If you've been looking for a way to actually drink good Australian wine in the US — not just the stuff that makes it onto Trader Joe's shelves — the How to Drink Australian wine club is one of the best discoveries I've shared with this community. And the summer box (box #7) might be their most adventurous lineup yet. An aglianico sparkling rosé, cool-climate Tasmanian riesling, skin-contact WA aromatics, and an aged Macedon pinot noir that ranks among Australia's best.
How to Drink Australian is run out of the US by people who know Australian wine better than just about anyone (and me), and they curate quarterly boxes that go well beyond the big commercial labels you'd find in a supermarket. Every box introduces you to six small producers, organic growers, family-run estates, and quietly celebrated winemakers who've been quietly making some of the best wine in the world — most of which never crosses the Pacific.
Here's what's in the summer 2026 box, and why each one is worth your time.
Chalmers Col Fondo 2024 — Heathcote, VIC
A sparkling rosé made from 100% aglianico — and almost certainly unlike anything you've had before. Aglianico is a southern Italian grape, and the Chalmers family has spent decades bringing Italian varieties to Australia through their nursery business (they've introduced close to 70 new clones and varieties since the 1980s).
This is a traditional method sparkling, undisgorged, which means a bit of the spent yeast stays in the bottle. That's what gives it the gorgeous cloudy pink color and the extra texture. It's the kind of bottle that makes you the most popular person at any gathering.
Pairs with: Antipasto — cured meats, cheeses, pickles. Any summer grazing board will sing with this one.
Stargazer Riesling 2024 — Coal River Valley, TAS
Tasmania is home to some of the cleanest air on the planet, genuinely wild Tasmanian devils, and some of the world's most exciting cool-climate wines. Sam Connew grew up in New Zealand, worked vintages across Oregon, Italy, and Spain, spent ten years as senior winemaker at McLaren Vale's Wirra Wirra, and then started her own label in Tasmania's Coal River Valley.
Her approach to riesling is different to the classic Eden or Clare Valley styles — she harvests later, uses only ambient yeast, leaves a touch of residual sugar, and ferments in concrete and neutral oak. The result is a riesling with tension and fleshiness in equal measure. If you loved the Eden Valley riesling in box #6, this shows you the other side of the coin.
Pairs with: Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian food — anything aromatic with a bit of spice.
Murdoch Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2025 — Adelaide Hills, SA
Sauvignon blanc done right. Michael Downer took over his family's estate in 2012 after studying oenology and working at Shaw + Smith (Adelaide Hills), Vietti (Barolo), and Best's Great Western (Grampians). He's since transformed Murdoch Hill from a quiet grape grower into one of the most awarded wineries in the Adelaide Hills.
The estate sits at over 1,100 feet in the Onkaparinga Valley, on sandy loam soils with pockets of quartz and ironstone — ideal for cool-climate varieties. The wine itself is fresh, aromatic, balanced, and never too grassy. If you've ever wished Sancerre were a bit more fun, this is your bottle.
Pairs with: Oysters, crudo with citrus, seafood generally, or a lemony salad. Also great with Thai and Vietnamese.
Minimum White 2022 — Goulburn Valley, VIC
Matt Purbrick grew up with wine (his family owns Tahbilk, one of Australia's most historic wineries), but came back to it through organic farming. He and his wife took over their vineyard in 2017 and immediately set about converting it to organics and regenerative practices — cover crops, compost teas, no chemicals or pesticides, advanced water-saving.
The vineyard was certified organic in 2020, and Minimum is now also a certified B Corp. They commit at least 5% of revenue to positive social and environmental impact, including 1% to Indigenous custodians and 1% to the planet (they've planted 10,000 trees so far).
The wine itself is layered with herbal and floral complexity — proof that doing good in the world and making great wine aren't separate pursuits.
Pairs with: Buttery mushrooms, bloomy rind cheeses, roast chicken. There's a cider-like quality that makes it a really versatile food wine.
Vino Volta Different Skins 2023 — Swan Valley, WA
This is the curveball of the box. A skin-contact blend of 53% frontignac and 47% gewürztraminer — two aromatic grapes that are typically used for sweet wines. Except this one is bone dry, salmon-hued from the skin contact, and unlike anything else you've got in your cellar.
Garth Cliff and Kristen McGann have between them over 50 years of wine industry experience. Garth was the winemaker at Houghton — the Swan Valley's oldest and most renowned winery — for 10 years before they started Vino Volta in 2018. The Swan Valley is Western Australia's oldest wine region, and these two have single-handedly redefined what it's capable of.
Pairs with: Anything. Seriously. The aromatic qualities make it great for Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese. It also has qualities of both a white and a red, so you can take it from fish to steak without hesitation.
Attwoods Glenlyon Pinot Noir 2020 — Macedon Ranges, VIC
This is the headline act. Troy Walsh started his career as a sommelier in top London restaurants before heading to Burgundy to work for Domaine de L'Arlot and Domaine David Duband — two of the most respected pinot noir producers in the world. He returned to Australia and founded Attwoods in 2010 with his wife Jane.
The Glenlyon Vineyard sits at 500m above sea level on the outskirts of the Macedon Ranges — one of Victoria's coldest vineyard sites. It's organically farmed, with low yields and a tiny production of just 300 dozen bottles. Wines are whole-bunch fermented in large open-top oak, spend 18 months in oak, and another year in bottle before release.
Six years of age, tiny production, organic farming, Burgundian precision. This is Australian pinot noir at its absolute pinnacle — the kind of bottle you cellar, or the kind you open for the right person on the right night.
Pairs with: Classic Burgundy pairings. Roast duck or chicken, morels, cassoulet, black truffles.
How to Get the Box
The How to Drink Australian wine club ships quarterly boxes of Australian wine across the US. If you've been wanting to explore what Australian wine is really capable of beyond the supermarket labels, this is the easiest way to do it.
You can join the club and order the summer box through the link below. Orders for this box close on June 1!
Get 10% off the summer wine box here with code AMERICAJOSH10
From aglianico bubbles to aged Macedon pinot, this box is a reminder that Australian wine isn't one thing — it's being written in real time by passionate people in extraordinary places. Pour a glass, invite some friends, and enjoy the ride.
Wine drinkers must be 21 or over. How to Drink Australian is an America Josh partner and co-run by Josh.
Thanks for sharing these insights into the Australian wine scene—especially love how you highlighted the diversity and quality of wines that are gaining traction in the U.S. market. It’s refreshing to see a focus on authentic, seasonal selections that bring a new perspective to wine drinking. Would be curious to hear more about the pairing suggestions or the stories behind some of these wineries.