From Geelong to Germany, Sierra Reed has made wine around the world, and her recent crop of releases is a testament to that experience. The bright young winemaker is the current custodian of the Spring Creek vineyard in Jan Juc, where she produces single-vineyard expressions that capture the region’s cool coastal climate. But her catalogue extends far beyond the Surf Coast, with some of her most sought-after bottles made using grapes sourced from the Grampians, Mornington Peninsula and New Zealand’s Otago region.
Like Reed’s label, her taste in wine, booze and beyond is diverse. Here she is now with what’s drinking well.
As far as I’m concerned, the defining place to get a drink in Victoria is Caretaker’s Cottage. It’s iconic. Hospitality that feels like falling in love, cocktails that you wish were everlasting gobstoppers and tunes that slap. It’s a rite of passage in the Melbourne hospo scene.
When someone hands me a drinks list, I order a Margarita and go straight to the riesling and friends section. I had the pleasure of dining at Navi recently and had a 2018 Trimbach Reserve Pinot Gris. It touched all the right curves with the food. We are cross-pollinating on Thursday 6 August for a Reed and Navi event, and I can’t wait to taste the creations with my liquid ladies – they are truly authentic, generous and original to their core.
The last three delicious Victorian things I drank were…
Day by Day – Marsanne
It has power, movement and texture that give a new shape to marsanne from Victoria, which otherwise looks more embryonic. Wines like this can hold court with almost any food pairing; they straddle red- and white-wine territory. Creating balance through a hedonistic lens is like trying to tame a lion, but when it’s executed like this, you will follow its creator’s work for life.
Beechworth Bitters – In the Weeds
This stopped me straight in my tracks the first time I tasted it. I’m a sucker for green Chartreuse, but this expression of the digestif is something the monks could make. It’s undeniably woven with Australian flora, yet it’s grounded in its vivid emerald inspiration in a way only a true craftsperson could bring to life. I’ll have this with breakfast, lunch and dinner, please.
Saison – Amaro Tonic
Saison’s Amaro Tonic is so complex yet incredibly smashable. I always grab it when I see it on a shelf; it calls me. It’s bitter and medicinal with warm, caramelised edges, while hints of oregano fill the mouth like clouds of evergreen perfume. There is a mastery in making an RTD like this, and Saison takes the cake.
The Victorian wine I’m loving most right now is the 2024 Lethbridge Dr Nadeson Riesling. I just tasted this most recent release today. The acidity was shimmering. Ray Nadeson has truly gotten away with what I like to call “sugar murder”.
There’s no better value on a wine list or in a bottle shop in Victoria than… There are so many great-value Victorian wines out there, so it would be very hard to choose. If I had to choose, I would choose a Victorian fortified wine. I buy a bottle of Best’s Great Western Fine Muscat every year.
My favourite place to buy booze is Rathdowne Cellars in Melbourne. I always get so excited when I get to go there for trade. I head straight for the riesling fridge – there is always the most thoughtful and diverse selection. Corks Crew Cellars and Torquay Wine Store, here at home in Torquay, are my go-tos. We are lucky to have them both!
I’d love to see people planting more riesling in the Geelong. It was once widely planted across this region by the original pioneers, and I think it’s a variety that really suits the area. I’d love to be a part of its renaissance. I’d also love to see more nebbiolo and gamay planted in Victoria.
My guilty pleasure in the drinks cabinet is tequila. However, I don’t feel any guilt about it. Home is always calling me through this spirit.
The best or most important change to the way people drink in Victoria in recent years has been the move towards a lighter style of red wine. There’s an understanding that alcohol and expensive oak do not necessarily make a more complex wine.
For me, the most inspiring person in the Victorian drinks world is Mark Walpole, for his curiosity and love for sangiovese and other indigenous Italian varieties, and his ability to see potential in regions before they become what they are today. He is a true living legend who still helps our industry in so many ways. He sees the future of our wine landscape and brings it to life. We are lucky to have him.
Read about the Reed Wines story in-full via reedwines.com and follow along at @reedwines.