2021 is almost at an end, so as I always do I’m reflecting on the great wines I’ve enjoyed throughout the year. There have been plenty of incredible wines, too many to put into one list. But I always do a round-up of my personal favourites, and this year is no different. So here it is The Cheeky Vino top wines of 2021.
2021 was a year of seriously amazing wine. I feel like each year of The Cheeky Vino gets better and better as I discover new wines and wineries that I love! This year I focused on wines that really surprised and delighted me. The wines that may not get 100 points from James Halliday, but were ones that I still think about or have gone back to again and again. (There are also bonus points for those wines that my husband remembers to this day because he has a terrible memory)
It was so hard to make this list – seriously I deliberated on it for over a month. So I hope you get some value out of it and find some favourites in there too!
So without further ado, let’s get stuck into the Cheeky Vino top wines of 2021!
Top budget buy for 2021: Kurtz Family Seven Sleepers
The Kurtz Family Seven Sleepers The Blend is a perfect food wine, and at $18 a bottle, you don’t need to think twice about cracking it open with anything from pizza to bringing it along to a BBQ. It was a wine that really knocked our socks off and that my partner still raves about. If that isn’t a good review I don’t know what is!
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Malbec all brought together into a taste sensation. It’s from 2017 so already has a couple of years on it making it perfect for enjoying now, or ageing for a bit if you can wait. My advice? Crack it open and enjoy!
The wine is bright red in the glass and has a really fruit-driven nose – think blackcurrant, plum and blueberry. There was also a hint of chocolate and florals. On the palate, I loved how juicy and rich this wine was. It had lots of fruit at the front-driven by plum, yet a smooth chocolatey finish and a great texture from just the right amount of tannin. I loved how much this wine lingered long after you took a sip – it was so satisfyingly rich.
Read my review here.
Top splurge wine for 2021: Hutton Vale Farm Grenache Mataro 2017
I love a good Grenache blend and this wine really blew me away, as did the range from Hutton Vale Farm. This wine was so delicious I almost didn’t want to share it!
Hutton Vale Farm is in the Barossa Valley and is owned by the Angas family. They are renowned for their fine wine, quality wool, free-range natural pasture lamb and hand-made artisan produce. They are dedicated to the land on which they live and committed to enhancing the natural, cultural and community landscape.
I absolutely adored this wine. It was something special that made me really wish I had another bottle to enjoy. On the nose, it is ripe with red fruit flavours of plum and strawberry. But in the palate was where this wine really shined. It is quite a heavy wine at over 14% ABV, but it doesn’t drink like this. The palate is almost medium-bodied with a beautifully soft and smooth feel to it. The wine is quite elegant with a nice structure and fine tannins softening the finish, along with savoury notes to balance out that fruit.
Read my review here.
Top Red wine for 2021: Richard Hamilton Old Vine Grenache 2020
I love a good Grenache, and so when I was sent some wines from Richard Hamilton Wines to try, I was beyond excited to try their Old Vine Grenache. And I have to tell you, this is a special one. My husband’s dad loves McLaren Vale Grenache and so I shared this bottle with him. He is very into his wine and really enjoyed this one. So if that isn’t a glowing recommendation I don’t know what is! Other than mine of course.
Richard Hamilton Wines has a proud tradition in winemaking dating back to the establishment of South Australia’s first vineyard and winery in 1837. The owners Richard and Jette Hamilton are proud of this tradition and passionate about working with their winemaking team to continue producing premium quality wines.
The Richard Hamilton Old Vine Grenache 2020 is a seriously delicious wine that unpacks more and more with each sip. It’s seriously fragrant with fruit dominance on the nose. I got a big hit of cherry and a hint of subtle oak. On the palate was where this wine really shined, however. It is fruit-forward with raspberry and plum but this was balanced by a luscious palate texture and a hint of spice. This wine was beautifully textured with enough tannin to carry it through and a good length. It was the kind of wine I kept going back to and really wished I had another glass of.
Read my review here.
Top Red wine honourable mention: Roenfeldt Hill Wines ZSGM 2017
I first tried Zinfandel when I went to America and I fell in love. Something about this grape has always held a place in my mind. But it is quite hard to find in Australia! So when I was sent some wines from Roenfeldt Hill Wines to try, I couldn’t wait to give their Zinfandel blends a go!
