow it has generally lived in the shadow of shiraz, even within the same growing regions such as McLaren Vale. It has emerged from its GSM-blend ‘shell’ and is becoming popular as a single varietal among Australian consumers.

Building on Australia’s traditional love for Shiraz but with a movement to lighter styles, Wine Selectors recommend their customers try single varietal Grenache because of its “similar weight and tannin structure to light to medium bodied Shiraz”. Their suppliers Kevin Glastonbury (Yalumba Family Vignerons) and Nathan Hughes (Willunga 100) suggest Grenache’s appeal also lies its food-matching ability: “Pizza, always. Sticky glaze duck with rocket and pear pizza. Pork belly, with buffalo mozzarella, balsamic onion, oregano and radicchio…” says Kevin. Nathan also suggests Grenache works well with certain Asian-style dishes, especially in Australia where they can be less spicy: “I love how lemongrass, soy and coriander work with Grenache.”

Chilled reds

As for the way Australians consume their reds, Campbell Mattinson certainly takes umbridge with the “room temperature” belief of much of the population. “A lighter style of red and a keen chilling regime… is clearly in order,” he told Wine Companion. Franck Moreau definitely sees this as being a key in 2020, as the warmer weather sticks around.