For those that have followed along with the mixed packs, you have likely encountered one of our 'versus' themes before, and given that we are going down the alternate varietals route we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take it to the next level.

Australia is the lucky country in so many ways, and when in the world of wine, we are luckier than most. While we don't have the millennia of winemaking that Europe does or generations of traditions to draw upon, we do have one of the most dynamic industries around. And the best part of that is we are not bogged down by the rules and regulations like our Euro counterparts. We don't have to conform to some rigid winemaking laws or have some organisation tell us what we can and can't plant here or there and how we can make it. We have embraced that ethos and are making the most of our resources, taking the best of what we see overseas and bringing it here. That means one of the most diverse ranges of plantings around and pa lethora of styles to go along with it. 

So, to celebrate, we are doing a little who wore it best of the wine world, picking three whites from Australia to go up against their French, Italian, and Greek counterparts. It's a very cool pack if we do say so ourselves, and we think might hold a lot of surprises for interested drinkers.

This month's packs see one of Greece's greatest vinous exports in Assyrtiko, going up against one of the only versions of the grape in Australia we know. Aligote has blasted onto the scene here and is making a comeback in France, so this will be an interesting pair indeed. Last, we have the master of Italy's northeast varietals scene, Kathleen Queal,y going up against the classically styled Ronco de Tassi in an international header you won't want to miss.

An appealing white wine of gentle savouriness, brightness of fruit alongside that, floral lift and saline minerality. Yes thanks. It feels quite racy in texture but there's oatmeal and ginger biscuit qualities under tart lime and green apple fruitiness. The perfume is loaded with citrus blossom florals, sea spray, lime and ginger. A racy finish lends ultimate freshness. A very good vibe here. MIKE BENNIE, Halliday Wine Companion

I quite often make some puerile word play around the name of the grape variety, but I’ll  park it this year, lest I seem too asinine.

A white flower perfume, lemon, green apple, dried herbs. It’s bright and crisp, with a lime in gin and tonic flavour, quite some bite to it, and a lightly chalky finish of good length. There’s something of a Watervale Riesling character to this wine too, except it pulls more bitter and grippy, which is the point of difference. It’s pretty frisky, perhaps a bit light on, and likely needs a little more time in bottle. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

Very pale lemon colour. Citrus and sweet pastry aromatics. Palate leans into apples and lemon, with a crunchy acid line that keeps things light and vibrant. Good length: as it runs there’s a saline minerality which furthers its appeal. STUART KNOX, The Real Review

These crazy cats at Jim Barry really took a chance here and its starting to pay off. This vintage is looking really bloody good and give a it a couple of more years of vine age (these are still quite young) and it will be giving its counterpart in Greece a run for the money... if it's not already.

Gaia Estate is one of the pioneers of the modern Greek wine revolution, founded on the Aegean island of Santorini in 1994 by winemakers Leon Karatsalos and Yiannis Paraskevopoulos (who also opened a winery in Nemea, on the mainland, in 1997). Made since the island winery’s inception, Thalassitis challenged the standards for dry Greek wine, and today remains one of the standard-bearers of the indigenous Assyrtiko grape.

Fruit for this wine is sourced from very low-yielding, self-rooted 80-year-old vines on volcanic slopes of up to 250m in Episkopi, Akrotiri and Pyrgos. It is unoaked to accentuate the fruit purity and distinctive minerality, sees no malolactic fermentation in order to retain freshness, and is left on lees for four months with regular stirring to add texture and complexity.

Tina Gellie: Minerals galore. Like the smell of rain, the taste of wet slate, with a briny oyster shell tang. When the fruit shows through it is all fresh lemon juice – crisp, bright and bitey. Takes you straight to Greece and the sea and salty air – just needs sun and some grilled octopus. Anne Krebiehl MW: Slightly lemony, bright, but also with a waxy edge lending richness and texture to a salty, slender, stony wine. Michaela Morris :A slightly wild leesy funkiness to the aromas, yet clean and brilliantly unoaked. Fruit purity shows through. The palate is confident with lemon pith, green scrubby herbs and stone. Very steely, stately acidity with a belting finish. (95) DECANTER 

There isn't a ton of Aligote around Aus and it's somewhat surprising given our love affair with chardonnay that it's making the headways it is. Not that we are complaining. This sometimes skinny varietal seems to flourish in the warmth here, adding some much-needed flesh to its bones. ITs funny too because that seems to be the trend with the best producers in France who are letting their aligote hang a little longer on the vines. The result in both countries is some absolutely smashable gear and looks like a pincer move for this varietal by France and Australia. Good stuff!

