By Fergal Gleeson

Everybody has their price! Wine marketers refer to it as your “price point”. That is the amount of money that you are prepared to spend on a bottle of wine before you get the guilts.

Commercially minded wine makers attempt to make the best wines they can to particular price points to meet consumer expectations.

What is the price of a decent bottle of wine? There are people who don’t want to spend more than $8 on a bottle of wine. If you are reading a wine article like this and spending your holiday in Margaret River, you are probably not one of them.

There are super premium wines for those that want the very best. Margaret River now has about 20 wines, (Cabernets, Cabernet blends and Chardonnays), that sell for over $100 a bottle and can compete with the best of Bordeaux, Burgundy or Napa.

They are the best of breed, they are age worthy, they are Australian icons but they are beyond the reach of many.

The $25 per bottle price point is a happy hunting ground for wine buyers focussed on value. You can find great tasting wines of quality and interest that will stick in your memory.

Their quality is much higher than from cheap mass market commercial wines. They are good enough to stop conversations to say “Mmm that’s nice”! Margaret River makes many of these wines.

Arimia Verdelho 2016

Verdelho is unfashionable amongst wine critics but is loved by many wined drinkers. Why so? It’s soft and approachable and many novice drinkers would favour it over Chardonnay.

The back story… it’s of Portuguese origin and most Australian plantings are in the Hunter Valley and Margaret River. Arimia Verdelho is an excellent example – it’s crisp and dry with subtle tropical hints. If you like Sauvignon, Verdelho will be for you. I call it an unsung hero.

RRP $25                http://www.arimia.com.au

Aravina Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2017

Aravina Estate’s wines have been on a sharp upwards arc since the arrival of Ryan Aggiss as wine maker, with a 5 star Halliday rating and high points across the range. The A Series SBS is 70% Sauvignon and 30% Semillon and gets everything right.

It has a crisp refreshing acid and a rounded mouth filling palate to create a dry and refined white. Margaret River have cornered the market with this white blend. Here’s why.

RRP $25                http://www.aravinaestate.com

Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2017

Cape Mentelle are one of the region’s pioneers and their SBS blend is one of the best known examples. The nose is highly tropical. So far so normal .. then the departure.. the taste is bone dry with an impressive intensity and a long finish which makes a mockery of the low price.

Part of an impressive stable of new releases from their free spirited French wine maker Frederique Perrin.

Cellar Door $25  www.capementelle.com.au

 

Howard Park Miamup Rosé 2017

Howard Park have an extensive range of wines from icon wines like the Abercrombie Cabernet to the entry level Madfish, which often delivers great value. The Miamup range sits in the middle and this Rosé is a delight. It’s pale in colour and made from free run juices given minimal skin contact.

This Rosé is a blend of 55% Shiraz and 45% Pinot Noir from the cool Karridale sub region of Margaret River. Creamy and smooth it has a gentle acid kick on the finish. Just the ticket with lunch or on a warm evening.

C.$25                     http://www.burchfamilywines.com.au

This feature originally appeared in the summer issue of Your Margaret River Region Magazine