2025 Oliver’s Taranga Vermentino, McLaren Vale

Pale colour with a lightly smoky straw, spice and musk-stick bouquet, the palate delicate and reserved, with subtle but attractive flavour and properly dry balance. Good length, too. A well-made and appealing vermentino. Drink to 2030.

90 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, November 2025

Vermentino is a popular white variety across the dry coastal areas of northwestern Mediterranean Sea and has for years generated a lot of interest in the Australian grape growing community due to its heat tolerance and ability to produce textural, crisp and fresh wines.

It has certainly taken the warm and very dry 2025 season in McLaren Vale in its stride. This dry and aromatic small batch wine was made from sustainably grown estate fruit and fermented with indigenous yeasts.

Look to coastal food matches here. Try with flash-fried calamari rings tossed in rice flour and Szechuan salt or crispy garfish fillets with capers, green olives and preserved lemon dressing. Both could be served with lightly grilled seaside succulents like karkalla or samphire.

This wine is vegan friendly.

About this producer

Oliver’s Taranga is a 100-hectare family-owned property in McLaren Vale that is today run by sixth-generation cousins Corinna Wright, Brini Oliver and Sam Oliver.

Corinna is the first winemaker in the family and has been producing wines under this label since 1994. She is a champion of female representation in the wine industry as well as for experimentation with alternative grape varieties while holding tight to her family’s long held ideals of passion, integrity and continuous improvement.