WINE OF THE WEEK: Robert Oatley Semaphore Series Chardonnay 2022, Australia

£10.50, Co-op

I rather short-changed Chardonnay in this slot last year with just one white Burgundy and one from the Loire Valley early on in the year, but I haven't chosen this Australian Chardonnay as my first Wine of the Week of 2025 simply to redress the balance.

I've picked Robert Oatley Semaphore Series because it’s such an appealing, affordable, well-balanced example of contemporary Australian Chardonnay. Forget tropical fruit wrapped in oak, or thin, angular wines at the other extreme; this is medium-bodied, supple and refreshing with lemon and grapefruit zing and the lightest undertow of cashew nut.

A modest 15% of the wine was aged in new oak – just enough to bring out that cashew-nut character without getting in the way of the zesty freshness. And going against the trend for regional identity, the grapes come from various parts of Australia.

It pairs readily with fish pie, shellfish, salmon and white fish, creamy pasta dishes, avocado salad and mozzarella tricolore salads and with chicken saltimbocca or roast chicken, but it's just as enjoyable on its own. 12.5%. Empty bottle weight: 407g.

If you want a red wine to go with it, or a red instead, you've got two Semaphore Series choices: a lightly oaked Shiraz 2021 with briary plum and blackberry fruit and more elegance than you might expect from McLaren Vale: and a Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from Western Australia that's impressively youthful, regional and varietal in style (£10.50 and £9 respectively, Co-op).

Robert Oatley Semaphore Series Chardonnay 2022, Australia

£10.50, Co-op

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