Queensland wines to help keep you cool

Queensland offers a range of good wines to quench the summer thirst. Source: The Courier-Mail

It may be autumn but there's still plenty of power in that Queensland sun.

Across Europe, the locals usually stick close to home when choosing wines, especially if selecting matches for regional dishes. That's an approach which works well here, too.

Some pundits claim it's hard to find suitable warm weather wines here as we don't produce the light reds, roses and light whites traditionally associated with chilling out.

But there are other options, Master of Wine Andrew Corrigan says.

"To make light, soft, flavoursome wine you really need a cool climate,'' he says. "What you'd think of as summer drinks, wines such as rose, semillon sav blanc blends and light aromatics, we don't do well in Queensland.''

But if we compare areas of Queensland with areas of Europe which enjoy a similar climate - southwest France, and the northern central plateaux of Spain - he says you soon discover both are famous for the wines they drink while the sun shines.

"The Queensland region has character but not always delicacy,'' says Andrew, who's also co-owner of Hidden Creek Winery on the Granite Belt.

"Think of summer plates full of Mediterranean flavours and you picture Provence or the Amalfi Coast, and the wines of these regions. "They are characterful, flavoursome, crisp, not delicate.''

For ideal warm climate drinking, he suggests seeking out fresh styles, full of flavour - verdelho, for example.

"Verdelho is a tricky grape to get right because it often ripens with a lot of sugar and too much alcohol wrecks the flavour,'' Andrew says.

"But there's some great verdelho being produced in Queensland. Where there's a balance of flavour, these make wonderful wines for balmy Queensland days.''

Fellow Queensland Master of Wine Peter Scudamore-Smith also is a fan of verdelho. "We're so respectful of verdelho in Queensland, we're doing it better and better every year,'' he says.

Peter suggests seeking out wines with texture, interest and detail. "You want to be able to sit on your veranda, look into the sunset and have something to savour, with layers of flavour and interest,'' he says.

Queensland wine educator, Paula Tewksbury, of All About Wine, recommends thinking in terms of food matching when choosing wines.

"Seafood - Moreton Bay bugs with a creamy or slightly spicy sauce would be delightful with a Queensland verdelho, as would barbecued prawns,'' Paula says. "Fresh lamb chops with mint sauce would work with a viognier.

"Queensland's young drinking styles are great warm weather drinking.''

WINE EXPERTS' TOP 5 QUEENSLAND WINES FOR SUMMER

ANDREW CORRIGAN
1. Robert Channon 2009 Verdelho: A very dry, quite light-bodied verdelho with dried apple and herb aromas, not dissimilar to pinot grigio. Fresh and clean.
2. Summit Estate 2009 Verdelho: A light, dry, fresh style.
3. Ridgemill Estate 2009 Verdelho: This has a certain amount of passionfruit and fresh all-round flavours.
4. Ballandean Estate's 2009 Sauvignon Semillon Blanc: A fresh, light style with a touch of lemon and herb and some tropical fruit characters.
5. Witches Fall's 2009 Fiano: Expect dried pear and chalky characters. It's dry but with a chalky influence.

PETER SCUDAMORE-SMITH
1. Clovely 2010 White Label Verdelho: Lovely with a passionfruit, tropical nose and a melon and tropical fruit palate.
2. Cedar Creek 2010 Splash of Pink Moscato: A lovely dry palate and good fizz.
3. Robert Channon's 2010 Pinot Gris: Classic pear flavour and modest alcohol. Fresh and breezy with nice crunch and food palatability.
4. Symphony Hill 2010 Verdelho: A delicate pale green colour with nice tropical aromas. A rich but dry style.
5. Bent Road 2010 Marsanne: A succulent, generous wine with honeysuckle aromas.

PAULA TEWKSBURY
1. Ravens Croft 2009 Chardonnay: Great length and good chardonnay character. A very pleasant food wine.
2. Ocean View's 2010 Viognier: A lovely, young, fresh drinking style.
3. Sirromet 2009 Seven Scenes Viognier: Apricot characters, lovely texture, a high-quality wine.
4. Clovely Left Field 2010 Verdelho: An interesting, unctuous drinking wine. Great quality and unbelievable value.
5. Felsberg 2010 Gewurztraminer: Fresh, spicy, attractive characters in a young lighter, fresh style.