Oliver’s Taranga Mencía 2020

Mencía is a Spanish grape variety, celebrated particularly in the north west. Its affinity for a climate that is both warm, but significantly moderated by the coast, makes McLaren Vale the perfect Aussie host. 

Oliver’s Taranga Vineyard are the local pioneers of this variety, first planting it in 2011. The aromas scream ripe, juicy, red cherries, lush red rose petals and pressed violets with cinnamon and cardamom as a supporting act.

On the palate the red fruits – cherries, raspberries and red currants – offer up a sherbety tang. It’s fabulously spicy and savoury with white pepper, dried oregano and a whisper of fennel seed. Ripe tannins, medium body and crunchy, refreshing acidity offers versatility both in food pairings and company. This is the kind of wine you can put on a table full of tapas for a mixed crowd and delight everyone.

Nicole Bilson

Wine Critic at Winepilot

Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.

Wine tasting