What to drink ... with charcuterie

UP TO $25

Bodegas Argueso San Leon Manzanilla, $17, 375ml

IF A charcuterie plate includes chorizo, fried morcilla and jamon, easily the best wine match is a dry sherry such as fino or manzanilla, which is produced only at Sanlucar de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, close to the Atlantic Ocean. The sea-salty breeze resonates in this sherry. This one from Bodegas Argueso is bone dry and ultra-fresh with a distinct chamomile fragrance. It's mouth-watering and has plenty of complexity, as it has been in barrel for seven years, protected by its layer of flor yeast. Enjoy it chilled. From Armadale Cellars.

UP TO $40

Scorpio Pinot Noir 2010, $40

PINOT noir with pork rillettes is a happy marriage as the wine's acidity can easily cut through the meaty richness. And Scorpo's 2010 pinot noir has plenty of tangy acidity to do just that. It's medium bodied and has a lovely interplay of sweet and sour cherry fruit - there's some rhubarb, too. But this is definitely a savoury wine, earthy with a hint of menthol and an appealing sappy pinot character, complex with firm tannins and a long finish. A very smart drink that will also age for another five or so years. From Nicks Wine Merchants.

OVER $40

Kumeu Rivermate's Vineyard Chardonnay, 2009, $65

THE Brajkovich family owns and runs Kumeu River, founded by the late, great Mate Brajkovich, one of New Zealand's wine pioneers. Today, his son Michael oversees the wines, and chardonnay rules. There are five in the stable, including excellent single-vineyard wines such as Mate's. The '09 is defined by its texture: all silky with a minerally presence, it's superfine yet there's generosity with its leesy character, dried figs and stone fruit, as well as some nuanced but superbly integrated oak. Enjoy with chicken liver parfait or terrine. From Prince Wine Store.

SPLURGE

Mosswood Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009, $105

CABERNET sauvignon needs some bottle age for it to truly reveal itself and this Moss Wood is no different, even if the tannins are velvety in such a youthful wine. While it easily has another 15 years ahead of it, today it's rich, ripe with liquorice and earthy blackcurrant, coffee and cola notes; dusty, cedary with some eucalypt adding to the wine's complexity. It's a full-bodied cabernet with real depth and not overworked. It goes well with Salumi Australia's strolghino (a prosciutto salami) and the cacciatorini piccante from La Latteria in Carlton. From Vintage Cellars.