We need to talk about semillon

Riesling fans are known to bang on about how their favourite wine gets overlooked, but semillon would like a word. This incredible grape variety is one of Australian wine’s greatest gifts, yet it barely rates a mention. It’s not usually pride of place on wine lists, either, despite slotting right in with so many different dishes. But we love a wine that flies under the radar, especially when it’s this good – and not only because it’s a total steal (supply and demand is on our side here). Actually, maybe we shouldn’t tell you about semillon after all. 

Don’t get us wrong – semillon is hardly an undiscovered gem, especially around the wine regions that champion this white variety. We just don’t think it gets the attention it deserves. So, if your white-wine tastes sit somewhere between riesling, sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio, or if you’re simply ready to mix things up, it’s time to get better acquainted with this ridiculously good white wine.

Semillon has a long history on our shores, particularly in the New South Wales wine region of the Hunter Valley, which has made this wine entirely its own. Like Bordeaux, Hunter producers make dessert-style wines and some blended styles, but the region famously makes single-variety semillons. Standalone dry semillon is unique in a global wine context, and these distinctive wines are among the Hunter Valley’s proudest flagships, not to mention Australia’s best. 

Semillon grows in various wine regions around the country, and several producers in the Barossa Valley have also long made single-variety styles. But after the Hunter Valley, Margaret River is the most celebrated Aussie region for semillon. In this Western Australian growing area, however, it’s almost always blended with sauvignon blanc in differing ratios to create bright, refreshing and trademark regional styles.

As a young wine, semillon is dry, light and loaded with bright citrus notes and good acidity. These zippy styles have the same sorts of characters you might find in a riesling or pinot grigio, so semillon should be a familiar, winning pick for fans of those varieties. Semillon is also a solid choice for anyone ready to move away from sauvignon blanc – it doesn’t have sauv’s overt fruit flavours, but it does come with a similar vibrancy and freshness that should tick some of the same boxes. 

With age, however, semillon becomes a completely different beast. Open a bottle with about five or 10 years on it, and all that bright zesty goodness will have turned into an almost oily-like wine, with honey and lanolin being common flavour descriptors. These characters can be a little polarising, much like aged riesling, so it’s worth seeking out ready-aged bottles to see what you think (we’ve even picked a couple for you below). But ultimately, aged semillon will be richer than young styles, with layers of flavour and a complex texture.

One word? Seafood. Open a young semillon, plonk it on a table next to a dozen or two oysters (a squeeze of lemon will tie it together beautifully), and our work here is done. But it’s also right at home with all kinds of fish served in all kinds of ways, along with prawns, mussels and pretty much any other type of seafood you fancy.

Beyond that, look to fresh veg, herbaceous salads, roast chook, light pastas, risottos and cheeses – so many of your typical white-wine pairings fit nicely. Semillon is absolutely built for the dinner table, but save any aged expressions for heavier dishes – oily fish, creamy pastas, roasts and anything with a butter sauce will shine.