Foreign yet frugal

Take pity on Australian wine importers who are being nailed by a lousy Aussie dollar and check out something from over the waters for the same price as your average Aussie drop. Up until recently, most of the cheaper international offerings in Australia tend to be mouth-wrenching yuck-fests, but some astute importers are sifting through mass-produced muck for our benefit.

From Chile the cheekily named Cono Sur wines (around $12) have been popping up at boutique wine stores and the odd restaurant (they serve it at Café Lounge). Meanwhile over in Argentina the modern styled Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec 2007 (around $18) is a ripper of a wine – black plum and cocoa flavours abound. Also from Argentina, the Michel Torino Don David Torrontes 2007 (around $20) is a hand-harvested, wholly Argentinean white wine grape that shows super fresh stone fruits and hints of minerality. 

Spain, Italy and France all have wines that satisfy at lower price points. Spain's savoury reds are often punching above their weight; I like the La Purisma Estio Monastrell Blend 2007 ($19) as it's reminiscent of an Australian GSM (grenache, shiraz and mourvedre) blend with an added twist of fig-and-date funk. France turns out great sparkling wine from the Loire Valley, made in a similar style to the big boys in Champagne, but at a fraction of the price. Monmousseau Brut Etoile NV (around $17) is a taut, sparkling wine that tastes like crunchy green apple juice with hints of grapefruit. Super-fresh! Chianti in raffia-based bottles were all the rage in the 80s for red-and-white-check-tablecloth-pasta-joint-dining, but the affordable imports have taken a step up these days. Farnese Sangiovese 2005 (around $17) is a modern incarnation of Chianti, and has red berry fruits, cola notes and a peppery, savoury finish - just the thing to throw down with a pizza. Looking for an alternative to NZ sauvignon blanc? The Tenuta St Antonio Soave 2006 (around $14), although made from the Italian grape garganega, is a fresh, fruit-driven style with lovely white pear and white peach characters that will trump NZ Sauv Blanc at the same price point.

Here are a few others worth checking out:

Cusumano Nero d'Avola IGT 2006 (Italy) $10 Soft, Italian red with wild berries, bracken and raspberry freshness. From Kemeny's. 
Santa Carolina Reserva Syrah 2005 (Chile) $12 Blackcurrant, vanilla pod and dried fruits show through in this easy going red quaffer (around $12). From Kemeny's. 
Brunel Grenache Vin du Pays du Vaucluse 2006 (France) $12.50 Fragrant strawberries and hints of mulberry, show sweet in this fleshy, juicy red wine. From Ultimo Wine Centre.
Umani Ronchi Villa Bianchi Verdicchio 2007 (Italy) $15 Green melon, nashi pear and a slippery texture dappled with spice. Simple, clean and fresh Italian white. FromBest Cellars.
Valdievieso Chardonnay 2005 (Chile) $12 Grapefruit and lemon rind, with hints of apricot nectar making love to some crisp, pineapple concentrate. This sure is a zingy white. From Wine Empire.

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