Drinks in Bali

I’m officially back at the desk today after two excellent weeks on holiday in Bali with the family.

It’s been 25 years since I’ve been to the Island of the Gods (for Schoolies!), and it was a very different experience this time (and a great family holiday). Would recommend for anyone, especially given the kid-friendly attitude of the Balinese. Such an affordable adventure too.

The drinks diverged from my Schoolies extravaganza too, with an increased volume of quiet craft beers by the pool and zero time spent in a Bintang singlet.

There was also much more wine consumed, including plenty of the goto ‘local’ choice, the Two Islands Chardonnay. Straight away this ‘Balinese’ wine – which is the ubiquitous premium white on Bali wine lists – felt very familiar. It turns out that the Chardonnay, and all the wines in the Two Islands range, are made using South Australian juice, which is then shipped to the Hatten winery in Bali for vinification (I’m guessing it’s must sent over in bladders), with Barossa-born winemaker James Kalleske then processing it (and why didn’t I connect the dots that the Two Islands were Bali & Australia?).

The reason for this workaround of processing locally All about dollars, with imports slugged with a hefty tax (that for wine sits at 170%+), whereas ‘Balinese’ wine escapes with a lower rate. There’s still no escaping the prices of wine in Bali, which are mind-boggling, but it softens the blow when up lobs the Two Islands as available, fairly priced and clean options.

Clean is not doing the Two Islands Chardonnay 2022 enough justice, though. It’s a blend of Adelaide Hills and Padthaway grapes, made in a simple, minimal oak, fresh and peachy mode that at least tastes varietal with some layers. I’m not going to give out trophies, but it’s not unlike the oceans of $15-$20 Chardonnay that we see here in Australia (and it was plenty refreshing straight out of the ice bucket). Curiously the reds were rarely available, which is a shame as the Two Islands range has a Mount Gambier Pinot & Limestone Coast Cab Merlot too. Not that I’d really be drinking reds when it’s 27C at 7pm and 75% humidity either, but hey, it would have at least been interesting.

By contrast, the Hatten Aga White is a pretty forgettable experience. Yes, it’s actually from Balinese fruit, crafted from a vineyard near Pemuteran up at the very northern end of the island, so at least there is authenticity, but I’d rather drink local beer. Intriguingly, Hatten has three harvests a year (!), with this Aga White a blend of Muscat St Vallier, Chenin Blanc & Colombard. Stylistically it’s a low-acid, fruit salad thing with that Colombard sunshine and a vague musky aromatic flash from the Muscat (which is interestingly a high-yielding hybrid better known as a table grape). In the fresher bottles (hard to check vintages), it was a simple drink of stonefruit juiciness and a little sweetness (think Verdelho without the phenolics). Still, you had to drink it ice cold – and I mean ice cream-headache-inducing cold – for it to not be just broad fruit juice.

Meanwhile, the craft beer scene in Bali is making big strides forward, too, led by a handful of breweries with modern equipment and branding that wouldn’t be out of place here in Australia. In particular, the Island Brewing Small Hazy & Kura Kura Island Ale are two well-made and well-packaged local brews that offer widely available (and very welcome) Bintang alternatives. The Small Hazy, in particular, is a highlight, built in a style that could be a little brother to Mountain Culture’s GABS Hottest 100 2022 winning Status Quo Pale Ale.

Finally, I also enjoyed the Stark Wheat Ale (and the Dark Wheat Ale), which felt very much like trad German wheat beer styles. Nowhere near as widely available as the Island Brewing, but reasonable quality. There’s a Stark Brewing IPA (Indonesian Pale Ale) which felt like a take on an English IPA (but the Wheat Ale was better), although, at 5%, it’s more pale than classic IPA.

Incidentally, I did have one Bintang and yes, if you drink it ice cold it’s fine, like VB on a very hot day. But why would you when there are better alternatives for Bali drinking?