Kim Brebach from Best Wines Under $20 reveals his tips

Kim Brebach from Best Wines Under $20. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

Is there one wine rule that shouldn’t be broken?

Absolutely! Refuse to drink ordinary wine. We make so much good wine in Australia, even at the $10 price point. Some of the imported wines from Italy and Spain or Chile and Argentina are good too, and affordable, and different.

What are you drinking a lot of?

Sauvignon Blanc is still top of the pops but pinot gris/grigio sales are showing the most rapid growth at more than 25 per cent a year. The best Australian examples taste of ripe pears and apples and ginger but finish dry. French pinot gris is often a touch sweet while Italian Grigio tends to be dry.

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What’s the most under-rated drink more people should know about?

Topaque. It used to be called Tokay, and is an Australian Classic that is unique in the wine world. It’s a fortified dessert wine like madeira but it’s made from the white muscadelle grape. Our best examples come from Rutherglen and the Barossa Valley.

Don’t drink ordinary wine, says Kim Brebach. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock

And the most over-rated?

Penfolds Grange. At last year’s Penfolds Icon Release, reviewers were unanimous in scoring the St Henri (an $80 wine) higher than the Grange (nudging $800). Grange is no longer a good investment, since you can buy every vintage of Grange after 1976 for much less than $800 at auction.

What’s the biggest challenge facing you at the moment?

Convincing people that you can buy some of our best wines for $20. We proved it again just before Christmas with a Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvee 2010 which beat all the (much more costly) Aussies at the inaugural 2014 Champagne & Sparkling Wine Competition in the UK.

There are so many things to love about wine. Source: News Limited

Name your special occasion bottle.

For under $20, the Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvee. If price is not an issue, I’d go for a 1975 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes — heaven in a glass but costs a small fortune. A very attractive but less costly special occasion wine is Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut.

Is there a varietal or a drink that you think will be the next big thing?

It’s a long shot but I predict that Assyrtico, a white variety from the Greek Island of Santorini, will become the next big thing. The variety makes a very interesting dry white, and will grow well in our hot, dry climate. Trial plantings have begun in the last couple of years.

What bottle under $20 would you recommend for novices?

White would be moscato — off-dry style with a little spritz, low alcohol, easy to like well chilled. For red I would say grenache. It makes a soft red with sweet fruit, plush and velvety texture. For a sparkling I’d choose the The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz — sweet fruit and bubbles with a chill.

Kim Brebach is the founder of the Best Wines Under $20 website. For his tips, reviews and to subscribe to weekly bargain alerts go to bestwinesunder20.com.au

Originally published as The best wines for under $20

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