And so we go from one end of the spectrum to the other. Winemaker Hamish McDonald acquired most of his know-how travelling the wine world, with stints in Abruzzo, Bavaria, the Southern Highlands and at Australia’s largest independent organic producer, Tamburlaine. Hopeless Thoughtful is his own label, and the 2023 vintage marks his first release: a trio of wild-edged wines he’s made at home in the sheds, bathtubs and backyards of suburban Wollongong.
For the 2023 Milk and Butterflies, he’s sourced some organic pinot grigio from the Central Ranges and given it the skin-contact treatment for a couple of weeks. What’s emerged is a hazy, blush-tinted party of a wine that’s untamed in all the right ways. Think pomegranate and white strawberries with a faintly savoury edge and a whole lot of tangy pucker. He’s also worked his magic on some chardonnay from Tamburlaine for the 2023 Forgot My Goggles, which he’s destemmed and let rest in amphora before pressing to old French oak. High energy, high acid and lively as with dried oranges, grassy herbs and brown spice.
Over at our Paddo courtyard, we’ve been pouring the 2023 Between the Lines by the glass and it’s been popping off. Little wonder why; it’s that early-autumn chilled red the doctor ordered, a field blend of pinot noir, merlot and syrah that’s all stewed dark berries and candied almonds shot through with balsamic acidity and a crack of white pepper.
This is a get-in-on-the-ground-floor local garagiste project you want to get behind – and given each of these botts are $30 or less, you really can. Do so with gusto.