Want to expand your palate? Try these six winning wines from the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show

Diverse and distinct are two words to describe the Australian wine landscape. These 10 producers continue to showcase their innovation through alternative or lesser-known varieties and experimental blending.

Each of the below wines is different to the other. Try a Piedmontese-inspired blend of dolcetto, barbera and sangiovese; a montepulciano; a touriga; a gamay; a roussanne; a mataro; a unique meslier brut rosé; a blend of grenache, shiraz, mourvedre and cinsault; a blend of fernão pires and verdelho; and a mencia. Add these alternative wines to your list.

2023 Chapel Hill The Parson Adelaide Sangiovese Rosé

Winemaker Michael Fragos say: Sangiovese is the ideal grape variety to make a dry and textured style of rosé due to its lower colour levels and relatively thin grape skins. The variety allows us to implement up to three hours of skin contact to obtain mouthfeel from the trademark varietal peppery tannins, as well as the moreish sour cherry fruit flavours, without extracting excessive colour.

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
MF. XXX

Best enjoyed: The freshness, flavour and texture of tuna sashimi is elevated to new heights when paired with the finesse and succulence of the wine.

RRP $18 | Drink to 2027 | chapelhillwine.com.au | Shop this wine

2025 First Ridge Fiano

Winemaker James Manners says: This fiano recently won the Best Italian White Wine trophy at the Australian Alternative Variety Wine Show, further reinforcing the suitability of this variety in Mudgee. The 2025 is made with a combination of 30% wild fermentation for texture, which is further complemented by some passive extended lees contact. If you want something other than chardonnay this may be your wine of choice.

H. What is special about this grape variety?
JM. Fiano is such a versatile variety and it is well suited to the Mudgee climate and soils of First Ridge. It maintains its freshness and acidity even in warmer years and can be made in a range of styles – from crisp and fruit driven to barrel-fermented styles. The bright stone fruit aromatics are the highlight for me.

Best enjoyed: Best enjoyed chilled. The added texture on this wine allows it to carry stronger food flavours. An amazing apéritif wine that will also work with crab and shellfish dishes. This wine will work with whatever you normally pair with chardonnay, despite not having any oak influence.

RRP $30 | Drink to 2028 | firstridge.com.au | Shop this wine

2025 First Ridge Vermentino

Winemaker James Manners says: Vermentino is a very versatile white variety that sits between pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc. The aromatic profile is often described as pineapple and lemon citrus fruit. The First Ridge example carries crisp acidity and primary fruit characters with no oak influence. Fermented cold with aromatic yeast, it is all about capturing the bright and crisp varietal signature of vermentino. Our 2025 Vermentino has also won a Trophy at the Mudgee Wine Show and a Silver medal at the NSW Wine Awards.

H. What is special about this grape variety?
JM. Its versatility as an apéritif or complement to a range of food. From a viticultural perspective, it seems to have found a second home in Mudgee. It tolerates warm and dry conditions without losing its freshness and acidity and can be made in a variety of styles – from fresh, unoaked wines to barrel-fermented/matured examples.

Best enjoyed: Best enjoyed chilled. It makes a wonderful glass of wine in its own right and will carry over into your meal. Lovely with crisp whitebait or your preferred seafood. Light summer pasta dishes as well as poached chicken and summer salads. Think light and fresh spring and summer dining options.

RRP $28 | Drink to 2028 | firstridge.com.au | Shop this wine

2022 Golding Ombre Gamay

Winemaker Darren Golding says: Gamay is a light-bodied red variety that shares some characteristics with pinot noir when it comes to the red fruit notes that drive the aromatics, however it will typically exhibit more of a floral spectrum on the nose. 

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
DG. Gamay grows beautifully on the gentle slopes of our cool-climate site in the Adelaide Hills, which ensures high levels of natural acidity and subtle tannins. Our Ombre Gamay is whole bunch, open wild ferment with a small portion aged in older French oak.

Best enjoyed: Due to its balanced levels of natural acidity and tannin, gamay is a versatile wine when it comes to food pairings. It's equally delicious accompanying a roast chicken with lemon and herbs as it is with slow-cooked beef cheeks with rich Asian flavours. The 2022 is best served in a Burgundy-style glass and can be served slightly chilled in the warmer months.

RRP $32 | Drink to 2032 | goldingwines.com.au

2022 Jester Hill Wines Touchstone Roussanne

Winemaker Michael Bourke says: The berries are distinguished by their russet colour when ripe – ‘roux’ is French for the reddish brown colour russet. It can be very difficult to grow, with vulnerability to mildew, poor resistance to drought and wind, late and/or uneven ripening, and irregular yields. For us, with the cool climate of the Granite Belt, we have it down pat! The 2019 and 2022 vintages have received gold and trophy awards. 

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
MB. My approach to winemaking at all times is focused on the vineyard. A minimalist approach to winemaking has produced some amazing roussanne over the years. Fermented in French oak – roussanne is an extremely versatile variety when planted in the right terroir. Jester Hill Wines prides itself on producing estate-grown wines only. We have produced an amazing shiraz roussanne blend.

