Today is Australia Day, a national public holiday Down Under commemorating the founding on 26 January 1788 of the colony of New South Wales. (At the time, California, for example, was ruled by Spain.) Here in London the annual Australia Day wine tasting is being held today but, for obvious reasons, this trade showcase tends to be dominated by the bigger companies.

I feel extremely lucky to have been sent recently two particularly exciting collections of fine Australian wines from small-scale producers, the sort of outfits that are making the lives of wine enthusiasts in Australia so stimulating at the...