Those $13.45 reds turn up, for instance, in a Cellar Door Choice dozen for $142. That's three of the current Grenache, Merlot and Sangiovese along with $12.55 whites (the Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Verdelho) for $142, freight free or around $11.83 a throw.
These days, under normal circumstances, the real cheapies end up as cooking wines, with what's needed for the recipe going into the pot and the rest knocked over with lunch over the next day or two, while the contents of the mixed dozen slot nicely into the day to day drinking scenario.
The whites from that Cellar Door Dozen have been making their way from the wine rack to the bar fridge, and it was the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc that actually prompted this article.
While it's doesn't have all those characters that Australian wine drinkers have apparently come to know and love, most of them are there - gooseberry and tropical fruits in abundance, the cats' pee a notable absentee - and it's a crisp dry style that's a refreshing drink. It'll be interesting to see if there's any left when summer rolls around, as it'd be an excellent summer lunch option.
The 2009 Verdelho was a pleasant reminder of a variety I've liked in the past but haven't seen much lately. That's hardly surprising given the fact that recent purchases have come from the Clare Valley, the Barossa, Rutherglen and Glenrowan, which are largely Verdelho-free zones.
Again, we're looking at a summer lunch option here, though it'd also go well with seafood and Asian dishes. There's a pleasing acidity that sits alongside the citrusy characters and while the Hobart Wine Show mightn't be the be-all and end-all of the national show circuit the fact that the 2009 Verdelho collected a gold medal there means that some one around the traps liked it at least as much as I did.
