What are the best Australian wines to try?
- Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2012
- John Duval Entity Shiraz 2019
- Grant Burge Miamba Shiraz
- Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier 2018
- Pirramimma Stock Hill GSM
- Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay
- Jansz Premium Vintage Cuvee
Australia is a fun place to explore if you’re into wine. While it may not be the first country you think of when it comes to this beverage, the wines of Australia represent a remarkably wide range of enjoyable styles and approaches.
Australian wines are known for their abundance of fruit, intensity, and consistency — and their ability to grow just about anything in their many wine-growing regions. If you’re looking for wines that are a delight to sip, have a look at our list of Australian wines to try — we have seven attractive options, and a bottle for everybody to check out this Australia day.
Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2012
When it comes to Australia, their international wine reputation is based largely on a single style and varietal — Shiraz, the country’s most planted grape. But this sunny continent has no shortage of varietals, offering other great reds like Merlot and Cabernet.
If you’re looking for good red wine, go for a Barossa Shiraz — they tend to be plummy and chocolatey. Winemakers that lead this hearty, flavorful style include Henschke — the recipient of Wine Enthusiast's 2021 New World Winery of the Year. They’re one of Australia’s most celebrated families of wine and a class act throughout their range.
We highly recommend their Keyneton Euphonium — which has a blend of 65% Shiraz, 20% Cabernet, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine is dark red and purple, with rich aromas of plum, black currant, cherry, and finishing spicy with notes of red pepper. The flavor of this wine fits the name — it is indeed like a euphonium with its full body and harmonious palate. It features red, ripe fruit flavors with plush tannins, making it one of the richest Euphonium vintages so far made by Henschke.
Shiraz is truly Australia’s most stable red grape variety, allowing it to dominate the country’s wine scene. As a result, Australia’s Shiraz is some of the best in the world, offering complex, hearty flavor profiles that are hard to not love.
If you enjoy a rich Shiraz that just overflows on the palate and bouquet, try John Duval’s Entity Shiraz 2019. It’s a world-class Shiraz that is the culmination of over 40 years of winemaking experience in exceptional Barossa vineyards.
It features an attractive deep ruby color, which hints at its depth and powerful flavor. On the first sip, it explodes with fruit, lavender, and olive aromas, tied together with oak notes. That is then followed by a palate that is dry and firm, balanced with ample tannins and flavors of dark fruit. There is a subtler layer of cinnamon and fennel seed that helps this Shiraz remain bright and young. It finishes long and rich, with tannins firming up appealingly.
Yet another great Shiraz on this list. People love this style of wine from Barossa Valley as they tend to pack some of the most powerful and flavorful characters not just in Australia, but worldwide.
If you love big, vibrant fruit flavors and grippy tannins, check out the Grant Burge Miamba Shiraz. This bottle features all of the distinctive characteristics of a great Barossa red, with its strong blackberry palate, robust tannins, and hints of earthy, spicy pepper. Despite the intense fruitiness, this bottle has the potential to develop positively over the years.
Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier 2018
White wines also grow well in Australia’s climate — in fact, a plethora of white wines thrive in Eden Valley, such as the fruity Viognier grapes.
Yalumba is a renowned Viognier winemaker, and the Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier 2018 is their finest expression of this style. To make each bottle, grapes from several Eden Valley vineyards are skillfully blended to create the final product.
Full of flavor and character, it starts with apricot fruit aromas highlighted with ginger, saffron, and white flowers. The palate is long and luscious, with strong flavors of stone fruit and honey, finishing with hints of spice and orange oil. This expressive character will only develop in complexity when kept for a couple of years — moving towards toast complexity.
Pirramimma Stock Hill GSM
If you prefer a more medium-bodied red, Australia’s cooler southern regions offer bright yet fruity and floral expressions of red wines. In regions located a stone’s throw from the Gulf Saint Vincent, McLaren Vale’s wines can be beautifully balanced, retaining great acidity and structure
From this region, we highly recommend the Pirramimma Stock Hill GSM. This wine is a blend of three varieties — Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro. The Grenache provides layers of fruit flavor and texture, the Mataro adds some dark and savory notes, and the Shiraz rounds it out with lush tannins. The Pirramimma Stock Hill GSM features delicious aromas of spicy plum, apple, and blackberry, with notes of toffee, pomegranate, and cedar.
Like Riesling, Chardonnay varietals also grow well in Australia — particularly in cooler regions like Margaret River, which produces many noteworthy bottles. The number of great Chardonnays from this region is plentiful, but we suggest the Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay.
It’s versatile, pairing well with a wide variety of food, but with enough character to work as an aperitif. It features the natural freshness of Margaret River through its aromas of wild blueberry, seaside bushes, fresh violets, and warm earth. This medium-bodied wine offers flavors of vibrant pineapple, lemon curd, and toast finished off with notes of herbal tannins — fresh ginger, lemon verbena, and white pepper. Extremely fresh and juicy on the finish.
Sparkling wine is a fairly new yet fast-growing category in Australian winemaking. It is perhaps made best in Tasmania, whose cool latitude and maritime climate are ideal for producing elegant profiles with fruit-forward flavors and high acidity.
Jansz is our pick for Tasmanian bubbly — their Premium Vintage Cuvee couples old-world inspiration with new-world innovation. Their blend is primarily Chardonnay and Pinot noir, specially selected for their aromatic expression. Their Cuvee is pale gold with persistent, creamy mousse. The aroma is rich with honeysuckle, fresh strawberries, and citrus zest. It has a well-balanced palate with delicate fruit, brioche, and roasted almond flavor, paired with a refreshing and dry acidity.
Key Takeaway
Our list of Australian wines to try has some of the best bottles from the land down under. From hearty Shiraz to refreshing Chardonnays to fruity sparkling wines, Australia has some interesting and diverse options for you to enjoy this Australia day.
Not convinced? Check out Ralph’s Wines & Spirits’ complete Australian wine catalog here — as the top wines retailer in the Philippines, we have a style and bottle for every wine lover out there.
