Australia's Oxford Landing

A taste of Australia's Oxford Landing

If your budget is not much over the national average of a fiver, and you don't want to make a special trip for your wine, easily-available bottles from the supermarkets risk being a bit hit-and-miss.

The good news is that these three wines from Oxford Landing are all well-made, reliable and thoroughly enjoyable.

Oxford Landing is the name of the wine and the place in South Australia where the beautiful River Murray runs through the vast, red landscape, filling the community and environment with life, promise and affordable wines that are sustainably produced. 

Here Oxford Landing wines are nurtured from bunch to bottle using a small-scale approach with methods usually reserved for boutique winemaking, thus guaranteeing the authenticity, provenance, quality and consistency of every bottle of Oxford Landing wine.

Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (£6 from Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsburys, Morrisons, ASDA)

Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc is the number one Aussie Sauvignon Blanc in the UK; its crisp, refreshing style makes it a popular choice, and at just 10.5% alcohol, it is the perfect pick for summer parties, social gatherings or just a cheeky glass after work.

This wine has been carefully made using cool fermentation with aromatic yeast strains to enhance the punchy zesty characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc. A percentage of the wine was fermented on skins to add an extra dimension of complexity.

The result is a fresh wine with zesty aromas of passionfruit, lemongrass and freshly cut hay, light-bodied and showing layers of fresh citrus and papaya flavours. 

aromatic with rubbed sage, mint and pepper; ripe, zesty, tropical fruits, with lime, grapefruit and gooseberries; crisp and refreshing with lemongrass, white pepper and some saline minerality

Well-made, food friendly and thoroughly enjoyable.

Drink as an aperitif or serve with a simple cheeseboard, some olives, dried fruit and crackers or with classic fish and chips.

Oxford Landing Pinot Grigio 2021 (£6.50, Sainsburys)

Don’t let Oxford Landing’s Pinot Grigio’s pale veneer and subtle aromas fool you; there’s plenty of flavour going on in the glass.

The wine was fermented with natural yeasts that come in from the vineyard, creating layers of flavour and richness. Following fermentation, the wine was left on its lees for 3 months and stirred weekly to impart a creamy richness to the palate.

A refreshing, medium bodied style of Pinot Grigio with lemon pith, apple skin, grapefruit, poached pear and cinnamon flavours with every mouthful.

orchard and white stone fruits, white pepper spice; weighty, concentrated, full and supple with conference pears, citrus, white peaches, leesy saline minerality and warming sweet spices.

Well made and adept; thoroughly enjoyable.

Enjoy with potato salad and a ‘green’ avocado style dressing, Asian chicken salad with roasted peanuts or tortilla chips and a spicy black bean salsa.

Oxford Landing Merlot 2020 / 2021 (£7.25, The Co-op)

Oxford Landing Merlot will take you through to the cooler end of summer months and into Autumn.  It has good depth of colour, with generous red fruit flavours of plums and cherries.

Merlot thrives under the warm Australian sun alongside the Murray River and this is a generous and succulent example of a great Australian Merlot.

blueberries, violets and spice; juicy berry fruits, cherries, dried green herbs and woodsy undergrowth; gentle tannins.

Well made and thoroughly enjoyable.

Drink slightly chilled on a hot day or match with grilled red meat, such as lamb seasoned simply with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon and seared on the barbecue for a few minutes each side and served with a side order of caramelized roast vegetables, a Moroccan spiced curry or a pasta dish cooked with a creamy tomato sauce.