Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2008

If you want to drink interesting wine pop into your local indie. Shouldn’t need saying but even I sometimes forget

I dropped by my local, Davis Bell McCraith in Clifton, Bristol to see what they were suggesting for Christmas and they said ‘try this’!

It’s a really luscious Barossa shiraz with its glorious ripe supple fruit still very much in evidence eight years after it was made. (Too often I think we drink Aussie reds too young.)

They’re selling it at the bargainous price of £14.99 as they snapped up the last bottles in the country (and only have about 180 left so it's a genuine bin end). The brand, which was established in 1859, is apparently no longer being exported to the UK by its owner Treasury which nevertheless describes it in these glowing terms:

"No history of the Barossa Valley or Australian wine industry is complete without the mention of Saltram …..This wine stands proudly today as the flagship Barossa Shiraz, highly awarded and respected amongst Australian wine lovers for being a classic statement of intensity and finesse."

If you love mature Aussie reds it’s a brilliant buy, not to mention the ideal wine to drink with The Bird. Even Morrisons is charging £20 for it!

Oh, and they do mail order too ....

Lethbridge Ménage a Noir Geelong Pinot Noir 2010

This week’s wine highlight was the Australia Day tasting which seems to get better every year. I could have picked out a whole load of interesting bottles but this came from the producer who made the biggest impact on me, Lethbridge of Geelong

Most stockists have it around £23 a bottle - £23.09 Noel Young Wines, £23.50 at Eton Vintners but I found it for £19.95 online at Quality Wines of Somerset and at allaboutwine.co.uk for £19.99. Still not exactly cheap but that’s true of almost all the better Aussie wines these days and there are plenty of pinots which would cost more and deliver much, much less.

It’s fine textured and silky with some lovely delicate red berry fruit (but by no means a fruit bomb) and with enough structure to support a good steak. Interestingly it turns out to be biodynamic as I often find the wines I most enjoy are these days (but not sulphur-free, I'm pretty sure).

If I’d been able to I might well have singled out the equally delicious Lethbridge chardonnay which doesn’t seem to be on sale in the UK yet but since winemaker (and former neuroscientist) Ray Nadeson was at the tasting in person hopefully there will be enough demand for it to make it available in the not-too-distant future.

There’s also an attractive, citrussy off-dry riesling too (Dr Nadeson riesling) of the style I’ve recommended with a Chinese New Year feast this weekend. If you live in Oz can buy it for around 30 AD (£16).