Flame Hill 2016 Pinot Gris, $28
You’ll never guess where this wine comes from … Did I hear someone say Queensland? Tony Thompson has been plugging away at making wine from vineyards in the Granite Belt and Montville for years, and it’s great to see how far he has come in producing wines that match the quality of his Flame Hill cellar door in Montville. For anyone who hasn’t visited it, you should – it has the most stunning location. I was pleasantly surprised by this soft, gentle wine (we enjoyed it with this Smoked Trout and Pear Salad, a great stand-by recipe). The Pinot Gris has a little bit of residual sugar that was a nice balance for the saltiness of the feta in our salad. The wine’s crisp, stonefruit characters and touch of spice complemented the pear, and all in all, it was just a bright, summer wine that we happily quaffed during a balmy evening.