Best enjoyed: Although still on the richer side, the 2022 works with a range of seafood, chicken, duck, salmon, and turkey. Roussane can even pair with roast pork or pork belly. Aged roussane matches a cheese board with a generous dab of quince paste.

RRP $36 | Drink to 2032 | jesterhillwines.com.au

2021 Kay Brothers Basket Pressed Mataro

Senior winemaker Duncan Kennedy says: This is our single vineyard mataro, and the most important winemaking decisions are made in the vineyard. Our pruning and canopy management produce a balanced vine that ultimately shows in the finished wine. Hand-harvesting and gentle handling techniques – such as hand plunging, basket pressing and large oak maturation – are key. We have very intense fruit so it needs to be caressed and not over extracted.

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
DK. The fruit was hand harvested on April 8, before being immediately crushed, destemmed and hand plunged utilising open top fermentation. Following 12 days on skins, traditional basket pressing in our 1928 basket press was employed. The wine was matured in seasoned French oak puncheons for eight months before being bottled in September 2022.

Best enjoyed: We recommend decanting the 2021 prior to serving, and pour into large glassware. The wine's temperature should be between 15–20 degrees. A great paring option is a rich pasta dish that is light on spice.

RRP $33 | Drink to 2029 | kaybrothers.com.au

NV Levrier Wines by Jo Irvine Sparkling Meslier Brut Rosé

Winemaker Jo Irvine says: A unique wine to Levrier – Meslier is one of the rarest Champagne varietals grown with only a few hectares known to exist worldwide. Our Meslier grapes are grown in the cooler climate of the Adelaide Hills and as far as we are aware, it is currently the only Meslier Sparkling Brut Rosé produced – making it an extremely rare sparkling wine.

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
JI. The secret to this wine is a three year maturation process on yeast lees and balancing the natural acidity of the variety prior to final bottling. 

Best enjoyed: The perfect sparkling accompaniment is mussels and oysters with finger lime caviar and a hint of chilli. Serve chilled in a small RIEDEL sparkling glass for optimum enjoyment.

RRP $50 | Drink to 2035 | levrierwines.com.au

2021 Marli Russell by Mount Mary RP2

Winemaker Sam Middleton says: This wine is made from estate grown fruit that was planted at Mount Mary in 2008 – we now have some of the oldest grenache vines in the Yarra Valley. We love the way grenache grows on our site and it is this variety we hope dictates the wine's style. We see these varieties as a great alternative to pinot noir in a warming, drying climate. In the best years they produce ethereal, rich, full-flavoured wines with structure, spice, interest and intrigue.

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
SM. As with all varieties grown and vinified at Mount Mary, we try and handle individual varieties in the winery in a way that best highlights their natural, outstanding attributes. Grenache is destemmed and fermented as whole berries to encourage fruit sweetness and aromatic lift and aged in large format oak to retain freshness. Shiraz is fermented using whole bunch to impart spice and some carbonic maceration characteristics. The mourvèdre gives the wine colour, tannin and a darker fruit profile, while the cinsault is fermented at very cool temperatures to encourage lifted aromatics – the major reason for this particular variety's inclusion in the blend.

Best enjoyed: As with all Mount Mary wines they're made to be enjoyed around a dinner table with great food and good company. The RP2 can be enjoyed on release, not demanding time in the cellar, but will always benefit from a short time in the decanter before serving.

RRP $55 | Drink to 2030 | marlirussell.com.au | mountmary.com.au

2022 Nuova Scuola Field Blend Series La Maria

Winemakers Sarah Boyce and Stefano Radici say: Our La Maria is a stunning blend of two iconic Portuguese varieties. Fernão pires (also known as Maria Gomes in Portugal) makes up 80 per cent of the blend is an aromatic varietal with exotic fruit and spice notes. The characteristics from the fernão pires have combined perfectly with the citrus and tropical notes of the second variety – verdelho – which is around 20 per cent of the blend.

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
SB & SR. The fernão pires was hand picked, and to extract the most flavour possible from the grapes, the skins were left macerating for a few hours before gentle pressing in a vertical basket press. The fermentation was carried out at very low temperatures on light solids. We then blended with the verdelho portion just before bottling.

Best enjoyed: I would suggest barramundi – not oily but bolder flavours – but it's also excellent with game birds and strong cheeses such as blue or washed rinds.

RRP $23 | Drink to 2024 | nuovascuola.com.au

2022 Varney Wines Mencia

Winemaker Alan Varney says: This medium-bodied red has a delightful perfume. It's savoury, with plenty of wild red berry characters and spice. Our mencía is made to be very approachable in its youth with restrained tannin and balanced red fruit characters. Enjoy on release, but it will also continue to develop over the next three to five years. 100 per cent mencía. 

H. How do you approach the winemaking process for this wine?
AV. The 2022 was picked early and fermented cool. There was some whole bunch carbonic maceration, before spending 24 days on skins, we then pressed to seasoned French barriques for a short six week maturation, followed by blending and bottling.

Best enjoyed: This unique varietal pairs well with juicy cuts of lamb or the gamey flavours of roo. With its savoury palate, this is a very food friendly wine; but of course mencía can always be enjoyed on its own – even slightly chilled on a warm day.

RRP $36 | Drink to 2028 | varneywines.com.au