Jane Thomson picks her favourite wines of 2016 under $25
Much wine has been swirled and sipped during the year, and reducing it to a list of the best value wines has been no easy feat. But then again, there are worse jobs…
It’s been a great year for gorgeous, great value wines. Coming up with a list of my favourites that sit at the $25 and under mark has – as always – been a tricky but rewarding task. I’m glad that what resulted represents such a huge range of varieties and regions. I tell you what though, if you know me well then you know I love my bubbly. But I’ve really struggled to include many on here as finding really top quality bubbles under the $25 mark is no easy feat. Even a couple I’d earmarked earlier in the year had to be removed because their RRP increased after July 1st taking them higher than $25. I’ve left it by just including one Prosecco – because Prosecco in itself is a great drop, and this is a category of sparkling that is better on a budget.
As always, I recommend that you #loveyourwinemakers and buy your wine direct from the producer whenever possible. So if you are keen to get your hands on a bottle or six of any of those listed below, that’s exactly where you should start.
Happy sipping!
Reds
- 2014 Yelland & Papps Vin De Soif $25
- 2015 Calabria Family Wines Nero d’Avola $15
- 2015 Zonte’s Footstep Chocolate Factory Shiraz $25
- 2013 Lake Breeze Section 54 Shiraz $25
- 2015 Pizzini Nonna Gisella Sangiovese $21.50
- 2015 Turkey Flat Butcher’s Block Red $20
- 2014 Schild Estate GMS $18
- 2014 Best’s Great Western Bin No. 1 Shiraz $25
- 2014 Apostrophe Possessive Reds Shiraz Grenache Mataro $16
- 2014 Alkoomi Shiraz Viognier $24
Whites
- 2016 Penny’s Hill ‘The Agreement’ Sauvignon Blanc $20
- 2016 Vinoque Heathcote Greco $21
- 2016 Oliver’s Taranga Fiano $25
- 2016 ArtWine ‘In the Groove’ Gruner Veltliner $25
- 2015 3drops Sauvignon Blanc $22
- 2015 Holm Oak Pinot Gris $25
- 2016 Raidis Estate Riesling $20
- 2016 Tidswell Shady Violet Pinot Gris $18
- 2015 Brown Brothers 18 Eighty Nine Chardonnay $19
- 2016 First Ridge Vermentino $25
Rose
- 2016 Flametree Pinot Noir Rose $25
- 2016 De Bortoli Villages Heathcote Grenache Rosé $20
- 2015 Spring Seed Morning Bride Rosé (certified organic) $20