WanderCurtis Wine

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Category Archives: wine of the month


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Weingut Renner ‘New Generation’ wines.

Two wines this month!

Renner ‘Thirsch’ Muscaris 2020. Südsteiermark, Austria

Highly aromatic with an expressive bouquet of floral notes—honeysuckle, orange blossom—alongside dried orange peel, grapefruit pith, ripe peach, nectarine, and melon. There’s a subtle herbal edge and a muscat-like character with a touch of gamey complexity.

Dry, with medium-plus acidity, medium alcohol, and a medium-plus body. The texture is creamy with a slight tang from skin contact, plus a hint of tannin. On the palate, it delivers slightly fresher fruit tones mingled with dried citrus peel and a nutty nuance. Long, lingering finish.

A really complex and intriguing wine.

Thirsch Souvignier Gris & Pinot Blanc Blend 2021. Südsteiermark, Austria

Slightly cloudy in the glass. Aromas of apple, pear, bruised apple, banana, marzipan, nuts, and a touch of smokiness and yeast.

The palate shows more fruit intensity, with a dry profile, medium-plus acidity, medium alcohol, and a full body. Textural and grippy with a bold mouthfeel. Finishes long, leaving notes of apricot, marzipan, and nuts.

Ric and intense both of these wines are great food wines with the body and texture to cope well with richer dishes whilst still providing plenty of freshness and lift.  


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Bleasdale Sparkling Shiraz NV. Langhorne Creek, South Australia

Here’s something deliciously unusual: Bleasdale Sparkling Shiraz NV, a wine that manages to be both full-bodied and fizzy, rich yet refreshing, and festive without losing its serious side. If you’ve never tried sparkling red, this South Australian classic is the place to start. It’s as bold and characterful and a lot of fun.

In the glass, it pours a deep ruby, almost inky, with a lively mousse that hints at its playful side. But don’t be fooled, it’s anything but simple. The nose is pronounced and opulent, brimming with dark, ripe fruit: blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry alongside juicy red notes of strawberry, cranberry, and cherry pie. Add in a bouquet of violet and rose petals, and it’s like being handed a bouquet with a side of spiced compote.

There’s more though, this wine is layered. Behind the fruit, there’s a whisper of eucalyptus (classic Aussie Shiraz), black pepper and liquorice spice, and a deeper backdrop of clove, toasted oak and a cedar box of old cigars. It finishes with hints of dried prunes, tobacco and a dusty earthiness that give it a lovely rustic edge. It’s rich, warming, and more complex than you might expect from a sparkling wine.

On the palate, it’s medium-dry, sweet, but not dessert-wine sweet. There’s enough acidity to keep it lifted, a full body that wraps around your palate like a velvet curtain, and ripe, soft tannins that give it structure without harshness. The fizz is creamy and well-integrated, giving everything a playful pop without overwhelming the depth.

It’s a very good wine, full of clearly defined, expressive flavours and balanced beautifully between fruit, spice, sweetness and structure. The finish lingers nicely with a touch of cocoa, spice and cherry jam, though it stops just short of the length you’d expect in truly outstanding wines. Still, it more than earns its stripes.

This is not a wine to tuck away for years, its charm lies in the freshness of its fruit, the vibrancy of its bubbles and the immediate pleasure it delivers in the glass. Leave it too long and that beautiful fruit and floral lift will begin to fade.

Nice slightly chilled.


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Massolino Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2021

Here’s a little bottle of joy that’s as far from serious, brooding reds or oaky whites as you can get, Massolino’s Moscato d’Asti 2021 is the wine equivalent of springtime in a glass. Hailing from the hills of Roero in Piemonte, this lightly sparkling, low-alcohol sweet wine is as fragrant and playful as a picnic in a wildflower meadow.

Pale lemon in the glass, it’s all about the aromatics from the moment you pop the cork. The nose bursts with an enchanting mix of orange blossom, rose petals, elderflower and honeysuckle. Beneath the florals, there’s ripe green apple, fresh grape, and juicy pear, all lifted by a zesty flash of pink grapefruit and rounded out by more exotic notes of lychee, peach and honeydew melon. It’s pronounced, perfumed, and completely irresistible.

