On my travels to Australia, I have been lucky enough to make countless discoveries, thanks to The Wine Society’s conviction that spending time on the ground with our growers is vital. It’s just one of the commitments that sets us apart from our competitors and translates into tangible benefits for our members. On my visits, I’ve been lucky enough to unearth some top-quality wines and fascinating producers not found outside their home country.
This wine, which I decided to bottle under our Bin Series label is just such a find. It comes from LS Merchants, a winery based in the stunning oceanside region of Margaret River in Western Australia. It’s owned and operated by dynamic duo Dylan and Taryn Arvidson (pictured above), along with a rag-tag team of talented young wine enthusiasts. Thanks to an admirably successful domestic mail-order wine club, Dylan has license to experiment with different grape varieties, winemaking techniques and styles to delight their dedicated Aussie followers.
While we are the only customers in the northern hemisphere lucky enough to get our hands on their wines, to date we have focused on more expected regional classics – chardonnay, chenin blanc and cabernet sauvignon. But when I visited LS Merchants in 2023, I discovered a wine that I just fell in love with and was determined to buy for our members to enjoy too. Made from the vermentino grape, it’s pretty unusual, but particularly delicious!
Meet Dylan Arvidson, owner and winemaker at LS Merchants
Widely considered to be native to Liguria, north-west Italy, vermentino also thrives near to the Tyrrhenian Sea in a number of regions, including Sardinia, Corsica (vermentu) and even in the Languedoc-Roussillon (where it’s known as rolle). In fact, there’s more vermentino in southern France than in its homeland now. Given the variety’s evident love of the sea, it’s perhaps no surprise that the very small amount which can be found in Margaret River also thrives in such close proximity to the Indian Ocean, albeit taking on its own unique style here.
The only 100% Margaret River vermentino in the UK
There isn’t a lot of vermentino planted in Margaret River and only a small handful of producers working with the variety. It’s certainly not easy to find and there’s no evidence of a 100% Margaret River vermentino available in the UK at all, making this a particularly excellent opportunity to try it! Surprising perhaps, given how delicious this wine is, but also perhaps less surprising when chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon are the varieties that pay the bills in this part of Australia.
Admittedly, I was initially reluctant to spend time tasting LS Merchants’ take on this European white variety as I just didn’t think there would be much point! It’s not the focus of the region, would doubtless be a hard sell and the Italians already do a fantastic job with it. However, keen not to be too dismissive I agreed to try it and was thoroughly impressed. The terroir here has given the wine a distinctly salty and citrusy character, almost margarita-like, with an additional lick of tropical fruit and a real vivacity. The ocean-spray freshness and delicate note of green kelp combine with mouthwatering bitter-lemon, green-apple, white-berry and seashell notes. Crucially though, there is texture too, making this as delicious on the palate as it comes across on the nose.
The terroir here has given the wine a distinctly salty and citrusy character, almost margarita-like, with an additional lick of tropical fruit and a real vivacity.
In fact, my curiosity was so piqued that I took the rest of the bottle to a local restaurant and drank it with a friend. The wine completely came into its own when paired with seafood, with the salinity and citrus zest acting as a delicious seasoning to the fresh-caught shellfish, while the bright, ripe fruit and intriguing texture were more than a match for meatier fish dishes. I was sold, as I hope you will be!
Given the rarity of Margaret River vermentino in the UK and given the sheer enjoyment it offers, I felt it was thoroughly deserving of a spotlight and arranged for it to be bottled as a Bin Series wine. The 2025 vintage is every bit as good as I found the 2023 and 2024 vintages to be, which demonstrates real consistency of quality from this unsung, delicious, oceanside white wine.