Given the small volume, this is fully de-stemmed as opposed to the typical 50% de-stemmed and 50% whole cluster for carbonic. Wine was fermented with ambient yeast on skins for 2 weeks and pressed to 2 x 6 year old Bossuet 500 Lt Puncheons. No adds other than a small organic yeast hulls to aid fermentation and a small amount of So2 pre bottling. 

Gentle spice, herbaceous alpine edge brings freshness, cranberry and bright cherry fruits. Red spectrum rather than blue black of the spiritual home of Gamay but delicious and dangerously drinkable nonetheless. 

François Carillon Bourgogne Aligoté is a perfect example of how Aligoté can transcend its humble reputation when grown in top terroirs and treated with the same care as Chardonnay. The Bourgogne Aligoté is sourced from Puligny-Montrachet and Cropeau, where François Carillon cultivates the rare Aligoté Jaune Doré clone, prized for its richer texture and vibrant acidity. The vines, over 60 years old, grow in clay-limestone soils, contributing to the wine’s characteristic minerality and depth.

The grapes are directly pressed whole-cluster upon arrival at the winery. The must undergoes natural clarification before being transferred to oak barrels, where both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place. The wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, followed by 6 months in large foudres, enhancing its structure and complexity. Depending on the vintage, gentle filtration and fining are performed before bottling to ensure clarity and precision.

A classic yet elegantly structured Aligoté, this wine showcases bright notes of lemon zest, white peach, and green apple, interwoven with hints of white flowers and crushed stone. Lively and fresh, with crisp acidity, a subtle touch of toasted hazelnut from the oak aging, and a distinct chalky minerality. Long and refined, with a lingering impression of citrus, wet stone, and a whisper of salinity. A True Expression of Burgundy’s White Wines

Straw-gold colour, a touch of haze noted. Honeyed ginger, cumin and persimmon fruit aromatics. A savoury palate, grapefruit and cumquat at the core with layers of African spices, ginger and mandarin peel built over the top of it. Carries long with distinct tannins drying the finish. A lot happening here and will benefit from serving with food. STUART KNOX, The Real Review 

The variety behind some of northeast Italy’s most exciting whites, Friulano (né Tocai Friulano) first landed in Australia in the 1970s. Quealy sourced its cuttings from the vineyard of Slovenian émigré Denis Pasut in Mildura, grafting over a block of 1996 Chardonnay at their Balnarring vineyard as early as 2004. Above all, quality Friulano needs two things: low yields and lots of attention. “Friulano is a bugger to work with, but well worth the effort,” notes Tom McCarthy. That’s perhaps why the variety has yet to take off in Australia. Quealy manages yields at flowering—in effect, halving the already low potential yields from this certified-organic, dry-grown site—and manages the canopy prudently to manage sun exposure.

Notes of beeswax and honey with ripe pears and citrus peel on offer. Medium-bodied with a silky, polished texture and attractive stone fruit crunchiness. Delicious and textured. Drink now. JAMES SUCKLING

This small gem in the heart of Collio was established in 1989 by highly respected oenologist Fabio Coser. Fabio’s career as a consulting oenologist allowed him privileged knowledge of the area’s terroir so that by the time he chose a property of his own, he already knew the Collio like the back of his hand. Ronco dei Tassi was named after the population of badgers (tassi) on the estate, which like to carry out some grape selection of their own and steal the sweetest bunches. Of what’s left, Fabio and son Enrico craft into stylish, elegant and characterful wines. From fifty year old vines, this is aged mostly in stainless steel with a small portion going through malolactic in old barriques. Straw yellow with green highlights, the nose displays acacia flowers and the palate is distinctly varietal with citrus fruit, pear, liquorice & almond.