There are probably no better values than dry Australian rieslings if you look outside of Germany, Alsace and Austria for these limy, chalky and zesty wines framed by laser beams of acidity and crisp yet tightly wound mouthfeel. They could be great alternatives to Chablis, too, but even racier, brisker, and more vibrant, and most importantly, they are perfectly wallet-friendly. Quite a few Ozzy rieslings led our Top 100 Value Wines of 2020, and the top value of the year was PETER LEHMANN RIESLING EDEN VALLEY WIGAN 2015, a fine, glossy, bottle-aged dry riesling that received 98 points.

As much as we love the dry, textbook, and reasonably priced rieslings from Clare and Eden Valley, there are also many inexpensive renditions at a $15 price point. Many tend to flatter the market with some significant residual sugar, making the wine easy to appreciate with compromised acidity and pinched intensity and length that could be cunningly masked by sweetness on the palate. Few produce wines of the same level as the examples we listed here. The mealy, mineral quality with citrus, limy, elegant nectarine fruit, and most importantly, the brightness, with pithy, vivacious acidity, and the mineral tension and texture are what makes these rieslings from Australia so exciting and mouthwatering. They are also likely to develop a petrol, honey complexity when aged in bottle, especially those from South Australia, thanks to a warmer climate context compared to those made from Germany.

2020 was a low-yielding vintage for riesling, especially in Clare and Eden Valley, and it will be remembered as one of the smallest grape crushes across Australia since 2007 with 13% below the average according to Wine Australia, with riesling down a drastic 28%. Vasse Felix’s winemaker Virginia Willcock’s description could be applied to most of the country, calling it “a bad vintage for accountants, but a good one for winemakers”. Despite a loss of quantity (much of it has to do with drought and frost), riesling’s quality was exceptional with remarkable intensity, fragrance, and structure. While Clare Valley’s premium microclimates like Polish Hill and Watervale produce some of the finest dry rieslings year after year, it is Eden Valley we found last year that connected impeccable value with supreme quality. Even at a price point of $15-$20, some wines deliver the grape’s bone-dry, tangy and textural beauty with real focus. Pewsey Vale, Hewitson, Son of Eden, and Rieslingfreak produced some of the best value wines with zingy, classic fruit and crystal, mineral punch.

While the top-quality Ozzy riesling list would be much longer with the inclusions of other very prominent producers like Grosset, Vickery, Jim Barry, and Frankland Estate, here we found eight classic bottles that show exemplary quality and value from Eden, Great Western of The Grampians and Great Southern on the western side of Australia. Scoring 95-96 points, these wines are an embodiment of record-breaking value at $25 and less. Some are just over $15, probably the most incredible value we have covered so far.

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor