The 47th Annual #VIWF was full of remarkable wine educational events. Among the best highlights was an outstanding trade seminar, “Classic and Contemporary Australia,” delivered on March 13, 2026 by the insightful Mark Davidson. This was truly #AussieWineDiscovered, featuring a detailed look at the history, diversity, and top quality wines being produced there. Mark is an experienced local treasure who now does a terrific job as Head of Education Development – Americas for Wine Australia. Last month, he was also in Vancouver presenting a most informative update on wines from the specific Victoria region in Australia with my detailed article linked here. This time Mark spoke about nine excellent representative wines from different regions of Australia, showcasing their amazing versatility in style with four whites and five reds using brilliantly conceived slides, as noted at the end of this report. He started with the history from the Pioneer Era (late 1700s–1800s), the Fortified Era (1900-1940s), the continuing Vineyard Changes made on Ancient Soils (including Bush Vines), and the new style Current Era with an “Accent on Freshness.” Here is an overview of the nine top-quality #AussieWine tasted:
1. 2017 SEMILLON VAT 1, TYRRELL’S VINEYARDS HUNTER VALLEY: Fantastic start with one of the world’s best aging dry whites and a cellar favourite of your scribe. Grapes are always picked at lower Brix to capture higher acidity. They are fermented in stainless steel without malolactic conversion or oak, then bottled early at just over 11% ABV. The magic with aging in the bottle is fantastic! An informative slide below states that the “toasty” character of aged Semillon is due to three compounds: Wine lactone (increased coconut & lime concentration). Phenylacetaldehyde (honey-like aroma) and TPB in combination. 2017 is 9 years old but seems still very young without yet enough complex tertiary development. Tyrrell’s has been using screw caps since 2004 so I asked Mark how the older vintages are progressing. He reported that they “are aging very well indeed under screwcap.” Find this treasure in any vintage and keep it a while for a future important celebration. Wonderful experience.
2. 2017 RIESLING THE CONTOURS, PEWSEY VALE EDEN VALLEY: Pewsey Vale makes a dependable good value Riesling; young vintages like 2024 show fresh citrus vibrancy. This wine, from The Contours block on the coolest higher-altitude slopes (1500 metres) using older (planted 1961) biodynamically farmed vines, shows distinctive Eden Valley terroir, with 2017 bottle age, textbook varietal petrol notes, and hints of lemongrass, cloves, fennel and honey-toast. Well done.
3. 2025 FIANO LOOSE CANNON, HUGH HAMILTON BAROSSA VALLEY: It’s great to see this new contemporary success of this Italian white variety from 2 vineyards fermented in stainless steel at 12.8% ABV, by Hugh Hamilton, who claims to be “Australia’s oldest surviving wine family” with a “Black Sheep spirit.” Different from the aromatic fruits of Fiano di Avellino DOCG, this wine is delightful in its own right served chilled with superb freshness and clean floral herbal perfumes. Enjoy how delicious it is already.
4. 2024 CHARDONNAY CIRCLE OF FIFTHS, GIANT STEPS YARRA VALLEY: As noted several times previously on this blog, Australian Chardonnay has evolved significantly, offering outstanding quality from so many diverse climatic regions including Adelaide Hills, Margaret River, Tasmania and this Yarra Valley. Giant Steps is another fine example, featuring the musical Circle of Fifths Chardonnay. It uses fruit from five hand-picked vineyard sites, undergoes whole-bunch pressing with wild yeast fermentation (no malolactic conversion) in 15% new French oak , and ages for 9 months on the lees without stirring. Classy, refined and lovely, it will gain further complexity over time.
5. 2023 PINOT NOIR DIXON, BINDI MACEDON RANGES: Similar to Australian Chardonnay, new regions are increasingly shining, including Adelaide Hills, Geelong, Gippsland, Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania (Tamar Valley & Sparkling in Pipers River), and Yarra Valley – plus others emerging. This cooler region, the Macedon Ranges (northwest of Melbourne), sits at higher altitudes, offering a more elegant style – a region to watch in a warming world. This Dixon selection of vines planted in 1988 & 2001 from Bindi, offers fragrant, bright Pinot Noir perfumes showing fresh earthy cherries on the palate at 14% ABV. Encouraging region to monitor.
6. 2024 GRENACHE SAND ROAD, HITHER & YON MCLAREN VALE: How this classic grape variety has evolved worldwide more positively over the past decades – including in Australian wine regions. Mark says, “Picking times have changed but not too early” is required. This mostly whole berry ferment in stainless steel with 10% whole bunch spends 14 months in larger 500-litre older wood. We both felt it was attractively refreshing and juicier, tasting more delicious than Grenache in earlier years. On the right track with this one at 14% ABV.
7. 2022 SHIRAZ VIOGNIER, CLONAKILLA CANBERRA DISTRICT: Co-fermented 94% Shiraz with about 6% Viognier on the skins for three weeks, followed by 12 months in French barriques and puncheons. Admire the lovely elegant aromatic aromas, along with the pure subtle harmonious balance, in this cooler vintage called “luminous” at only 13% ABV. An increasingly popular style.
8. 2021 KEYNETON EUPHONIUM, HENSCHKE BAROSSA VALLEY: A full-bodied blend at 14.5% ABV, consisting of 67% Shiraz, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Merlot from top producer Henschke at a more reasonable price. It includes some 100-year-old vines fermented in open top concrete, then aged 18-20 months in French & American oak (20% new). Big, bold, and peppery, this needs more bottle time; it has intense fruit and many tannins. It’s a screw cap but still a powerful one for the cellar. We asked what “old vines” really means and the slide below provided the information: Old vines are 35+ years, Survivor vines are 70+, Centenarian vines are 100+, and Ancestor vines are 125+.
9. 2021 CABERNET SAUVIGNON TRUEMAN, HICKINBOTHAM MCLAREN VALE: This 100% Cab Sauv from the Clarendon Vineyard was basket-pressed into 60% new and used French oak barriques. It was then blended into four-year-old 4.8 KL foudres for 4 months before bottling in December 2022 at 14% ABV. This dense Cabernet Sauvignon has impressively concentrated boysenberry & plummy fruit with mocha and chocolate overtones. It will develop, soften, and round out with bottle age. There’s a lot to like in that unique terroir styling of Mclaren Vale.
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