Tasting

An Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc rarely smells of ripe pineapple or mango, as one might expect from warmer countries. Instead, gooseberry, green passionfruit, and often a hint of freshly cut grass fill the nose. On the palate follows an acidity that keeps the wine lively long after swallowing.

Chardonnay from the Piccadilly Valley tastes more intricate. Beneath the fruit of grapefruit and white peach often lies a smoky, matchstick-like note that comes from extended contact with lees in barrel. The oak itself usually stays in the background. The fruit is meant to be tasted, not the oak.

Pinot Noir from Lenswood shows itself more restrained than its relatives from warmer countries. The color stays pale, the scent of red cherry and damp forest floor is quiet rather than loud. Anyone comparing it to a robust red from the Barossa Valley might at first think something's gone wrong in the glass. It hasn't — it's simply cooler climate.

The sparkling wine bears the clear signature of its second fermentation: fine, persistent perlage — the chain of rising bubbles — alongside brioche and roasted nuts beside the fruit. Served dry at eight to ten degrees, it shows the most of what months of bottle fermentation have given it.

Anyone tasting all four glasses one after another ultimately tastes the same underlying theme every time. Plenty of acidity, little warmth, delicate rather than rich aromas. That is the signature of a wine region that never denies its altitude.