On the palate, the gentle fizz gives it a creamy mousse that tickles rather than fizzes aggressively. It’s sweet, yes, but the sweetness is beautifully balanced by a wash of fresh acidity that keeps things lively rather than cloying. That aromatic fruit carries through with clarity, grapey, floral, and mouthfilling, with just enough citrus to keep it fresh. At only 5% alcohol, it’s feather-light in every way except flavour.

The finish is medium-plus, pleasant and fruity, though it doesn’t linger for ages. That said, this isn’t a wine made for deep contemplation or cellaring. It’s made to be drunk now, in its youth, when its delicate floral and fruity charm is at its most expressive.

Ever underestimated Moscato? This bottle might just change your mind.


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Vassaltis Vineyards Plethora 2020

An old favourite tasted at Flint Wines annual tasting.

The outstanding Plethora from Vassaltis is a truly remarkable wine. It is made from late harvest Assyrtiko and spends 6 months on lees then 8 months in 60 year old vinsanto barrels then 2 years in bottle before release. A gap is left on top and sometimes flor grows.  So there really is a lot of wine making influence in this complex drop.

Nose is reminiscent of a vinsanto: roasted nuts, smoke, hint of caramel, touch of balsamic. Very complex, a hint of Christmas spice.

The mouth feel is rich and textured with flavours of cake spices, orange peel and a characteristic sea salt and wet stone tang. Very, very long. An outstanding wine, extraordinary.

For my full tasting notes of the Vassaltis range see Adam’s article on the winery.


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Quartet Anderson Valley Brut, Roederer Estate

When a California sparkler comes from the same hands behind Champagne Louis Roederer, expectations are high, and Quartet Anderson Valley Brut doesn’t disappoint. This is cool-climate Californian fizz at its finest: elegant, precise, and quietly complex, like Champagne with a west coast accent.

In the glass, it’s pale lemon, classic and inviting, but it’s the nose that really pulls you in. Bright green apple and ripe pear jump out first, quickly followed by zesty lemon and grapefruit. Then comes a lovely touch of soft white peach, a nod to its Californian ripeness. But it’s not just about fruit. Dig a little deeper and there’s a whiff of croissant, creamy butter and toasted brioche—like walking past a bakery at breakfast. A gentle hint of toasted almonds adds a final, subtle layer of richness.

On the palate, it’s crisp and lively with properly high acidity, but balanced beautifully by the ripeness of the fruit and a touch of residual sugar that rounds things out. It’s officially off-dry, but only just—you’d barely notice with the freshness driving the profile. That fresh orchard fruit carries through on the palate, joined by lemon curd, baked peach, a swirl of butterscotch, and a finish that leaves behind a memory of honey-drizzled pastry. The mousse is creamy and fine—no aggressive bubbles here—just a soft, persistent fizz that lifts everything effortlessly.

There’s complexity here for sure: bright, ripe fruit layered with subtle toasty and nutty notes that suggest a bit of bottle age and careful winemaking. It’s not just fresh and fun—there’s something quietly sophisticated about it.

While it’s drinking beautifully now it’s got the stuffing to evolve. The acidity and ripe fruit give it the structure to age gracefully over the next few years, developing more honeyed and nutty depth.

In short, this is a Californian fizz that seriously overdelivers and gives Champagne a run for its money.


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Ebener Ebenauer Poysdorf Hermanschachern Grüner Veltliner 2021.

Ebner-Ebenauer make small amounts of biodynamic and organic wines from largely old vines in the north east of the Weinviertel region near Poysdorf.  The charismatic Marion and her husband Manfred are making waves with their very late disgorged Blanc de Blancs and Noirs but it is their range of single vineyard Grüner Veltliners expressive the varied soils and aspects that we are focusing on there.

Ebner-Ebenauer Poysdorf Grüner Veltliner 2021. A blend from across their vineyards, spicy, with wet stone a touch of white pepper and crunchy orchard fruit. Refreshingly moreish, light but managing to sustain ones interest. Great value.

Ebner-Ebenauer Poysdorf Hermanschachern Grüner Veltliner 2021. From a single vineyard with limestone and fossil soils and 30 year + vines. Citrus, fresh pear and apple a touch of white peach, white pepper, herbs and wet stones.  Mid weight with great focus and freshness this lasts long on the palate. Drinking now but will evolve over the years. My favourite and the pick for wine of the month.

