From one Victorian upstart to another, we turn our attention now to POOL Wines, a project formed by four young chaps out of Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges, who’ve been quietly plying their trade and steadily increasing their output since 2019. They source thoughtfully from the surrounding regions and take a strict ‘no sulphur’ stance at every stage of the process. Needless to say, we’re all about it.
Everything these fellas put their hands to has a free-wheeling, slightly wilder edge and an unmistakably easy feel, not least the 2024 Blonk – a fully troppo sauv blanc crammed with Passiona-meets-Golden Circle pineapple tang. For something on the more saline side of the spectrum, check the 2024 Scallop: vermentino with two weeks of skin contact, all lemon pith, white grapefruit and a pinch of allspice, washed away by a wave of mouthwatering limey acidity. Is that a hole in your glass?
The 2024 Blossom certainly lives up to its name, a moscato giallo in full bloom thanks to three weeks of carbonic maceration and a three-day trip through a basket press. Heady florals! Potpourri! Baking spices! Phenolic grape! What more could you want? A chilled red to follow? If so, the 2024 Dad’s New Family has your number, bridging together the hitherto discrete worlds of grenache and marsanne with great success. The crunch of red fruits you’d expect, counterbalanced by bursts of stone fruit, honeysuckle and a slightly beeswaxy mouthfeel. Oh, and did we mention they're all $30 and under? Yup. You're welcome.