Handpicked Wines, The Essence of Australia

The most intriguing wines almost always express a “sense of place”, something that goes beyond fruit and winemaking, something that sets that particular wine apart from its global peers. Handpicked Wines of Australia focuses on bottling that sense of place across a variety of white and red wines, while not necessarily defined by a single vineyard site. For over a decade, Handpicked Wines has sought to express what makes Australia unique, defining and refining their winescape to bottle the essence of each region. Finding a winning recipe for producing distinctive wines, a commitment to sustainable viticulture and minimal intervention has paid off, offering consumers wines that are distinguished and budget-friendly.

Highbrow Hill Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Watunga Road Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Geologically ancient and biologically diverse, Australia is a Garden of Eden for world-class wines, capable of elegant Margaret River Chardonnay to ripe and nuanced Barossa Shiraz. Known for its bold and sassy wines, in recent years, there is an evolution towards a more balanced expression. Producers have tinkered with the once popular fruit bombs, creating a leaner, less oaky, more balanced style of wine that consumers crave, all the while defining their appellations and refining their winemaking. Today, it’s a new frontier for Australian winemaking, reinventing classic wines and creating new wines with personality plus. And this is where Handpicked Wines enters the picture.

Capella Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Wombat Creek Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Auburn Road Vineyard, Tasmania, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Native Point Vineyard, Tasmania, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Handpicked Wines began its journey on Mornington Peninsula with the purchase of Capella Vineyard ten years ago by its founder, William Dong. Dong, who started his wine life as a négociant, decided to own vineyards instead of purchasing fruit or juice. Today, a total of six vineyards are owned by Handpicked in four different regions, which include its headquarters in Mornington, Yarra Valley, Tasmania and Barossa Valley. In addition to their own vineyards, Handpicked Wines works with growers in other Australian wine regions, to offer a more extensive lineup of wines. Margaret River, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Murray Darling, Beechworth, Coonawarra, Heathcote, Pyrenees and Hilltops are some of those regions. Australia, with its 66 wine regions, including Tasmania, is the world’s sixth largest wine producer, and Handpicked strives to make “regionally expressive and site-specific wines”. On a side note, Handpicked also produces wine in many top wine regions around the world.

Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Handpicked Wines crafts different “ranges” of wines within Australia and Tasmania, across these six vineyard sites, demonstrating “terroir” with a “supreme sense of place”. The Regional Selection, representative of typical wines from the specific regions, features a hand on the label, which displays all the soil types found in Australia. Barossa Valley Shiraz and Yarra Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are some examples. The Collection Series are premium wines from “hand-picked” vineyards that exhibit greater character, such as Tasmania Chardonnay and Sparkling wines, or Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Then there is the Single Vineyard wines, only made in the best years and from a single vineyard, those vineyards include Handpicked’s Capella, Highbrow Hill, Wombat Creek, Native Point, Auburn Road, and Watunga Road.

Wombat Creek Vineyard, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Auburn Road Vineyard, Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Courtesy of Handpicked Wines

Farming is the secret sauce behind Handpicked Wines’ expressive wines. Many organic practices impart life to the vines, such as mulching, spraying with a compost tea, and reducing or eliminating chemicals and herbicides. But while they farm organically, they are not certified. Sustainability is the key to their success, not only in the vineyards and winemaking, but in the packaging and transportation arenas as well. And this is the basis of Handpicked Wines, to protect, nurture and improve their vineyards, so the wines can reflect “the character of the region and the personality of the site”.

Adam Dromi, the US Market Manager of Handpicked Wines, shared his wines, enthusiasm and passion with the LA Wine Writers over lunch at AOC Brentwood a couple of months ago. Almost a dozen wines were tasted from two separate Handpicked ranges, the Regional Selection and Collection Series. from a crisp Mornington Peninsula Pinot Gris to a rich Barossa Valley Shiraz. The wines are delicious and so affordable, from the very expressive Chardonnays to the savory and fragrant Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

Greeted with a glass of the Handpicked Mornington Peninsula Pinot Gris 2021, this Regional Selection is all about typicity. This first small batch production is a perfect summer wine, easy drinking yet so much more than a thirst quencher. Fragrant, crisp, and vibrant, the nose of pear, citrus and white flowers lead to a flavorful palate, medium bodied with some weight, bright acidity and salinity, all balanced for this award-winning wine, which according to Dromi, gets better with age.

First course, a Summer Greens with an Herbed Vinaigrette and Croutons was paired with two stunning Chardonnays. The Handpicked Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2019 Regional Selection is beautifully balanced, with a rich nose, bright citrus and stone fruit, good acidity and a creamy texture. The award-winning Handpicked Tasmania Chardonnay 2019 Collection Series is fragrant and complex, white peach and citrus, with nougat notes, and great acidity, so yummy! This was a perfect comparison of Handpicked Wines philosophy, the Regional Yarra Valley so classic of the region, and the Collection Tasmania incredibly expressive, racy and juicy.

Second course, the Country Style Pork Chop with Broccolini and Glazed and Pickled Brooks Cherries was served with three different red wines, a Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Shiraz. The Handpicked Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2019 Regional Selection is juicy red fruit, cherries and summer berries with hints of spice and oak, framed by soft tannins. The Handpicked Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Regional Selection is fantastic, savory with dark fruit, dried herbs, a Bordeaux spice box and chocolate notes. Dromi commented that if Napa Valley and Bordeaux had a secret love child, it would be this wine! It definitely overdelivered for its price, a great buy. The Handpicked Barossa Valley Shiraz 2018 Regional Selection is a big, rich, full-bodied wine that is full of spicy dark fruit without being jammy. So delightful in its supple and lush beauty, baking spice and toasty oak notes swirl around its graceful core. Another excellent price point for a wine that embodies the essence of the Barossa Valley, with style and restraint.

The final course, a Cheese Plate was served alongside the Handpicked Barossa Valley Shiraz 2018 Collection Series. Made from the best barrels, this is a wine that can age, concentrated with rich dark plums and blackberry fruit, accented by spicy cedar and vanilla oak, velvety with fine tannins. We had it slightly chilled, which really brought out its refined nature and beautiful fruit and spice.

Then for a vertical study in Pinot Noir, Dromi poured samples of the 2015, 2017 and 2019 Tasmanian Pinot Noir to demonstrate there is vintage variation, even if there is typicity, or a common thread, in what makes a Tasmanian Pinot Noir. My favorite was the 2015, balanced and delicious. We finished the tasting with the McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020 Regional Selection, a new addition to the lineup, made from certified organically farmed vineyards. Juicy, vibrant and opulent, there is a balance of black and blue fruit, with notes of chocolate, oak and polished tannins.

Explore the essence of Australia with Handpicked Wines, through their different ranges of personality plus wines and, since they are so reasonably priced, it can be your house wine in so many ways. The Regional Selections are diverse and delicious, and the Collection Series, a step above, so distinctive. And by the way, Tasmania is the region to watch out for in the future, no devil involved!