Wine writer RICHARD CALVER discovers the momentary joy of assembling his first ‘listicle’, with some reservations…

A listicle is a portmanteau of the words list and article. I recently read a listicle online that sought to “pair” the creation of “content” with a wine type. 

This theme seems to be aimed at those who undertake the occupation of content creator, a role that has become more common as social media is integrated with our everyday lives. 

My view? Social media is like waking up in a mental asylum. You have no idea you’re committed until you try to leave. Which thought led me to try to nail down what a content creator actually does. 

One advertisement I saw for a content creator indicated that the employer wanted people who could “create visually appealing and engaging social content that align with social media trends, nuances and brand aesthetic”. I have never tried to align a nuance but it sounds painful. 

In any event, the article is entitled 10 Content Types and Their Most Suitable Wine Pairings. It is in itself a listicle and describes the way to pair a wine with this style of content thus:

Listicles: The wine coolers of content.

People love lists – just look at Buzzfeed’s success. They’re palatable, accessible to everyone and ever-popular despite sometimes carrying a stigma of lower quality. Listicles tend to be lighthearted, quick and easy to read, just as wine coolers are enjoyable and refreshing for a summer barbecue on a warm day. Post listicles with some caution, however. Just as all the sugar in wine coolers can lead to upset stomachs, too many listicles can turn readers off.

Hmmm, I thought, I’ve never written a wine-related listicle, preferring to avoid wine coolers and, frankly, lists. But, hey, here it is. Three wines I’ve recently enjoyed:

1. The Vintner’s Daughter Rose 2022. This is from a Canberra District Winery and paired well with a yellow chicken curry cooked at home. My spreadsheet shows I paid $32 for this wine 18 months ago bought directly from the winery. It was fresh, crisp and dry. It had a clean finish and lovely berry flavours. Stephanie Helm is a marvellous winemaker and this rose is a good example of the application of her skill. 
2. Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2020. This is a Margaret River varietal that went well with a beef casserole. I bought a bottle on special from Vintage Cellars at only $21 and this was a good value-for-money wine that made me wish I’d bought more. The wine is purple in colour with a good tannic structure, but still smooth on the finish. It has an agreeable earthy flavour that would deepen with age. 
3. De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate Arneis 2022. I was given this wine by a couple with whom I visited Rutherglen. I had to come back to Canberra, but they stayed on and visited the De Bortoli cellar door. This wine had impressed them on taste, I was told, and the gift was a souvenir of good memories from our visit. It went well with salmon, the slight acidity cutting through the fish oil. Like most Arneis varietals, it had a refreshing pear finish and a hint of spice but it is not a sweet wine. It compares well with the local Pankhurst Arneis, which is one of my favourites. I sneaked an internet look at the price and it’s great value at $22 a bottle. 

And did you know there’s going to be a list published of the 10 most popular porn sites? What is the world coming to?