Dear Sommelier, comparing Australian white wines

Good Morning! This is my third week staying in Australia.

I started with the first-generation grape "Semillon" and touched on Australia's most famous "Shiraz," but since I hadn't drunk any white wine yet, I decided to stay in Australia for another week.

A comparative tasting born from a chance encounter

I headed to a wine shop in search of a classic white grape, "Chardonnay," and discovered a single bottle sitting alone on the shelf among the red wines. Just as I thought, "This is the one!", the shop clerk started rummaging through the shelves, saying, "I think there might be one other white wine somewhere..."

That’s when they pulled out the white wine from "Yangarra Estate Vineyard." It’s a blend of five types of grapes made by a South Australian winery. I was drawn in by the playful, crossword-like label and decided to buy it.

A few days later, I came across another Australian Chardonnay at a convenience store I visit often. Feeling a sense of destiny, like meeting a first love I’d kept missing out on, I bought that one too.

However, I had another curiosity. The white wine from "Yangarra Estate Vineyard" was 4,400 yen, while the "Peet's Pure" white wine was 1,188 yen. Where exactly does this price difference come from? What are the taste differences between a single varietal and a multi-varietal blend? Would I actually be able to tell the difference in taste myself? Such curiosities were the driving force behind my decision to do a comparative tasting.

In this post, I will first introduce each wine and share my tasting reports. From next week onwards, I would like to delve deeper into the factors behind the price difference between these wines.

■ This Week's Tasting Report ①
Chardonnay 2024 | Peet's Pure

Born in the small town of "Euston" in New South Wales, "Peet's Pure" was established in 2015 by two friends, Ed Peet and Peter Kight. The winery, named after the "Peet" shared by both their names, upholds the belief: "Love the land and work hard in the vineyard."

This region is characterized by a climate with constant sunshine and red soil, said to produce wines with a clean and fresh flavor where the grapes ripen without stress. But is that true?

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・Appearance: Clear with a calm impression. Pale lemon yellow, smooth with no viscosity.

・Aroma: Feels concentrated and powerful. Almost like the aroma of concentrated, full-bodied apple juice. There is a hint of toast lurking in the background, along with honey-like and floral notes.

・Taste: Has an impact when it hits the palate, and I can feel the residual sugar. The sweetness stands out even more when comparing it with the other wine. Since acidity remains in the finish, it’s nice that it doesn't leave the sweetness lingering. Specific gravity is 0.994. In terms of sound, I imagine the warm, mid-to-low tones of a guitar.

The alcohol level is just right—neither too strong nor too weak. Since the sweetness is enjoyable, I feel more like just savoring this wine rather than pairing it. Perfect for an evening drink.

・Price: 1,100 yen (tax included) / 750ml
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Euston seems to be classified as having a relatively warm climate, and I certainly didn't feel the sharp acidity characteristic of cool-climate wines. However, strangely, the aroma felt more like apples—a characteristic of cool climates—rather than tropical fruit.

I couldn't get precise vintage information for the 2024, but I did find information saying it was "harvested early." In Australia, global warming has caused grapes to ripen rapidly as summer approaches in recent years. Perhaps it was picked before temperatures rose too high, which is why the characteristics of a cool climate emerged.

Also, although it was described as having a clean and fresh flavor, I personally felt a ripened flavor.

■ This Week's Tasting Report ②
YANGARRA BLANC 2021 | YANGARRA ESTATE VINEYARD

Located in one of Australia's leading wine regions, McLaren Vale in South Australia, it is situated in a particularly beautiful area called "Blewitt Springs."

Richly diverse soil, high altitude, and sea breezes encourage uniform and balanced growth of the grapes. At Yangarra, they produce wine using only grapes harvested from a single parcel/vineyard (single vineyard), valuing the importance of expressing the character of that land to the maximum extent.

A feature of this winery is that they still use Grenache bush vines planted in 1946. It is also attracting attention as "one of the world's leading Grenache-producing regions." (I know, I should have drunk the Grenache, but I stumbled upon this one, so I'll save that for another time🍷)

The wine "YANGARRA BLANC 2021" is made using about half a grape variety called "Grenache Blanc," a mutation of Grenache. The rest is a blend of white grape varieties including Roussanne, Picpoul, Clairette, and Bourboulenc. These white grape varieties originate from the Southern Rhône region. They are mainly produced at Yangarra because of the similar climatic conditions and past successes.

In fact, this "Southern Rhône-style" blend seems to be an approach that has been gaining attention at some Australian wineries in recent years. It is said that it is easier to balance complexity and acidity even under the influence of global warming mentioned earlier, and the charm lies in being able to create a harmonious taste while making the most of the individuality of each variety.

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・Appearance: This one is also clear, but it is a slightly deeper lemon yellow than the Chardonnay and feels more vibrant. It also lacks viscosity and feels smooth.

・Aroma: If anything, it’s restrained and feels tightly packed. It has a fresh and clean impression, with hints of grass, white pepper, and green apple.

・Taste: Dry with a soft mouthfeel. It’s smooth and easy to drink, but the flavor spreads wide in the throat. A complex feeling remains in the mouth, while a bitterness settles in the throat. The fun of experiencing it twice, in both the mouth and the throat. Specific gravity is 0.990. In terms of sound, I imagine a high-pitched piano or a slightly distorted guitar sound.

Since a saltiness remains, it seems it would pair well with something like French fries or white fish meunière with butter. Comparing it with the Chardonnay, I didn’t get tired of it, so it would also go well with fruit-filled cakes like fruit tarts.

・Price: 4,400 yen (tax included) / 750ml
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＊Quiz
Based on the appearance in the tasting report, which one on the left or right is the "YANGARRA BLANC 2021"? (The answer is after the aside)

＊Aside
When I tried doing a blind tasting this time, I spoke quite seriously about the differences in their tastes even though I had been handed the same wine. I did think they were similar, but I was caught up in the preconception that I was comparing two different types of wine, so I earnestly tried to find differences.

In a book I read recently, it said, "Thinking that assumes a result narrows your perspective," and that was exactly what happened.

It seems the road is still long before I can look at things flatly without assuming a result.👵

＊Quiz Answer

The answer is the right one! I think it is a slightly deeper lemon yellow color than the Chardonnay. (If you thought they were different colors, please let me know privately.)