Werkstatt Mount Gambier Riesling 2026
- 95
- $37
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Lemon sherbet and verbena oil, then jasmine, green pear and that smell of blossom at the beginning of spring. Underneath sit tiny specks of something chalky, as though the fruit has been dusted with talc. There is something immediately juicy about it, grapey, and the first mouthful gives the impression that sweetness will be the story. It isn’t. Give it a second. Bridget Mac’s Kabinett-inspired Riesling carries 18.3 g/L of residual sugar, but also 11 g/L of acidity and a pH of 2.85, courtesy of a long, cool and wetter Mount Gambier season. The sweetness gives the lemon and pear flesh, then acidity rushes through the middle and pulls everything forward.
By the second sip there is lime sorbet, makrut lime leaf and chalk. Actually, it is the smell of tearing a makrut leaf along its spine that comes to mind, that burst of green citrus oil hanging in the air. By the third sip, salt, jasmine tea and something resembling sea air occupy the space, turning everything increasingly savoury. The fruit comes from the organically managed Coola Road vineyard at German Creek. There is a little waxiness through the middle, then a texture that builds as the wine moves, eventually becoming almost grippy, as though tiny salt flakes have been scattered across the tongue. And then the finish does something else, reminding me of preserved lemon rind, the citrus concentrated and the salt almost inseparable from the peel. Beneath it comes a faint, aromatic bitterness. Fried curry leaves, and suddenly the floral sweetness of the opening feels a long way back.
At 10% alcohol it is almost weightless despite the concentration. I could see it opening a long lunch, standing up to something spicy, or rescuing the palate after a powerful red. More likely it would simply disappear, quickly, on a warm afternoon. Mac calls this her hallmark Kabinett style, and 2026 makes the German comparison persuasive. The balance of ripeness, sugar and acid recalls that tradition, but the sea-spray freshness and leafy, savoury finish give this Mount Gambier rendition a character of its own. I keep returning to the glass. The initial sweetness has receded, finger limes, and somewhere in the distance, those fried curry leaves are still crackling.
Liinaa Berry is a Melbourne-based wine critic and consultant with over a decade of experience as a sommelier and wine buyer across Australia and around the world where she has built award-winning wine programs and championed independent producers with conviction. Now focused on reviewing and writing, Liinaa brings a floor-trained palate and commercial insight to her assessments. She is also the Melbourne Ambassador for Star Wine List and serves on the committee of Sommeliers Australia. An advocate for site-driven wines and thoughtful farming, Liinaa is particularly drawn to producers who articulate a clear sense of place. Her tasting philosophy centres on structure, balance and context — always asking not just how a wine tastes, but why it matters.