Ebner-Ebenauer Poysdorf Bürsting Grüner Veltliner 2021. From a single vineyard of 50 year old vines, rich, spicy, juicy and complex, concentrated and full bodied. Decant or cellar for up to 10 years.

The 2021 vintage, by the way, across Austria really has a superb balance of fruit and freshness.


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Reyneke Biodynamic Reserve White 2020

Our recent offer to followers of the wines of Reyneke in South Africa has delivered an obvious wine of the month.

This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The reserve is made from selected pockets of grapes within the vineyard which have their own character. It gets 24 hours on the skins and the new oak barriques. More stone fruit on the nose also a bit of hay and a subtle touch of vanilla. Lovely textured mouth feel, more peach and bit of toast, rich but balanced, great length.

Wild fermented in oak barrels with minimal intervention, this is not your identikit new world Sauvignons and much more interesting and complex for it . Hay, a touch of gooseberry, a whiff of custard, lovely balance and freshness white peach, pineapple, creamy and a touch of toast. Complex and long. I think these are fantastic value wines.


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Inocente Fino Sherry, Jerez-de-la-Frontera NV, Valdespino

This pale gold sherry is made from a single vineyard and has been aged a solera system of 10 criaderas or layers of barrel. This means that the youngest element of the wine is at least 10 years old.

It has a pronounced nose with blossom, bruised apple indicating light oxidation, ripe peach and melon. Characteristic aromas of wet bread dough, rancid apple and olive brine speak of the wine’s maturation under flor yeast and the notes of almond and mushroom testify to its maturity.  

On the palate it is bone dry, the flor notes balance moderate acidity and although 15% the alcohol is low for a sherry and body medium. The saline finish lingers long and cries out for tapas!   

This is an outstanding wine at perfect point of development on release and although stable should not be cellared for any significant period.

WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting style:

Palate:

  • Dry
  • Medium acidity
  • Low  alcohol (15% – no evaporation)
  • Medium body
  • Pronounced flavour intensity.
  • Flavour characteristics: Bruised ripe apple, peach, melon, wet bread dough, acetaldehyde, rancid apple, olive brine. Almonds, mushroom
  • Long finish.

Quality: Balance  – 1, Length – 1  Intensity – 1 , Complexity – 1  = 4.0 The wine is outstanding.


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Warre’s Vintage Port 1980

Now deep garnet with the sort of dignified, autumnal hue that only time can bestow, this vintage Port is a glorious study in how wine ages gracefully. The nose is super expressive,  a heady mix of violet and rose that gives way to layers of bramble fruit, black plum and that unmistakable Port signature of stewed, baked cherries. But it’s in the tertiary notes that the magic lies: think old leather armchairs, damp earth, roasted walnuts, black tea, tobacco leaf, even a faint whiff of game and mushroom.

On the palate, it’s everything you’d want from a mature vintage Port. Silky, mouth-coating tannins, a warm embrace of alcohol, and a tension between sweetness and acidity that keeps everything in perfect balance. The fruit is still very much alive, but now draped in dried fig, prune and savoury undertones that unfold in waves. The finish? Long, layered, and deeply satisfying.

This is  top class wine not in the shouty, blockbuster sense, but in the way that the best old Ports are: poised, deeply flavoured, and full of quiet confidence. It’s drinking beautifully now, but there’s still more to come for those patient enough to wait. There’s enough structure and fruit to see it evolve even further, inching ever closer to those haunting, nutty, leathery highs that only the best aged Ports achieve.


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Ried Kelleberg Riesling Smaragd. Weingut Knoll 2011 

Golden colour & clear and bright.

On the nose waxy honeycomb, pear, apricot jam, tangerine rind, perhaps a hint of white flowers. 

A wine with bit of age on show. 

In the mouth, medium plus to full body, acidity courses down the centre of the tongue and builds as you taste the wine. Rich but remaining fresh. There is a nice semi viscous mouth feel. 

Finishes on a mineral note with a slightly bitter (phenolic) touch, and the finish is long and lingering. 

Well balanced, lovely an outstanding wine.  Developed but will continue to age well.