Three wine merchants reveal what’s flying off the shelves – and which bottles deserve to be.
We love a good wine-aisle wander, but sometimes you just want to grab a winner and go. There isn’t always time for reading random back labels and strolling around a store. The smartest shortcut? Follow the best sellers. We’re talking about the wines that people buy time and again; the ones that would cause a riot if they ever went out of stock. The best bit? These wines deliver serious value, too.
To find them, we went to three Dan Murphy’s wine merchants who know pretty much everything about the bottles in-store. Raphael Vigneau (Doncaster East, Melbourne), Belinda Mackie (Kingsford, Sydney) and Mark Brown (Innaloo, Perth) spill on the wines that are flying off their shelves right now. Plus, they also reveal the hidden gems they believe deserve a whole lot more love.
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Raphael Vigneau, Doncaster East, Melbourne
If you have a soft spot for French rosé, you’d do well to swing by Dan Murphy’s Doncaster East and chat to Raphael Vigneau (pictured top) – he used to run wine tours in France’s Provence. He’s worked in wine for more than 20 years, but these days, he’s very happy talking about it in this Melbourne store, where he points to several recent big sellers.
“When you look at the sales, there’s always a lot of shiraz and sauvignon blanc sold, but we’ve also had a lot of success with the Chapel Hill The Parson Sangiovese Rosé. It’s a wine that Raphael sees people try and then return to buy again – no doubt helped by its under-$20 price. “This wine has stone fruit flavours and is very peachy, and it’s crisp and dry. It goes with everything!” he says. “In Provence, rosé is a big barbecue wine. It’s excellent with grilled sausages.”
For another wine under-$20, Raphael has a top white pick in the Tim Adams Pinot Gris. “This is probably one of our best-value wines,” Raphael says. “It’s a bit off-dry, but it has a really nice freshness to it and it caters to a lot of tastes. It also goes especially well with Chinese food.”
In the reds, Raphael says Pepperjack has done really well with its affordable shiraz, and he says the 2017 release, available through the Cellar Release program, is excellent value. “That wine costs only a little bit more than the regular release, and those years of age have rounded everything off.”
As for his tip on which wines people should be buying? It’s all about one variety for Raphael right now. “I’m really enjoying sangiovese, and there are lots of options at different price points,” he says. “There’s some really good value to be had in sangiovese.” Two standouts include Italy’s Castello Di Albola – “a high-end wine without the high price” – and, from Australia, The Ethereal One Sangiovese. “It’s under $20 and a fantastic option for pizza with friends.”
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Belinda Mackie, Kingsford, Sydney
After 15 years spent working in wine, Belinda Mackie is still as excited as ever. “What I love most is how it lets you discover a culture, a place, or even a winemaker’s story with just a single sip. And that's before I mention how much a wine can change when paired with food,” she says. “I also love being able to help someone try something they would have never thought of before.”
At Kingsford, Belinda has seen the biggest recent spike in Aussie chardonnay. “The Petaluma White Label Chardonnay has been our top-selling white for the past month,” she says. “It’s a classic, well-trusted and delicious wine that also represents great value.” Belinda describes it as bright and fruit-forward, with ripe stone fruits and subtle creaminess, and she says its versatility allows it to pair with many foods and suit different tastes. Another top chardy is the Oakridge Over the Shoulder, which is one of her go-to recommendations. “It’s a vibrant, fruit-driven chardonnay with stone fruits, and a clean and fresh, vibrant acid finish,” she says. Both bottles come in at under 30 bucks, too.
Pinot noir is another variety proving popular. “People are becoming quite adventurous and open to trying pinot from many different regions,” she says. “One of my favourites at the moment is the William Downie Cathedral Pinot Noir. It is incredibly aromatic and an absolute bargain for its quality,” she says of this under-$30 wine. “William Downie is arguably one of Australia's great pinot producers, and this is bright and bursting with cherries and a savoury edge.”
So, what does Belinda wish more people would try? Local wines. “I’m incredibly passionate about NSW wine and would love to see more of these wines being shopped. Wines from the Hunter Valley, Orange, Mudgee and Canberra District offer great value, and there’s some incredible chardonnay and pinot noir coming out of Tumbarumba.” Cowpunk and Kaleidoscope are just two labels offering accessible entries to some of these regions.
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Mark Brown, Innaloo, Perth
As a former winemaker, Mark Brown knows his stuff. And while it may seem like a big switch to go from working in wine production to retail, Mark insists he loves the customer interaction. “I really enjoy the concierge process in finding the perfect wine for people,” he says.
In Innaloo, in Perth’s western suburbs, Mark is seeing a real engagement with the Xanadu Fusion range. Sitting around the $20 mark, but often less on My Dan’s offers, these wines offer brilliant value, especially from this multi award-winning Margaret River winery. “Chardonnay and cabernet are king in Western Australia, and that’s what Margaret River is built on,” he says. “In the Xanadu Fusion Chardonnay, I see a beautiful, balanced style that’s very fruit-forward with a lovely touch of oak in the background, so at that price it’s very good value.” As for the cabernet, Mark describes it as having beautiful dark fruit, light toasty oak and, again, great quality for the price.
New Zealand sauvignon blanc is another big mover at Innaloo. “I see a lot of people buying the Isabel Estate range, and Vavasour is also doing a very good job,” he says. Cabernet merlots are proving popular, with so many WA regions excelling in this style. “Locally, we’re seeing a lot of traction around the Woodlands brand, which is a well-respected producer from Margaret River,” he says.
And where would Mark point us if we were to go in a different direction? He’s quick to suggest the Vina Nobile Carpinetto range from Tuscany in Italy, which includes the standout Montepulciano. “This is my left-of-centre recommendation. It’s Tuscan wine with no pretence,” he says.
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