Weekend notes

What happens when you give a bottle of three of the region’s stand-out wines to a casual appreciator? Lauren Mitchell, co-author of Mixed Cases: Stories of the Bendigo Winegrowers, shares her thoughts on a welcome trio.

FRIDAY NIGHT - SANDHURST RIDGE 2016 NEBBIOLO

Oh, to go back to 2016… when we were innocent of so much. When Megs and Harry started dating, Donald Trump was a mere candidate, and closer to home, brothers Paul and George Greblo were busy bottling a stellar Nebbiolo. Fast forward six years and said wine is a welcome distraction from a world off the rails. Reminding us of the importance of logging off, shutting down and living in the moment with a glass of something wonderful. Nebbiolo grapes originated in northern Italy, and even today, are rarely grown outside the region. Central Victoria, however, happens to have enough sunshine for the vines to flourish. The Greblos’ Italian heritage no doubt also plays a part in the variety’s local success. The pale, garnet colour defies big flavours of cherry, coffee and star anise. Here, the grape’s famed grippy tannins have mellowed over time, rendering a soft and warming wine to enjoy with a hearty meal; ideal for the cooler autumn evenings ahead. www.sandhurstridge.com.au SATURDAY NIGHT - MANDURANG VALLEY 2021 SAUVIGNON BLANC

It’s a crime not to share a bottle of wine, really. Especially when it comes infused with the warm hospitality of the Vine family, of Mandurang Valley Wines, who’ve been welcoming guests to their home cellar door for decades. So, before opening the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, a quick text to a dry white wineloving friend results in a swift knock on the front door and two glasses taken from the cupboard. “Crisp, dry and refreshing. Citrusy. A lovely warm weather wine,” says my friend, who would know; “I’ve drunk the top shelf, I’ve drunk the bottom shelf, and that’s a wine worth having.” Suffice to say, she stayed to enjoy the bottle, while an impromptu green chicken curry simmered on the stovetop. The wine promises “lifted herbaceous notes of cut grass and tomato bush, with hints of feijoa and pineapple”. Plus a “tightly-structured palate with crisp acidity supported by flavours of passionfruit and lime”. www.manduragevalleywines.com.au SUNDAY NIGHT - LADYS PASS 2017 SHIRAZ

The Munari label initiated a lively after-dinner discussion over the name of its shiraz. A quick Google revealed Ladys Pass is located at the base of the Mount Ida foothills, near Heathcote. As well as being home to the Munari vineyard and cellar door, It’s also the site of an Astronomical Society of Victoria observatory. Heavens, that’s two great reasons to pencil in a visit. The flagship wine of the Munari family encompasses everything we love about Heathcote wine, being it’s fruit-driven, well-structured and undeniably elegant. Here we’re promised an ‘easy-drinking wine of great value, for casual drinkers through to seasoned veterans’. In other words, no matter if the subtleties of bright fruits and bramble, coffee and cocoa, and a savoury cedar edge surpass, this is one smooth and satisfying shiraz to keep on hand for all occasions; autumn stargazing around the chimenea being one of them. www.munariwines.com