Where Are The Best Canberra Wineries?

There are too many good wines in Australia to count. Anyone who sips adult juice has heard of wineries in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and the Hunter Valley, but what about Canberra wineries?

Choosing the right wine in general, let alone a Canberra wine, isn’t just ‘good’; it’s a godsend, a true gift. Some are blessed with luck and can throw a Hail Mary, pluck a bottle out of obscurity and come home with a winner. Others do their vino research, put in the hard yards, and ultimately end up pretty cluey… and often rather wordy when it comes to describing a drop.

There are definitely plenty of exceptional Canberra wineries out there, many of which are smaller scale operations. So, for those of us who are neither lucky nor well versed, here’s a helping hand.

We look at three boutique Canberra wineries that you can keep in mind when choosing your next bottle, as advised by Shun Eto, our resident QT wine expert.

Lark Hill

Established in 1978, the certified biodynamic Lark Hill is one of the highest plantings in the Canberra district. Keep an eye out for Lark Hill drops at markets, festival and bars around town.

Look out for – Roxanne 2.0 – This sparkling Syrah rosé is cloudy, dry and refreshing on a hot day. It’s a “Pet-Nat” (hipster wine talk for Petillant Naturel or Natural Sparkling) and has no sulphur or chemical additions, just sunlight, yeast and Syrah grapes.

Mada Wines

This small-batch winery is the brainchild of Hamish Young, a lad with barrels of local knowledge on a mission to represent the Murrumbateman area with generous and delicate wines.

Look out for – 2017 Syrah Nouveau – As the name suggests, this drop is presented in a Nouveau style and represents the rocky nature of the vineyard, vibrant fruits and underlying dark granite tannin line.

Collector Wines

Perched near Collector in the Southern Tablelands, Collector Wines produces small quantities of very delicious table wine. Their wines are hand-made for balance, character and depth of flavour.

Look out for – Marked Tree Red Shiraz – Winner of the coveted ‘Red Wine of Provenance’ trophy at the The National Wine Show of Australia is a big win for a little winery. With a strong bouquet of dark cherry, blackberry, pepper and aniseed, and a textured mouthfeel, this crimson drop is sturdy and can be sipped now or later down the track.

words by niall roeder