On The Grapevine

with David Ellis

Chardonnay and baked scallops

Don't think twice about the price - this is a great-value special-occasion wine.

Don't think twice about the asking price for Stonehaven's 2000 Limited Vineyard Release Chardonnay - this is a crackerjack blend that's worth every cent of the $25-$28 price tag, and deservedly is the company's flagship Chardonnay.

Ninety per cent of the blend came from Padthaway, which is synonymous with classic Chardonnays, and the other 10 per cent from the Yarra Valley that's been perfecting the art of grape growing and winemaking since the early 1840s.

The combination of these two areas and the skills of winemaker Susanne Bell have resulted in a wine that's soft with a creamy texture and cashew nut flavours, with hints of malt and butterscotch.

Match it with something a little different like baked scallops and leeks for a special occasion.

If you're more into $10 Chardonnays, don't look past the 2004 Stepping Stone label. This wine has loads of lemon/lime and tropical fruit flavours and sits easily in the 'fresh and lively' category - little wonder it got Best Value Chardonnay Trophy at the 2004 Sydney International Top 100 Wine Competition.

Put it on the table with fish and chips.

One for the cellar: Husband and wife winemaking team, Derek and Anna Hooper at Cape Jaffa Wines on South Australia's Limestone Coast, aren't exactly household names - yet. But expect to hear more of them in the future if their 2002 Shiraz is any guide: here's a wine that's dense with toasty oak and tannin flavours, and on the nose loads of 'smell me!' mulberry, blackberry, tobacco, coffee and blackpepper characters. Pay $24 - and force yourself to be patient till 2010.