The next few months are likely to be filled with barbecues, long lunches and drinks by the pool. So if you're looking for great all-occasion wines – look no further.
From sparkling marsanne, sauvignon blanc and SSB to crisp riesling and fiano – these seven white wines are perfect for sipping in summer.
2021 Arundel Farm Estate Sparkling Marsanne
This estate-grown marsanne appears pale yellow with lifted aromas of apricot and fresh curd. On the palate you will find a complex mix of almond blossom, green nectarine and a mouth-filling cream mousse with fine beads and bright acidity.Viticulturist and winemaker Dale Wilde says: Our sparkling marsanne is perfect for pretty much any summer outing – a day at the races, Christmas Day, New Years Eve or weddings. The lifted fruit flavours, balanced acidity, and refreshing fine bubbles make this the perfect summer wine.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process when it comes to this wine?
DW. We wanted to create a really elegant traditional method sparkling wine. To achieve a wine that can be aged and retain racy acidity, we picked our marsanne much earlier than previously. Once the wine had aged in bottle for 18 months, we then disgorged and rebottled with a small dosage to let the fruit shine.
H. What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine?
DW. This wine pairs really well with Sydney rock oysters, risotto, kingfish or fish and chips from your local.
RRP $65 | Drink to 2026 | Shop this wine
2023 Forester Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Pale straw green. Complex with a ripe fruit core. The wine opens with blackcurrant, nettle, guava, lychee and passionfruit. There are subtle savoury-cedar oak notes that are so well integrated that they merely add a subtle richness to the aroma. Rich and full with a creamy-mineral texture and fine acidity. There are intense flavours of nettle, lime, guava, and passionfruit with subtle cedar oak. The wine has a long clean finish with refreshing acidity. A sauvignon blanc that packs fruit punch, complexity and great drinkability.Winemaker Todd Payne says: The fresh, herbaceous characters with punchy tropical fruit makes this wine ideal drinking on warm summer days. Crisp, refreshing and loaded with zesty vitality ready for celebrating any summer day.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process when it comes to this wine?
TP. The main objective is fruit retention and maintaining freshness from the time the fruit is harvested, and we employ a number of techniques to achieve this. We do use a portion of fermentation in barrel to add a little complexity and richness. Maturation in barrel is for only 4–5 months; this is to achieve complexity while not losing freshness.
H. What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine?
TP. Seared scallops with a pea puree.
RRP $32 | Drink to 2026 | Shop this wine
2023 Ladies who Shoot their Lunch Riesling
Pale golden straw. Aromatic citrus blossom, perfumed florals and fresh pear layered with notes of orange peel and quince. Lively notes of zesty lemon balanced by sweet pear tart and a hint of cinnamon. The crisp finish is underlined with citrus florals for a well balanced, textural finish.Senior winemaker Sam Atheron says: It’s bloody delicious! At Fowles we can make the refreshing, more citrus-and-minerality-focused styles, or we can go for a more aromatic textured approach, like we do for our Ladies who Shoot their Lunch Riesling. We get to play around with wild ferment, skin contact and lees stirring, to create a wine that’s delicious and stands out.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process when it comes to this wine?
SA. Our riesling wines tend to take on more honeyed, toasty characters – both on the nose and the palate – as they age. The spice and citrus will intensify, making the wine even more moreish over time.
H. What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine?
SA. It’s best served slightly chilled, not too cold, with freshly caught rainbow trout, either smoked or pan fried, with a quinoa salad dish.
RRP $40 | Drink to 2031 | Shop this wine
2023 Gapsted Estate Valley Selection Sauvignon Blanc
A sauvignon blanc that leaps from the glass with enticing scents of passionfruit, tangerine, lemon and lime blossoms with hints of coriander seed, yuzu zest and basil. The palate delivers fantastic flavours of an array of orchard fruit, green apple and passionfruit along with a racy acid backbone, mineral elements and texture. The perfect balance of ripe fruit, complexity, character, and long finish.Winemaker Toni Pla Bou says: The scent of summer in a glass – it’s refreshing, zesty and the perfect accompaniment to a day at the beach with fresh seafood or chilling on the deck at sunset with a cheese board.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process when it comes to this wine?
