NUGAN ESTATE TASTING

N

Matthew Nugan, owner and CEO of Australian producer Nugan Estate was in town today with European sales manager Gary Janes and winemaker Glen Snaideri to host a tasting of their wines.

Matthew’s Spanish grandparents fled the Spanish fled the civil war in 1938 and began a fruit packaging business in Griffith, New South Wales. The Nugan family was once the largest exporter of carrot juice in the southern hemisphere. Most of it went to Japan, Matthew Nugan tells me. It was part of a dynamic fruit and vegetable company that began making wine in 1993.

Nugan now owns almost 600 hectares of vines, and produce wines from various Australian wine regions, including Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, King Valley, Langhorne Creek, and Riverina. The family also grows other fruits including olives and citrus fruits.

Nugan has been a mainstay of the SuperValu Australian wine offering for a decade or more now. It is easy for wine anoraks to knock their style of wine, but they are certainly popular and form a valuable bridge between everyday inexpensive brands and more niche wines.
The wines are unashamedly commercial; the whites are generally fresh and fruity, the reds rich and ripe with plenty of oak. They are one of the leading Australian producers of appassimento wines and produce Ripasso and Amarone lookalikes.

All of the wines below are available from SuperValu.

Nugan Estate Bossy Boots Sauvignon Blanc 2023, King Valley

Lightly aromatic with fresh, clean tropical fruits and a dry finish. Good everyday drinking. €12.99

Nugan Estate Single Vineyard King Valley Chardonnay 2021

Creamy, nicely textured Chardonnay with red apple and tropical fruits, subtle toasty oak and good acidity. All components work very nicely together. €17.99

Nugan Estate Third Generation Shiraz 2021, SE Australia

A classic Aussie Shiraz with rich sweet ripe dark fruits, plenty of power and an easy smooth finish. Not currently available.

Nugan Estate Stompers Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Riverina

Sweet jammy cassis, dark fruits and milk chocolate with a touch of spice and ripe tannins. €12.99.

Nugan Estate Alfredo Second Pass Shiraz 2021, Riverina

Made in the Ripasso style using the skins of their Amarone-style Dried Grape Alfredo. Full-bodied and powerful with masses or ripe red fruits, milk chocolate and tobacco leaf. On offer at a very competitive €13.

La Brutta Zin Petit Sirah 2021, SE Australia

Big powerful wine with concentrated dark fruits, a good tannic structure and a nice bite on the finish. Perfect with steak. €14.99