Maverick, Breechens White 2011

Maverick Wines are probably best known for their winemaker, Ron Brown, and his elegant Barossa Valley Shiraz, but you know the winery is genuinely “five star” when the “house white” is as good as the 2011 Maverick Breechens.

Squarely aimed at the “everyday tipple” end of the market, the Breechens is a white blend primarily based on the Chardonnay grape, but which changes in its makeup and weightings every year, depending upon the seasonal variations and what each varietal can contribute to the final product.

The Breechens may be a pale yellow colour in the glass, but it exhibits lively citrus fruit characters both on the nose and at the front of the palate. Add melons and gooseberries to the middle and a subtle well-rounded and understated all-spiceness at the back, it’s not just a late afternoon wind-down but a partner for spicy Thai cuisine or, in its ever so slightly acidic youth, pan-fried snapper served with baked kipfler potatoes and a green garden salad. Yum!

And while the fruit is excellent, it’s the textural attractiveness and lingering finish of the wine that makes it such a standout at the budget end of the wine buying spectrum and, at only around $10 a bottle, you’ll struggle to find better value.