I hadn’t heard of Roenfeldt Hill Wines before so I was very excited to try their wines. The Roennfeldts, (later simplified by some of the family to Roenfeldt) are sixth-generation descendants of Christian Heinrich and Louisa Catharina Roennfeldt, who migrated to South Australia from Cropelin, Germany, in 1849. Since then, they have their own 16 years established vineyard, and also source grapes from the old family vineyard.
I absolutely loved the Roenfeldt Hill Wines ZSGM 2017. An ode to their first tractor a Zetor 35-45, this wine has been basket-pressed before being placed in French and American Oak for 32 months. This wine is a heavy hitter at 15.8% but it drunk surprisingly smooth. I loved how spicy, complex and flavoursome this wine was. Flavours of blackcurrant, cherry and spice came together for a taste sensation that was surprisingly balanced. I couldn’t believe how well the flavours worked together in this unique blend. It was bold yet not too tannic, soft yet had enough acidity to balance it out. The finish was also nice and long which made it delectable to sip on and enjoy!
Read my review here.
Top White wine for 2021: Vinomofo Mimi Flamingo Chardonnay 2017
For the top white of 2021, it had to go to the Chardonnay that even my partner could enjoy despite loving his oaked Charodnnay. This wine is beautifully balanced and perfect for lovers of oaked and unoaked alike.
The Vinomofo Mimi Flamingo Chardonnay 2017 was made in collaboration with Oakridge wines, one of our favourite wineries in the Yarra Valley. We actually went there for lunch just after we got engaged! They really know how to make a Chardonnay, and this one shows why they were at the top of Vinomofo‘s list for collaborating on this wine.
This wine was made from a selection of single vineyards in a cracking year. It included Willowlake (one of the oldest in the Upper Yarra) and Henk (one of the newest and most exciting vineyards for Oakridge). As this wine already has a couple of years on it, it is entering its peak drinking window. So you don’t have to think twice about enjoying it!
What I love about the Vinomofo Mimi Flamingo Chardonnay 2017 is how balanced it is. It has bright and perky flavours with a lifted palate of apple and peach. This is balanced by the flavours of French Oak treatment, giving it creaminess and nutty flavours of hazelnut. I loved how complex this wine is. Each sip had me unpacking more and more, and loving it more and more. The wine is medium-bodied and rounded with elegance yet crisp freshness. Really it delivers it all!
Read my review here.
Top White wine honourable mention: Small Victories Pinot Gris 2021
Small Victories is about producing fun yet seriously delicious wines all hand-crafted by sisters-in-law Jules and Bec Ashmead. They work with grape growers across South Australia to select fruits to produce wines that are simply delicious and that are fun, fresh and modern. They are made for enjoying now and perfect for enjoying with friends. They also give back to the community with 50% of tasting fees at the Cellar Door donated to charity, and every wine purchase donating a portion of each bottle sold to Variety – the Children’s Charity and Trees for Life.
The Small Victories Pinot Gris 2021 is simply delightful to drink and the kind of wine you could happily enjoy without having to think too much about it. It is just tasty! The wine is nice and fresh with zesty notes and a vibrant palate, but a nice textural finish. I got notes of peach and custard apple along with a lovely floral aroma.
What I loved so much about this wine was the weight of it. It is a fresh and vibrant wine but it has just enough weight in the palate to give it a beautiful balance. The textural and dry finish lingers and really rounds out this taste sensation. For such an affordable wine I can seriously see myself enjoying this all spring and summer long!
Read my review here.
Top Rosé wine for 2021: Cloak and Dagger Rosé 2021
Cloak and Dagger is one of the projects of Wine Unplugged which was started by Nina Stocker and Callie Jemmeson. Winemakers, mums, foodies and friends, Wine Unplugged is a creative outlet and small unconventional wine business.
After years of travelling the world making wine, Nina and Callie wanted to create a business that meant they could do what they love whilst having a family. They believe that winemaking doesn’t have to have barriers but does need quality, focus and destination.
The Cloak and Dagger Rosé 2021 is the perfect wine for summer sipping that has a place at the dinner table as much as an afternoon wine down. It is refreshing and vibrant and packed full of flavour. For this price, I was impressed by how much complexity there was to unpack, yet the wine remains totally refreshing and easy-drinking.
In the glass, it has an eye-catching bright pink colour and aromas of strawberry and raspberries. This pulls through into the palate which has a delicious savoury note along with fleshy peach. The palate is finished with crisp acidity making this wine oh so refreshing. It has enough oomph to balance out sweetness, and enough sweetness and acidity to make it seriously refreshing. I loved this savoury and dry style of wine that made it nice and moreish.
Read my review here.
Top Rosé wine honourable mention: The Hidden Sea Rosé
The Hidden Sea is an incredible wine company that has a mission to clean up the equivalent of 1 billion plastic bottles from our oceans. They do this by partnering with ReSea. Every single bottle of wine purchased cleans up the equivalent of 10 plastic bottles from the world’s oceans. Imagine how many bottles us wine drinkers could clean up by drinking wine?
I absolutely love the Hidden Sea’s mission, but their wines are also just plain delicious. Apart from the striking labels, these wines are super approachable, easy-drinking and plain delicious. They are the sort of wines you don’t need to think twice about cracking open, and are a perfect one for opening with friends.
The Hidden Sea Rosé is a luscious wine with vibrant flavours and a nice crisp finish. Aroma wise it was full of strawberries and cream which was mirrored in the palate. This was paired with a nice hint of spice to balance out the fruit. The wine had a good balance of acidity and the strawberry flavours really lengthened in the finish. The wine finishes fruity but with balanced acidity to make it oh so refreshing.
Read my review here.
Top Sparkling wine for 2021: Clover Hill Cuvée Exceptionnelle Blanc de Blancs 2014
Clover Hills Wines was established in a former dairy farm in north-east Tasmania in 1986. The Goelet family were on the hunt for a site where they could produce world-class sparkling wine to rival the Champagne region. The site they chose was the perfect location for producing Méthode Traditionnelle sparkling wine.
The Clover Hill Cuvée Exceptionnelle Blanc de Blancs 2014 is a seriously beautiful wine both in appearance and flavour. It has a lovely golden colour in the glass with beautiful fine and persistent bubbles. I was mesmerised by what was going on in my glass so much I almost didn’t want to take a sip!
In terms of aromas, I got a lovely toastiness of hazelnuts, brioche and honey which you find in wines made using the traditional method. The palate itself was creamy and textured, and had some lovely flavours of citrus and lemon curd. I loved these bright notes at the end of the sip to really balance out the creaminess in the wine. It meant the wine was all too easy to sip, meaning the bottle got polished far quicker than I would have liked! Be warned: this wine is seriously delicious and you may not want to share!
Read my review here.
Top Sparkling wine honourable mention: Save Our Souls Bubbles & Co BC3
I am a big fan of Save Our Souls (we served their wines at our wedding) and their Sparkling Wine blew me away. It is made using Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from the Yarra Valley, and Vermentino from Merbein. If you haven’t heard of it, Merbein is a small town near Mildura in Victoria. I was excited to try something different from the classic Champagne grapes. My gosh did this wine deliver.
The Save Our Souls Bubbles & Co BC3 used a combination of tank and barrel-fermented wine from 2017 and a dash of 2016 for complexity. I loved how many flavours I got from this Sparkling Wine. Each sip unpacked something different. My only negative comment was that I ran out too quickly! It was almost too good to share with friends. But I’m glad I did because it is the perfect wine for enjoying with the people you love. And I mean love, don’t share this one with just anyone!
The wine itself is riched and textured with beautiful toasty notes along with fresh fruit and crisp acidity. Apple and pear along with toasty croissant. This paired with a dash of honey came through in the palate, and it was a delight to sip. I loved how balanced this wine was from start to finish, offering complexity you don’t normally see in the $27 bottle.
Read my review here.
In summary: The Cheeky Vino top wines of 2021
It was hard to write this list because honestly there have been so many incredible wines I’ve had the privilege of tasting this year. I don’t think I’ve really had anything I haven’t enjoyed, and that’s a testament to our incredible Australian wine industry. Despite the hardships of this year, they continue to produce amazing wines that always knock my socks off! There are so many wines that I wanted to put on the list so if you want more inspiration, head back through the archives to see them all.