Made by the irrepressibly cool Channing Daughters winery of Long Island, NY, this dry Vermouth is Sauvignon Blanc based and incorporates a proprietary blend of some 20 botanicals and a little local honey. If anything it’s more like a herbal fino (without the flor) with an elixir like freshness and a complex array of floral, herbal and cinnamon spice flavours.

You could just imagine how good this would be with a little lemonade and a splash of fruit juice in a tall glass. Smashable!

Speaking of smashable, I also managed to dip into a few very tasty new releases yesterday too, not least of which was Andrew Thomas’ 2014 Thomas Wines O.C Semillon and it’s brother the 2014 Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon, both of which herald what is a superstar Hunter Valley vintage.

A final Monday highlight was Andrew Marks’ 2012 The Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir which hits that bony, spicy, whole bunchy style perfectly (though it could be a slightly divisive wine methinks too). At least 2 bottles will be making their way into my cellar.