TPB. The grapes received 12 hours of extended skin contact to draw out as much flavour as possible. The wine was then gently pressed and only the light free run was used for the final blend. The wine was racked partially cloudy and warmed to a tank where it was seeded with a sauvignon blanc specific yeast isolate. The wine fermented in a combination of new and old French oak barrels for 20 days at a temperature of between 13–16 degrees. In the last third of the fermentation the wine was stirred daily to impart ferment complexity into the wine. After fermentation, the wine was stirred during the maturation time of eight months. The wine was racked from barrel one month prior to bottling.
H. What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine?
TPB. Enjoy this wine with King George whiting fillets en papillote with butter, lemon and parsley.
RRP $35 | Drink to 2031 | Shop this wine
2023 Lenton Brae Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Beautiful floral lift exhibiting pink grapefruit, lemon and lime, and a bloom of pink musk, with a hint of toastiness underscoring the nose. The brightness and approachability of this wine belies some of its complexity. Initial juicy flavours of lime, kiwi fruit, grapefruit and thyme are married with the soft creamy influence of the oak barrels used during fermentation, giving the wine weight and some texture. The acid drive runs throughout the palate leaving the finish clean and lively.Winemaker Vanessa Carson says: SSBs and SBS blends capture the epitome of summer! Fresh, vibrant and lively – our SSB is all these things. Beautiful citrus and lime fruits, coupled with a thirst-quenching acid that drives the palate, this wine is delightfully refreshing and poised.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process when it comes to this wine?
VC. Our fruit selection is obviously extremely important. We source our semillon fruit from the slightly warmer part of Margaret River, and our sauvignon blanc from the southern sub-region of Karridale. We want to ensure we capture the beautiful fresh flavours and characters of these two varieties so the decision of when to harvest is paramount. We also want to make a wine that is not one dimensional, so 25 per cent of this wine is fermented in French oak for approximately six weeks. This helps to add a bit of complexity and a hint of texture to the wine, whilst still celebrating its pristine fruit and drive.
H. What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine?
VC. Fresh white fillet tacos, topped with a mango salsa.
RRP $24 | Drink now | Shop this wine
2022 Marnong Estate Fiano
Pale straw hue with verdant flecks of green. The wine has aromatics of citrus blossom and savoury honey notes whilst the palate is creamy and textured with refreshing acidity carrying the bright citrus and orchard fruit flavours.Winemaker Mark O’Callaghan says: The combination of phenolic interest and creamy texture on the palate gives this wine masses of immediate appeal. And the refreshing acidity balances the weight of the wine. It’s the combination of texture and refreshment that make this wine perfect for easy drinking, and perfect for summer celebrations.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process when it comes to this wine?
MO. We carefully sort the fruit in the vineyard to ensure quality and purity. Then we whole bunch press the grapes for gentle extraction of framing varietal phenolics to add complexity. Fermentation is completed in a combination of stainless steel and old French oak barrels to develop the ideal combination of fresh fruit and savoury nuance. Finally, the wine spends a prolonged period of time on very light yeast lees to build texture and creaminess on the palate.
H. What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine?
MO. Roasted chicken, wrapped in prosciutto with a bitter radicchio salad. The combination of salinity, richness, and light bitterness enhance and complement fiano like nothing else.
RRP $30 | Drink to 2026 | Shop this wine
2022 Ros Ritchie Wines Barwite Vineyard Riesling
Delicious high country riesling: aromas of grapefruit, limes, pear drops and citrus blossoms. The cool year offered up racy natural acidity and the citrus fruit and florals are highlighted by hints of honeysuckle and talc-like minerality.Winemaker Ros Ritchie says: Think fresh saline oysters, leisurely lunches and sunny holidays – this riesling has the lively flavours and racy minerality to make it perfect for drinking over summer.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process when it comes to this wine?
RR. Choosing by flavour when to pick, gentle whole bunch pressing and cool ferments to preserve the aromatics are all key to this wine, along with minimal intervention through to bottling.
H. What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine?
RR. Several spring to mind, but especially, slurpy, saline-y oysters, chilli crab or fish and chips at the beach!
RRP $28 | Drink to 2032 | Shop this wine
