Choosing the right wine gift isn’t always easy, but if the father figure in your life falls into one of the groups below, these ideas should give you a head start.
The new dad
While 2020 reds are still doing their thing in barrels and bottles around the country, some top new rieslings from this year’s vintage are now rolling out. Consider the likes of Seppelt in Great Western, Grosset in Clare Valley and Duke’s Vineyard in Great Southern. These wines cellar beautifully, too, so they’re great choices for celebrating this baby’s future birthdays.
The adventurous dad
So many producers are doing things differently that you’re spoilt for choice here. From Unico Zelo in the Adelaide Hills to Chalmers in Heathcote, Patrick Sullivan in Gippsland and Ricca Terra in Riverland, this is just a handful of people working with differing winemaking techniques, exciting grape varieties and other styles.
The socially minded dad
If wine tastes better for this dad when it’s also doing good, there are several initiatives to consider. Proceeds from the Adelaide Hills Wine Appeal Syrah Meunier go back into the bushfire-affected community, Kate Goodman’s Nikkal Rosé aims to raise $60,000 for the Breast Cancer Network Australia, and for every dozen Tread Softly wines sold, a tree is planted in Western Australia’s Yarra Yarra corridor.
The foodie dad
If this dad loves to cook – and eat – you want to find wines that won’t get in the way of the meal. Consider textural whites, such as marsanne from Tahbilk, Coriole fiano or Wines by Geoff Hardy gruner veltliner, and also lighter reds. The growing category of light red blends is one of the most food-friendly – look to Giant Steps LDR, The Other Wine Co. Shiraz Pinot, and Stargazer Rada, a blend of pinot meunier and pinot noir.
The collector dad
For those dads who like to put wines down, the benchmark region/variety combinations are the best hunting grounds here. Think Coonawarra cabernet, Margaret River chardonnay, Yarra Valley pinot noir and Barossa Valley shiraz, to name just four. For one new release with extra cellaring cachet, the 2018 Penfolds Bin 389 is the 60th anniversary release of this wine.
The one-variety dad
If he really just loves one grape variety and doesn’t tend to stray from his preference, the top-rating wines in the recent Halliday Wine Companion 2021 will make your decision-making easy. The year’s best releases are all listed here, from shiraz to grenache, sparkling, semillon and so much more. Check out all the top-rating wines listed by their variety here.
