Cool-climate wines from down under
The Wine Watch Expansion Pack – March 2025
Longer-term subscribers will know that I also write a regular column for DutchNews called Wine Watch. Each month, I pick a seasonal theme and recommend three wines – at different price points – that fit the brief and are available in shops in the Netherlands (although often elsewhere as well). As you’d expect, I taste far more wines than just those that make the final cut, and I also run out of space for food pairings and other info. So consider this your Wine Watch Expansion Pack: more wines, more food, more info!
My March theme was inspired by the fact that it’s grape harvest time in the southern hemisphere at the moment, so I decided to recommend one wine pick each from South America, South Africa and Australasia respectively (you can read the original article on DutchNews here). With hindsight, this was about the stupidest theme imaginable – I couldn’t have chosen a bigger geographical area if I’d tried. And as The Terroirists* would argue (see last week’s Substack read), place is everything. Still, it’s a bit late now so I’m going to crash on with my dubious theme regardless.
*The Terroirists will be my team name should I ever enter a wine-themed pub quiz. This is an iteration of The Terrier Squad – my Amsterdam quiz team name when playing with fellow terrier pawrents.
Love in a cold climate
Although these wines are made in places thousands of miles apart, I’ve realised that they have more in common than just the timing of their grape harvest. Most of these wines come from cooler climate sub-regions – even within wider geographical areas known for being warm. This wasn’t really deliberate on my part (I go through phases when it comes to wine) but it does tie in with a wider trend that seems to favour higher acidity, lower alcohol, fresher, less jammy wines.
Before we get into the recommendations, it’s worth explaining what make a climate cool and what effect that has on the wines. And it’s not just latitude. Vineyards that are up a mountain, or sit close to the ocean, or face away from the midday sun – these are all going to have a cooler environment. And cooler grapes generally mean higher acidity, lower sugar/alcohol and longer ripening times, which leads to more intensity of flavour.
South Africa
My pick for the wine column was Waterkloof’s “Seriously Cool” Cinsault (2022) from the south-facing slopes of False Bay – cooled by ocean breezes, despite being part of the generally warm Stellenbosch region. That climate (plus vines that are 50 years old) results in a red wine that’s light in body but intense in flavour: perfumed with eucalyptus, fruity with red cherries, minty like an After Eight. I’d serve this lightly chilled.
From the same estate comes Waterkloof’s “Circumstance” Syrah (2016), which is full of vibrantly fresh red fruit despite being nine years old. This is an elegant, restrained Syrah that you’d be fooled into thinking came from the Northern Rhone rather than Stellenbosch (there’s that cool climate influence again). This would make a great braai (BBQ) wine!
Sticking with Stellenbosch Syrah, if you’re feeling splashy Uva Mira’s Mountain Vineyards Syrah is outstanding. I tried the 2016 vintage, and found a dark-fruited wine with pronounced blackcurrant, black cherry, meaty, farmyardy notes but with superbly integrated tannins and a lovely long finish. I bought and/or tasted both Waterkloof wines and the Uva Mira Syrah from Bilderdijk Wijnhuys in Amsterdam, but check Wine-Searcher.com for a stockist near you.
Speaking of splashy, I also have a lot of time for Creation Chardonnay – in its various different guises – and this time we’re talking high altitude, overlooking Walker Bay. I’ve written about Creation in the past, so I won’t repeat myself here but suffice to say this is some seriously accomplished Chardonnay that would go really well with grilled seafood and a spritz of lemon.
South America
Sticking with the grill/BBQ theme, my South American pick for the wine column was Errazuriz Estate’s Carménère Reserva (2023) from Chile’s Aconcagua Valley (I’d say this is the only truly warm-climate wine in this article). For its price point (under a tenner!) it boasts some impressive complexity: jammy blackberries, spicy black pepper and cloves, sweet vanilla and liquorice, toasty cedar and smoke, plus a meaty, tarry, leathery quality. This is a full-bodied red that would pair perfectly with roast beef or seared steak from the asado grill.
If you want to learn more about Chilean Carménère, I recommend this handy explainer by
from :
Back on the lighter (i.e. cooler) side, I also enjoyed Alto Sur’s Malbec (2021) from the Uco Valley – a higher-altitude part of Argentina’s Mendoza region. Think blackcurrant, wild strawberry, earthy, pepper and liquorice spices, bay leaves, sundried tomatoes and little to no oak – a food-friendly wine with strong acidity and well-balanced tannins.
I’ve also written before about Argentina’s lesser-known white grape Torrontés – of which many of the best examples come from the high-altitude vineyards of Salta. This is an aromatic wine that (IMHO) pairs well with ceviche. Both are typically high in acidity and full of big aromas and flavours, but with a creamy texture – it’s a combination I love. If you enjoy heavily perfumed whites (like Gewurztraminer), try Zuccardi’s Torrontés from the Uco Valley. Personally, I preferred Colomé’s slightly more subtle expression – available in Europe from Vineshop24 and in the US from Wine.com.
Australia and New Zealand
For Australasia, I was consciously looking for wines that weren’t what you’d obviously expect – like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Big Aussie Shiraz. Instead, from New Zealand I went for Palliser Estate’s Chardonnay (2022) from the cool Martinborough region, which walks a really interesting line between the high-acidity style of a Chablis and the butter-rich style from southern Burgundy or California. Green apple, underripe pineapple and zesty minerality sit alongside coconut, sandalwood and smoke from fermentation in French oak in this cool-climate Chardonnay. Fresh and full in equal measure.
A good friend brought over Torbreck’s Barossa Valley old-vine GSM blend (2021) for dinner one night (I’d made brisket). Although Australia’s Barossa Valley has a Mediterranean climate, Torbreck also sources grapes from the Eden Valley, a neighbouring region with a cooler climate from its higher elevation. GSM stands for Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, and it’s a classic combo from France’s Rhone Valley. This GSM blend was pretty full bodied: peppery spices, leather, tobacco, smoky bacon, smooth tannins and fairly boozy – a good match for the brisket.
If you’re in the Netherlands, also check out The Australian Wine Company – they look to have some nice bottles that aren’t so easy to find this side of the equator.
That’s all for this month! April in the Netherlands means the orange madness that is the Dutch king’s birthday celebrations. Hence I’ll be recommending some orange wines! Feel free to forward this to someone if you think they might be interested in subscribing to The Wine Edit or checking out my column on DutchNews.