Finding it hard to buy an affordable red? If that’s the case then you, like many other drinking Australians, might need help. For despite the apparent gleeful willingness with which this country’s makers of better red stuff have jumped up its prices in a pre-Y2K, pre-GST, pre-Olympics hysteria, you can still drink good red wine and end up with a smattering of change in your pocket. Not necessarily enough to make a loud clinking noise, but something, nevertheless. But don’t be misled. Twenty bucks will not buy you an undiscovered Grange, Hill of Grace or Mount Mary. It will not even buy you a pinot noir that actually tastes like pinot noir, so don’t even bother. But it will buy you a red, even one from an individual vineyard with quality, flavour and character. It will even buy you a red that will appreciate time in the cellar. And, as I reveal a little later, it can still buy you a red that tastes very much more expensive than it actually is. Let’s begin with a regional classic from Rutherglen in the warmish north-eastern corner of Victoria, chock full of the earthy, ripe, bordering jammy and porty fruit for which the region’s reds are traditionally known. Campbells’ Bobbie Burns Shiraz 1998 has the rich, meaty regional aroma of ripe plummy shiraz and all the spicy softness and smoothness that Colin Campbell seeks in this sought-after wine. Drink now or cellar until 2006. The McLaren Vale is without doubt the buzz region for Australian shiraz at the moment and a deeply flavoured, dark and spicy 1998 Shiraz from Coriole clearly demonstrates why. Steeped with dark plums, cherries and cassis, it reveals dusty vanilla oak influences and more than just a suggestion of regional licorice and chocolate flavours. It’s firm and dry and set for the long term. Keep until 2010. Recent vintages have been a little below par, but the 1998 vintage marks a welcome return to form for Evans & Tate’s affordable benchmark red, the Gnangara Shiraz. Its floral, ripe red berry and confection aroma and lightly smoky vanilla oak precedes a fleshy, supple palate based around brightly flavoured ripe fruit and silkt-smooth fine tannins. Great value and can be kept beyond 2003. Rosemount Estate has just released an excellent new range of wines under the Hill of Gold from its extensive mature plantings at Mudgee in the NSW central highlands. I’m strongly of the view that Mudgee’s wine and its profile is on the ascent. Few regions in Australia can deliver the pure ripe intensity of dark fruit flavours and ripe, finely grained firm tannins of which Mudgee seems regularly capable and Rosemount’s big move into the region should certainly raise the quality expectations of everyone associated with its wine. There are two 1998 reds in the first release: a varietal Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The very classy Shiraz is my pick of the two; a deep, dark and musky wine whose ripe, heady and earthy aroma suggests spicy cassis and plums and whose long, supple and concentrated palate just drives along, finishing firm and savoury with lingering smoky, nutty undertones. Drink now or cellar for eight years. The Hill of Gold Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerfully astringent wine that simply demands cellaring. Scented with fresh violets, blackcurrant and bay leaf, its massively and densely packed with a ripe core of fruit, strong tannins and rather a decent shot of alcohol. You have to wait for this one unless you grapple with crocodiles in your spare time. Give it a decade if you can. Another of my favourite affordable brands is that of another Mudgee vineyard, Huntington Estate. For years the Roberts family have turned out particularly generous and affordable red wines, sometimes with several years of maturity at release. They come in all manner of blends and variations of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot and are best obtained by contacting the winery direct on 02 6373 3825. It’s supposed to sell for a little more than $20, but I’ll make a bet that the discounters are selling Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz 1997 for less. It’s one of the best of the 1997 Penfolds crop and offers typically thick raspberry, plum and red cherry Barossa shiraz flavour married to some pretty useful creamy coconut oak. Very spicy and wonderfully aromatic, its firm and dry and will repay five to ten years if you can keep your hands off it. Riddoch is the second label for Coonawarra’s prestigious Katnook Estate and the last few years have witnessed some substantial improvements in quality. It’s presently offering a pair of typically elegant regional reds of which the 1998 Shiraz is especially good; a great wine to open right now while its lightly peppery, brightly flavoured ripe small berry fruit bursts with life and vigour. It’s well knit with fine tannins and creamy oak and will improve for about three years, but I’d hardly bother waiting. Riddoch’s Cabernet Shiraz 1998 is a little more herbal and earthy, with intense mulberry and blackcurrant flavours and a lightly leathery background. Again, ready to enjoy without hesitation. From the Salena Estate winery at Loxton in the South Australian Riverlands comes a thoroughly generous, thickly textured and competent Cabernet Sauvignon whose deep, dark plummy and cassis fruit is integrated with assertive, but smoky vanilla oak and robust tannins. It’s a very inexpensive way of drinking ripe, generous red with more than a touch of class. BRL’s new Stonehaven range from South Australia’s Limestone Coast region includes a refreshingly fruity Premium Cabernet Merlot 1998 whose bright translucent flavours of violets and berry fruit is given a modest dose of chocolate and vanilla oak. Drink now or cellar for three years. The Premium Shiraz 1998 is a minty, vibrant and approachable red with a hint of eucalypt and spicy berry flavours. It’s clean and clear, restrained and supple. There’s no need to wait for it, but three years will do no harm at all. Trentham Estate is a favourite maker of mine and its red wines are usually very true to variety, generous in flavour and exceptional value. Its Merlot 1998 is one of the best of the cheaper merlots on the circuit today and matches ripe, juicy dark fruit flavours with assertive oak and fine soft tannins. Drinking well now, but able to handle another year or two. And now to the best Australian red wine for less than $20: Water Wheel’s exceptional Shiraz 1998, the finest yet from this most reliable of red wine makers in central Victoria. Here’s a fleshy, rich wine that tastes much, much better than its price would suggest and which can be cellared with absolute confidence – given the right conditions – for another decade. It’s densely packed with musky, spicy small red and black berry flavours and its vanilla, coffee oak is clearly evident, yet happy to play second violin. Top stuff indeed. 13 Great Australian reds for around $20 or less: Campbells’ Bobbie Burns Shiraz 1998 $21 Coriole Shiraz 1998 $23 Evans & Tate Gnangara Shiraz 1998 $14 Hill of Gold Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 $20 Hill of Gold Shiraz 1998 $20 Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz 1998 $21 Riddoch Cabernet Shiraz 1998 $16 Riddoch Shiraz 1998 $16 Salena Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 $13 Stonehaven Premium Cabernet Merlot 1998 $19 Stonehaven Premium Shiraz 1998 $19 Trentham Estate Merlot 1998 $14 Water Wheel Shiraz 1998 $18
