Wine Talk: Wines to go with dinner

Yvonne Lorkin.

Duca Di Castelmonte Diantha 2013, $22

Made from a blend of Malvasia and Grecanico, this delicious wine has the most alluring, musky-sweet, nashi pear and lemon blossom perfume and it's so fresh and crisp and delicately fruity on the palate that it's perfect for seafood dishes that feature a splash of chilli and spice. The shiny, new, state-of-the-art winery is located in Marsala in Sicily's Cardilla region and they grow a smorgasbord of other indigenous local varieties like nero d'avola, grillo, inzolia, catarratto and zibbibo too.

Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Chardonnay 2015, $19

Toast and roast peach characters on the nose lead to a biscuity, complex, dry style of chardonnay on the palate. There's a squeak of grilled apricot and honey on the finish alongside a seam of clean acidity. Fans of toasty, oaky chardonnays will enjoy this. Sip with creamy smoked chicken and bacon pasta.

Amisfield Lowburn Terrace Central Otago Riesling 2014, $25

This is an absolute cracker. I'm loving the super-clean, super-citrusy, lime, lemon curd and Pacific Queen apple characters. At 8.5 per cent alcohol, it certainly won't send you sideways and there's a hefty splash of mandarin and nectarine-like sweetness in the mid-palate. Winemaker Dr Stephanie Lambert is a genius and viticulturist Andre Lategan is her gifted sidekick.