La Vielle Ferme 2009 Côtes du Ventoux Rosé
From the prestigious Perrin family at Chateau de Beaucastel in France’s Rhône Valley comes this fab little rosé, perfect for spring Sunday lunches… A lovely vibrant pink, nose of strawberries & cherries, and juicy fruit on the palate balanced by good acidity and a little fruit tannin: finishing dry. Alcohol not super-evident like a lot of rosés available here (13.5% labelled) and my guess is that it’s predominantly grenache, so quite gluggable! Around $13 at Dan Murphy’s
Pikes ‘The Red Mullet’ 2008 Clare Valley Shiraz Tempranillo Grenache Mourvedre
A cheeky blend from the wonderful Neil Pike, perfect for a Saturday night infront of the AFL on telly… ripe black & red berries framed by soft acidity, lovely finish without too much cerebral exertion…! About $13 as well, Dan’s
Chapoutier 2008 Coteaux-du-Tricastin
This has always been a great bargain, again predominantly grenache but red this time, and quite different from Aussie grenache in that the wine has elegant fruit weight and classic Rhône cedar characters – and is better suited to drinking with food than not. Chapoutier is another of the great names of the Rhône and has many levels of wine expense; this bottom-level is certainly worth checking out if you’re on a budget too… again, between $12-13 at Dan’s & VC
The Bondi Cook 
nice one mellie … xxx