The best wines to drink this summer for $25 and under

The summer holiday season means plenty of social events, which also means you’ll probably be cracking a wine or two in celebration.

But you’re no longer limited to the big box stores (and their supermarket-attached underlings) when it comes to picking up the perfect bottle for your next occasion. In the past few years, Brisbane’s independent bottle shop scene has come on in leaps and bounds, peddling unique and often esoteric drops from both Australia and abroad.

And good wine needn’t be expensive. We asked a bunch of indie operators for their wallet-friendly picks for the summer. Here are some of the best wines you can buy in Brisbane for $25 or less.

Red

Oakridge Over the Shoulder Pinot Noir

Drink it: With Asian food and poultry
Region: Yarra Valley
Price: $22

Tony Harper oversees Craft Wine Stores in Coorparoo, Red Hill and Indooroopilly where there’s an emphasis on organic, biodynamic and natural wines.

He says there’s a good reason for the big move toward lighter, brighter, juicier reds in Queensland. “Because it’s so f---ing hot.

“Over the Shoulder’s got that lovely, velvety, pinot softness and is very adaptable. Stick it in the fridge for half-an-hour then drink it – because ‘room temperature’ in England might be 18 degrees, but here it’s 32.”

It’s the ideal wine to have with Peking duck – “anything bird, anything Asian”.

Blood Moon Wines Sang de Lune Grampians Shiraz

Drink it: With your leftover Christmas ham
Region: Grampians
Price: $25

This vegan-friendly organic wine is selected by Ian Trinkle, the award-winnng former head sommelier for Aria Brisbane and former group sommelier for Howard Smith Wharves. He’s also the co-founder of Wineism, a wine store-wine bar hybrid in Albion showcasing artisanal small producers.

“It’s really nice perfumed shiraz, it’s not overly rich, lighter, more floral, with some dark fruits and red fruits integrated in there – on the brighter side of shiraz,” Trinkle says.

He recommends serving it with a light chill (say 18-19 degrees): “It will bring out the brightness.”

Gigi Rosso Toscana

Drink it: On midweek pizza or pasta night
Region: Tuscany
Price: $22

“The term ‘pizza wine’ gets thrown around a lot, but this is my go-to for a Wednesday,” says Half Moon Wine Store’s Alex Farquhar. “It’s actually the perfect midweek table red.”

Half Moon (in South Brisbane and Wilston) focuses on organic, small, independent producers and sustainability – what co-owner Farquhar calls “that hands-off approach to winemaking”.

Gigi Rosso blends Tuscan sangiovese grapes with a splash of cabernet.

“It’s earthy, it’s savoury, but with some really lovely fruits, made with minimal intervention from the winemaker.”

White

Castelforte Soave

Drink it: With white-sauce pasta or fish
Region: Venice
Price: $23

Hannah Wagner’s Fortitude Valley wine bar and wine store, Dark Red, focuses on Italian wines and Australian-grown Italian varieties.

“Everyone always asks me why I love Italian wines,” she laughs. “And it’s because I can’t believe the quality for the price.

“This soave is one of my favourites, I’m just completely shocked by how cheap it is and how good it is. It has the kind of depth a chardonnay does, but it has a bit of body to it. It’s real green apple and peary and almondy, and super pleasant.”

Wickhams Road 2023 King Valley Pinot Gris

Drink it: While lounging around the backyard
Region: King Valley
Price: $25

You don’t necessarily need to pair this quaffer with food, says Wineism’s Ian Trinkle.

“Wickhams Road is the second label from the guys at Hoddles Creek Estate from the Yarra Valley, but this is made with King Valley fruit,” he says.

“It’s pinot gris, so it has a bit of softness to it, still has refreshing acidity, but not too tart − more kind of like soft green fruits, pear, a bit of citrus. A perfect, easy aperitif.”

Artigiano Grillo

Drink it: With seafood
Region: Sicily
Price: $22

Half Moon’s Alex Farquhar nominates this Sicilian white to go with any kind of fish. “There’s a lovely little touch of salinity in there that makes pairing it with seafood a bit of a dream,” he says.

Farquhar describes the grillo grape varietal as “a pinot grigio but a lot more interesting, with a lot more texture”.

He says the Artigiano is “dry, crisp, refreshing – you’re getting zesty citrus and some ripe tropical fruit, but with an addition of some mouth-filling rounded texture. Throw in some seafood and you’re absolutely sorted.”

Tar & Roses Pinot Grigio

Drink it: While sitting around the pool
Region: Heathcote
Price: $19

Tony Harper recommends this pinot grigio for pool times, or with seafood.

“Grigio can be really neutral and bland and not very interesting at all, or it can, with a bit of effort, be made into something a little bit extra,” Harper says.

“Tar & Roses has a perfume that’s almost Turkish delight, and it’s really crunchy on the palate. It’s held its price for almost a decade, so it’s really good value from an awesome producer.”

Orange

Somos Naranjito Verdelho

Drink it: By the barbecue
Region: McLaren Vale
Price: $25

Farquhar says this Naranjito Verdelho is on “the approachable side” for an orange wine.

“It’s quite clean, all the fruit’s been grown biodynamically, then fermented on skins. Some of it’s been on skins for about six months, and it leaves this really lovely savoury ginger flavour with stone fruits and tropical fruits.

“The citrus is bending towards the orange spectrum – oranges, mandarins and tangelos.”

When does he like to drink it? “Any hot day. Any day you just want to relax on the back porch next to the barbecue, this is a juicy banger that will hit the spot.”

Sparkling

Rossini Rosato

Drink it: With charcuterie
Region: Sicily
Price: $25

Hannah Wagner can’t stop singing the praises of this Sicilian sparkling Rosato.

“It’s kind of like strawberries and cream but really dry. I find this one is always a hit with the whole table. It makes my job very, very easy. It’s a bit of an anomaly the way everyone really likes it.”

Wagner recommends the wine with spicy food or a good charcuterie board. “I think of Rosato as an afternoon charcuterie wine, to go with meats and cheese.”

Delinquente Negroamaro Amaya Pet Nat

Drink it: Any time
Region: Riverland
Price: $24

Tony Harper loves the versatility of this pink sparkling. “I would drink it after mowing the lawn, I’d drink it with a meal, I’d drink it with cheese at the end of the meal,” he says.

Negroamaro is a southern Italian grape variety, sourced by Delinquente from the Sherwood Estate in Loxton North, South Australia.

“Australia has really cottoned onto Mediterranean varieties because it suits our climate,” Harper says.

“Delinquente is an Australian company, that make lots of natural wines. I love this one, it’s a delicious, brilliantly made wine.”