Really Smart Wines

A really smart wine is a wine that outperforms by a long way its peers in the same price bracket. A really smart wine may not be inexpensive in absolute terms (although it often is), and in some cases it may even be quite expensive, but judged against wines of the same or similar quality, not to mention rarity and/or prestige, it represents outstanding value for money. All 5 star wines on the site (which have a wine glass symbol next to them) can be considered really smart wines. Generally, such a wine is one that has been very enthusiastically reviewed by a number of major critics and has also won major wine show awards. One caveat, however: even with a really smart wine, there will obviously be some variation from vintage to vintage.

Here are the 20 most recently listed really smart wines:

Lawson's Dry Hills - Marlborough Pinot Gris - 2006 SmartWine
Variety: Pinot Gris - Classification: White - Style: Full-Bodied
Region: Marlborough (New Zealand) - Price: $22.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2005
Heggies Vineyard - Viognier - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Viognier - Classification: White - Style: Full-Bodied
Region: Eden Valley (South Australia) - Price: $20.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2002/2003/2004
Yalumba - Y Series Riesling - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Riesling - Classification: White - Style: Light-Bodied
Region: Multi-Region Blend (Barossa Valley & Eden Valley) - Price: $12.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2002/2003/2004
Saint Clair - Marlborough Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc - 2006 SmartWine
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc - Classification: White - Style: Medium to Full-Bodied
Region: Marlborough (New Zealand) - Price: $20.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2004/2005
Grove Mill - Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - 2006 SmartWine
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc - Classification: White - Style: Medium to Full-Bodied
Region: Marlborough (New Zealand) - Price: $20.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2005
Vidal Estate - Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon - 2004 SmartWine
Variety: Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon - Classification: Red - Style: Full-Bodied
Region: Hawkes Bay (New Zealand) - Price: $19.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2001/2002
Pertaringa - Undercover Shiraz - 2004 SmartWine
Variety: Shiraz - Classification: Red - Style: Full-Bodied
Region: McLaren Vale (South Australia) - Price: $20.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2002/2003
Esk Valley - Merlot Malbec Rose - 2006 SmartWine
Variety: Rose - Classification: Rosé - Style: Light to Medium-Bodied
Region: Hawkes Bay (New Zealand) - Price: $16.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: none
Peter Lehmann - Eden Valley Riesling - 2006 SmartWine
Variety: Riesling - Classification: White - Style: Light to Medium-Bodied
Region: Eden Valley (South Australia) - Price: $13.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2003/2004/2005
Hunters Wines - Marlborough Riesling - 2006 SmartWine
Variety: Riesling - Classification: White - Style: Medium-Bodied
Region: Marlborough (New Zealand) - Price: $20.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2004/2005
Capricorn Wine Estates - Red Rock The Underarm Syrah - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Shiraz - Classification: Red - Style: Medium to Full-Bodied
Region: Hawkes Bay (New Zealand) - Price: $25.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2002/2003/2004
Lillydale Estate - Yarra Valley Chardonnay - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Chardonnay - Classification: White - Style: Medium to Full-Bodied
Region: Yarra Valley (Victoria) - Price: $19.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2002/2003/2004
Thorn-Clarke Wines - Shotfire Ridge Shiraz - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Shiraz - Classification: Red - Style: Full-Bodied
Region: Barossa Valley (South Australia) - Price: $18.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2003/2004
St Hallett - Gamekeeper's Reserve - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre-Touriga - Classification: Red - Style: Full-Bodied
Region: Barossa Valley (South Australia) - Price: $14.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2002/2004
Richmond Grove - Watervale Riesling - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Riesling - Classification: White - Style: Light-Bodied
Region: Clare Valley (South Australia) - Price: $16.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 1998/1999/2001/2002/2003/2004
O'Leary Walker - Polish Hill River Riesling - 2006 SmartWine
Variety: Riesling - Classification: White - Style: Light-Bodied
Region: Clare Valley (South Australia) - Price: $20.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2002/2003/2005
Caledonia Australis - Pinot Noir - 2003 SmartWine
Variety: Pinot Noir - Classification: Red - Style: Medium-Bodied
Region: Gippsland (Victoria) - Price: $20.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: none
Thorn-Clarke Wines - Sandpiper Merlot - 2004 SmartWine
Variety: Merlot - Classification: Red - Style: Medium to Full-Bodied
Region: Barossa Valley (South Australia) - Price: $13.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: none
Bress - Heathcote & Bendigo Shiraz - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Shiraz - Classification: Red - Style: Full-Bodied
Region: Multi-Region Blend (Heathcote & Bendigo) - Price: $19.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: - 2004
Bress - Silver Label Yarra Valley Pinot Noir - 2005 SmartWine
Variety: Pinot Noir - Classification: Red - Style: Medium-Bodied
Region: Yarra Valley (Victoria) - Price: $19.00 - Value: 5 stars
Previous Vintages: none

Smartwines.com.au: the guide to the guides, an advisory service that can save you lots of time and money by pointing you toward the right bottle of Australian and New Zealand wine at the right price. The really good news is that this site will remain completely free of charge and fully accessible until at least the end of 2008. So please explore it at your leisure, and let me know what you think by sending an email to: smartwines@smartwines.com.au