At 11.59am – the internationally accepted end of the working day – my portable telephone melodies. Caught off guard, I uncharacteristically answer the thing, from which comes a chirpy invitation: ‘Any chance of a spot of lunch, Benny boy? My shout!’ It’s Tony Parkinson, former advertising bigwig and now vigneron, Penny’s Hill, in McLaren Vale.

I bristle telephonically. My moral compass unwavering. ‘My good opinion can’t be bought, Parky… No, no, no… But let me give you luncheon. At my club. Athenaeum. Thirty minutes. What are you doing in Melbourne anyway? What? A rear view mirror for an Austin Healey?’

Over lunch I learn that the mirror in question is a certified original and is to be attached to the 1955 Austin Healey 100S that Parky drives. Or should I say ‘curates’… Parky is not in Melbs for wine business but to reunite a small car part with the car. Motoring enthusiasts do this sort of thing. It makes establishing and running a winery look sane.

Speaking of which, Parky’s excited about his current motorpool of wines. A couple of them have just won a few of those gold baubles at an international wine guessing tournament or two – and rightly so. The ex-ad man is happy for ‘the brand’; but he’s happier still that his winemaker, the dynamic and can-do Alexia Roberts, should receive such peer-reviewed laudits.

Penny’s Hill wines have always been structured and honest and very satisfying drinks, from their very first vintage in 1988; but under the more recent wand-waving of Alexia a layer of keen elegance and purity has been impressively imbued. It adds even further to the wines’ democratic spirit – and incredible value.

Penny’s Hill makes – amongst other things – an eponymous premium range, an everyday drinking range called Thomas Goss, and a stylish joint venture made with Sir Stirling and Lady Susan Moss, which Parky likes talking about the most, using wine descriptors that are certainly new to me: Brabham, Aintree, Fangio, Maserati, Mille Miglia, Lotus and Nürburgring… Prices are 15 per cent off for straight cases, with a crazy 20 per cent off the mixed case, saving you even more. And shipping is free, of course. Vinum Vitae.

Thomas Goss Riesling 2016, $12.75, down from $15.
The 2015 was a winner and this new release is up to the mark. From vineyards in the cool Adelaide Hills, this has lean lemon and lime riesling lines, with uplifting citrus blossom aromatics. Acidity underpins it all, but there’s some very approachable lemon sorbet and lemon butter richness tightly coiled at the core. Versatile: it could be an aperitif, or suit a range of light white meat first courses.

Sterling Moss ‘White Helmet’ Chardonnay 2014, $21.25, down from $25.
Another Adelaide Hills wine, and sensibly so, as the climate helps express the green apple and citrus end of the chardonnay fruit spectrum. An elegant minerality tracks through the mid-palate where a touch of just-ripe cantaloupe expertly counteracts the understeer. Classy. A long, long finish, and only 12.5 per cent alcohol. It drinks fast.

Thomas Goss Shiraz 2015, $12.75, down from $15.
Gosh this is good value. There’s all the old-fashioned, Jack Brabham-like Australian warmth and friendliness expressed in McLaren Vale’s classic shiraz: white chocolate, hints of liqueur, black fruits. Combined with a waft of underplayed oak – not too much aftershave, if you know what I mean. This red is instantly enjoyable and suits any foodstuff charred, barbecued, spiced.

Penny’s Hill ‘Cracking Black’ Shiraz 2014, $21.25, down from $25.
We’re now in top gear. And what wonderful depth and intensity here, without any hint – any – of extraction or porty headiness. Everything you want in deluxe McLaren Vale shiraz: chocolate, spice, mocha, blackberry, plum, pepper – all tightly packed together, structured, upright, pert. Double decant this wine and it sings like a naturally aspirated Mercedes W196. Will keep well for 5 years, but why bother: drive it now.

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