Ringer Reef Alpine Valleys Rosé 2016

No information is available on the label but Ringer Reef says it is predominantly Sangiovese with smaller percentages of Merlot, Nebbiolo and Vespolina. An eclectic blend if ever there was one from the Porepunkah sub-region of the Alpine Valley.


A pale crimson coloured rosé.
On the nose florals, cherry, strawberry and watermelon with a dusting of spice. Fresh and enticing aromatics. 
The palate is soft and juicy. Strawberry, cherry, dried cranberry and some herbal tinges throughout. Smooth texture, dusty tannins and zesty acidity with a nice rounded finish.

This is not a complex wine by any stretch but it ticks all the right boxes. Dry, savoury, light-bodied, zesty, refreshing and drinkable. Well priced and very good summer time drinking.


Source: Winery. ABV: 12.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $18.00. 
Rating: 90 Points. Website: http://www.ringerreef.com.au 


Ringer Reef Alpine Valleys VSM 2016

The VSM stands for Vespolina (50%) Sangiovese (25%) and Merlot (25%) and the blend comes from Ringer Reef, a boutique family-owned winery at Porepunkah in Victoria's Alpine Valley. Vines were planted in 1998 with the focus upon Italian and French varieties.  


Vespolina is a red grape variety planted in northern Piedmont and in Lombardy. Recent DNA profiling has identified a parent-offspring relationship with Nebbiolo with which it is occasionally blended. The Vespolina variety here is grown at a nearby vineyard for Ringer Reef. 

Bright and light ruby red colours in the glass.
The nose is aromatic and sweetly perfumed with lifted aromas of plum, red cherry, raspberry, wild flowers and spice.
The lovely perfume continues onto the palate. Delicious, easy drinking light to medium-weight red wine that has a dry, savoury, soft mouth-filling finish. Elegant and effortless. 

There is a distinctly Italianate feel to this unique blend. Having no oak added and made for early drinking, it's one of those wines perfect with an antipasto platter on a lazy weekend afternoon.


Source: Winery. ABV: 12.5%. Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $26.00. Rating: 91 Points. 
Website: http://www.ringerreef.com.au 


Narkoojee Late Harvest Viognier 2016

This is the first late harvest wine for Narkoojee. Warm conditions in the 2016 growing season allowed the Viognier fruit to be left on the vine to ripen further and to be made into a semi-sweet style wine. 

Comes in a 500ML bottle. Pale yellow with greenish hues. 
The attractive bouquet offers up citrus, orange blossom, dried apricot, musk and spicy oak nuances.
The core of dried apricot, cumquat marmalade and chamomile does its thing effortlessly balanced by fresh lemony acidity. 
The fruit sweetness is on the lighter side and nothing is cloying. Mid palate is delicious and slippery with the finish fresh, clean and dry. 

A perfect partner to fruit-based desserts or a cheese platter. Like it.


Source: Sample courtesy of Narkoojee Wines. ABV: 13.5%. 
Closure: Screw Cap. Price: $21.00. Rating: 89 Points. 
Website: https://narkoojee.com/?v=6cc98ba2045f