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Wines from Down Under
rank high in value, taste

Australian wines are definitely still a hot and HUGE (figuratively and literally) segment of the wine industry. The Australians are not only producing terrific wines at small cost, but they're doing so in other price ranges as well.

And it's not just shiraz any more. Many tasty Australians whites go great with Hawaii Regional Cuisine, and other reds such as cabernet and grenache will satisfy both sophisticate and neophyte.

With the euro in a highly elevated state, it's more than a smart thing to take a look Down Under for valuable and under-valued options. These sent my palate into a tizzy:

Chardonnay from Australia has a bad reputation of being over-oaked, buttery and flabby. OK, maybe some people like that style, but other, more elegant expressions of chardonnay go better with food -- thank God!

How about a chardonnay with no oak at all? Yup, that's zero wood and no cork -- it has a stelvin (screw cap) closure. The 2004 Flinder's Bay Un-Oaked Chardonnay ($13) is a really fun, exuberant wine that bursts with tropical fruit and flowery scents. It is far from the chablis-like mineral, stony expression that some may envision. It has good, but not overpowering, richness and a long, balanced aftertaste that pairs superbly with scallop linguine, steamed fish and even quiche.

This wine is an example of Australia's winemaking personality -- unfettered by tradition, with a willingness to experiment. The wine is so easy to drink that before you know it, you'll be finished with the bottle and reaching for a second.

Australia has made a splash with grenache, a varietal famous for making Chateauneuf du Pape, from France's Southern Rhone. But Australia is home to many of the planet's most ancient grenache vines.

The 2002 Betts & Scholl Grenache ($22) from the Barossa Valley is one wine produced from those old vines (average age is 70 years, but some are almost centurions) that won't set you back a hundred years in the pocketbook.

This wine is made under the watchful eye of master sommelier Richard Betts with the help of winemaker Chris Ringland. It is not the jammy super-monster that one often expects from Australia, but is better balanced and better with food. It has a pretty, flowery, strawberry-cranberry character, with a note of herbs and spicy complexity. It exudes class and pedigree, with the old-vine intensity coming through on the fruit and finish.

I can imagine a meal of pepper steak, braised short ribs and even a hardy fried rice with lupcheong and char siu marrying well with this wine's lip-smacking flavors. The 2001 version sold out in less than a week, so don't miss out on the 2002, a better vintage.

I would be remiss to leave out Australia's greatest red -- shiraz. Many are stellar, but the one that blew me away was the 2003 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz ($42). Considering the quality, the price is well-deserved.

It is monumental in every way. It has a Hummer of a scent -- blackberries, sweet spices, currants, plum and vanilla. It gushes with polished black fruits and gobs of intensity. For all its muscular structure and power, the wine maintains a very regal manner -- harmonious, with nothing distorted or gaudy.

What better than a perfectly done T-bone or rack of lamb to pair? It will be hard to find, but worth the hunt. Gorgeous!

Yes, these wines are hedonistic, begging to be enjoyed and admired. They may not be as posh as their European counterparts -- they're not made to be -- but they can be every bit as enjoyable. Why not give in to some hedonism in a bottle? Just make sure to put another shrimp or steak on the barbee!

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