Ran into a old friend recently-Cockatoo Ridge, a brightly-painted corporate brand created over twenty years ago and now powering under a new owner.

The wines have always carried the livery of an Australian critter-the sulphur-crested cockatoo, and remained respectable value for money. Geoff Merrill was the original creator.

Their origin lies in the South Australian Riverland, now better known as the Murray Valley, and included in the clutch was a terrific sparkling, non-vintage white. The bubbles range has been expanded now.

About a year ago, a distressed Cockatoo Ridge was bought by the Riverina-based Beelgara wine group, and now it is flying up there with new life.

I caught up with Cockatoo Ridge’s South Australian-based winemaker, Rod Hooper, during the recent Fine Wine Partners swoop in Brisbane with their Festival for the Senses extravaganza.

Feast of the Senses Day-for Cockatoo Ridge

Cockatoo Ridge Pinot Grigio 2010; 13% (USD 9.50); +++, has bright colours for this grape which may go brassy, not this one, lots of pear on the nose to remind that this is varietal, then a clean, dry, fruit-cup taste with lots of nectarine grip and juciness. Drink very cold, it’s rejuvenating.

Cockatoo Ridge Pinot Grigio 2010

Cockatoo Ridge Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010; 12% (USD 9.50); +++, is pale as I’d expect, very much in sync with modern crisp whites, it shows the lower alcohol and zippy acidity I’d expect of this style, has the greenness that the palate needs to remain acid-austere, it clicks, 80% semillon and still tight.

Cockatoo Ridge Chardonnay 2010; 12.5% (USD 9.50); +++, has pleasant appeal, the modern type, unwooded, but succulent and not over-peachy from six months on its yeast garnering up some nice nutty flavours, good austerity which new chardonnay drinkers (no fatness) and all-round good stuff.

Cockatoo Ridge Moscato2011; 6% (USD 9.50); +++1/2; this wine sings, the new vintage made from frontignan blanc, a muscat variant, oozy, juicy, low alc in sync with the style which pleases drinkers of the wine, smaller headaches, lots of barley sugar ripeness flavours, slightly fizzy (frizzante as the Italians say), clean and neat (120 g/L sugars too).

Cockatoo Ridge Chardonnay NV; 11% (USD 9.50); +++; the standard bearer for the brand, value bubbles, this a blend of two chardonnay years, 2010 and 2011, a good sparkled white wine, some brassy colour because 10% of the wine is shiraz, good fizz grip and fair dryness (14 g/L residual), closed with the resealable Zork cap which has gained popularity. Anything without cork is a blessing.

Cockatoo Ridge Black NV; 13.5% (USD 9.50); ++++; a terrific wine, jammy notes and creaming over with flavour, just great, a cabernet merlot shiraz blend with a range of great components (some Coonawarra 2007) to give it a value proposition. Sweetness is 35 g/L.

Cockatoo Ridge Shiraz 2008; 13.5% (USD 9.50); +++; competently-made, lots of aromas of plummy shiraz which is the varietal personality in warm growing regions, plump in the mouth and softly drying. Has cred and flavour, drink now only.

Cockatoo Ridge Cabernet Merlot 2009; 13.5% (USD 9.50); +++; minty, sweet anise and jam, low oak on nose, palate has black fruits and gentle tannins, red wine for those enjoying milder cabernet or repeat business, plump and fruity.

Cockatoo Ridge Cabernet Merlot 2009

Rod Hooper says: “My winemaking philosophy is to make technically very good wines that have honest expressions of varietal fruit” which is a pretty good quote from a fellow who once made wine for an Australian wine college.

And that’s how the wines come up.

Peter Scudamore-Smith is a Brisbane-based Master of Wine, winemaker and educator www.uncorkedandcultivated.com.au

Recently I went along to a “Northern Italy Trade Tasting” as there was appeal of the wines from Piedmont; new whites from a solid but not widely-tasted 2010 vintage, and even the odd young nebbiolo, barbera and dolcetto.

At least there was some stability in these Piedmontese varieties used, as I write the makers of Rosso di Montalcino (their second tier red) are voting on the adulteration of its sangiovese content (currently 100%) with international varieties (cabernet, merlot, syrah et al).

This is a pretty pointless exercise. Just because some producers were supposedly caught out dosing up their Brunello di Montalcino (the big tier wine) in the Brunellogate scandal with the 2005s, does not give cause to legitimise the practice across the region.

It’s quite amazing how vested interests take over when these insecurities are exposed.

The same producers can take properties on the coast around Bolgheri or Maremma where the international varieties are excelling in their viticulture, and proceed to make these new wine styles.

Adding international varieties to sangiovese might improve the style but it also dilutes, or adjusts the natural texture of this grape. And after all, what has Brunello got to sell. Sangiovese grosso if I recall!

The same discussion goes for Piedmont. The most respectable and respected wines of the region are nebbiolo-bound. Some Langhe nebbiolo may contain up to 5% barbera, a native grape of the same ilk (non-international) and that is more likely a positive aspect.

Conversely it would not hurt Barbera d’Alba or Barbera d’Asti to contain 5% nebbiolo as a small positive contribution, adding much needed tannin.

Although the 2007 Barolos and Barbarescos are trickling into Australia, there are still many 2006s on sale.

Gavi di Gavi (Pio Cesare) 2010; 12.5% (USD 28); +++; nice wine, lemon fresh, unwooded cortese grape, pale and full of expression, has great natural character and clean lines of flavour, nervy acidity, yes, but that is what’s needed. Four months lees aging.

Dolcetto d’Alba Visadi (Domenico Clerico) 2008; 13.5% (USD 31.75) ; ++++; terrific wine, fabulous nose of obviously ripe fruit which carries drinker interest, lovely soft crunch in the mouth alongside the racy acidity, volumes of fruit and attraction. Outstanding example from Monforte d’Alba.

Langhe Rosso Ill Nebbio (Pio Cesare) 2010; 13.5% (USD 44) ; +++; this is pretty simple, cherry-plum fruit, aromatic in fruit and therefore very modern (carbonic maceration), little presence of the black fruit aromas which I associate with nebbiolo; earlier harvested fruit is the answer, stainless steel-made, a few chewy tannins as usual, a good scope for the 2010 vintage though.

Barbaresco Magno (San Silvestro) 2007; 13.5%; (USD 40.50); +++1/2; modest aromas but very fresh and modern, little oak aroma but very understated, large cask aged; taste has silk rather than grip for nebbiolo, shows how well Barbaresco performs in a sunny year with such plush tannins; they are there but they are not there! Texture soft, flavour plus, plummy then final dryness.

Barolo (Pio Cesare) 2006; 14.5%; (USD 125); ++++1/2 ; a big wine now developing personality; lots of barley sugar aroma of maturing Barolo at high ripeness, starting to dry out and show its power, partly traditional style of multi-vineyard blends; plus the oak. Now tasted four times since release, every time better and increased depth; a great ager.

Barolo from Pio Cesare 2006

Barolo (Elio Altare) 2006; 14%; (USD 151); +++1/2; a single commune producer from La Morra, this a blend of La Morra and Castiglione Falletto, shows lots of age as nebbiolo can, leaf, tobacco, the herbal notes which keep its aromatic attractiveness, lean and tannic on taste, now on the drying out phase, drying tannins of nebbiolo surrounded by the acidity; good wine.

Barolo from Elio Altare 2006

Peter Scudamore-Smith is a Brisbane-based Master of Wine, winemaker and educator www.uncorkedandcultivated.com.au