Why you should watch Plonk, Australia’s Spinal Tap-esque wine mockumentary

The best-ever TV series about wine is not on TV. It's on the Web in one of those online productions that are giving network television a kick in the pants. The show is called Plonk, an Australian mockumentary about a hapless TV crew motoring through the countryside as they attempt to make serious television about wine. With five brief webisodes under its belt (and another season starting in June on Stan, Australia's answer to the Netflix streaming network), it's a blend of slapstick antics, situation comedy and satirical winespeak, brilliantly produced and acted by Nathan Earl, Joshua Tyler and Chris Taylor.

The trio is constantly forced to do retakes as they stumble over barrels, drool ungracefully into spittoons and get tongue-tied on words like "gewürztraminer." (You can watch the first 13-minute episode on YouTube) Think of it as Spinal Tap meets Sideways – with an Australian accent. Thanks to sponsors that include Hyundai and the New South Wales tourism board, the production values are more impressive than you'll find on most network TV, with swooping helicopter shots of Australia's majestic vineyards.

Wine drives the satire, but it's not the butt of the humour. We're mostly laughing at the superficiality of television in its attempt to grapple with a subject that, let's face it, makes for pretty dull viewing. (You've seen one barrel cellar, you've seen them all.) The coolest thing, though – and what gives Plonk its traction with wine lovers like you and me – is that Australia's industry has jumped into the farce with both feet.

Among the many real-life winemakers appearing on camera is Bruce Tyrrell, whose prominent 150-year-old family estate, Tyrrell's Wines, is another of the sponsors. On a visit to his Hunter Valley winery, fictional TV host Taylor throws a book away in frustration, accidentally hitting Tyrrell in the eye, which sends the winemaker to hospital with internal bleeding and a prognosis of potential blindness. "I guess a winemaker doesn't even really need to have his sight," says the insensitive Taylor to his research assistant in the emergency waiting room. "If I've blinded him, I've probably just done him a favour and heightened his other senses."

It's not the sort of storyline that most venerable producers in other countries would consider strategic to their brand image. (Imagine the owners of Lafite or Haut-Brion playing along with that sort of joke.) But Australia has always marched to a different drummer. Its industry mantra could be, "Make serious wine, but don't make wine too serious."

The 12-member marketing fraternity known as Australia's First Families of Wine, which includes Tyrrell's, is taking that sort of message across North America at public tasting events this month, with stops in Montreal on May 21, Toronto on May 26 and Vancouver on May 28. They're calling it the Tour de Force, an apt reference to such bold wines as those from the group's family-owned estates below. You won't find a drop of plonk in sight.

D'Arenberg The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (Australia)

SCORE: 93 PRICE: $49.95

Velvety and dense, this complex McLaren Vale red suggests succulent cassis and blackberry-liqueur fruitiness infused with dark chocolate, cigar and black pepper, with pleasantly sticky tannins for solid structure. Cellar it for up to 15 years and try it, later or sooner, with juicy steak. Various prices in Alta., $55.99 in N.S.

Henschke Henry's Seven 2013 (Australia)

SCORE: 92 PRICE: $42.95

A blend of shiraz, grenache, mataró and viognier, this intense red is named in tribute to the first seven acres of French and Spanish vines planted in South Australia by Henry Evans in 1853. (His alcohol-averse widow, Sarah, uprooted the vineyard upon his death.) Sweet blackberry preserves and plum get the show started, followed by bold, peppery spice, licorice and eucalyptus, with chewy tannins bringing things to a dry, satisfying conclusion. Perfect for saucy red meats. $44.79 in N.S.

Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2013 (Australia)

SCORE: 91 PRICE: $24.95

Yalumba's been in family hands since 1849 and has continued the pioneering spirit by championing relatively new varieties, such as viognier, an aromatic white grape from France, which yields compelling wine from Aussie soil. Medium-full-bodied, the Eden Valley 2013 embodies the variety's classic oily texture and notes of apricot, bitter orange and spice. An ideal match for Indian curries. Various prices in Alta., $24.50 in Que., $24.79 in N.S.

De Bortoli Gulf Station Shiraz Viognier 2010 (Australia)

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $19.95

A northern-Rhône-style blend of red shiraz with white viognier, De Bortoli's Gulf Station is medium-full-bodied and very ripe, with initial sweetness answered by spice and a whisper of herbs. A good choice for seared duck breast. Available in Ont.

Jim Barry The Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (Australia)

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $26.95

One could describe this as medium-bodied by Australian standards, its fresh acidity a hallmark of the cooler climate in Coonawarra, the country's cabernet capital, from which most of the fruit is sourced on a site that was once a cricket-playing ground. Poised and balanced, like the batsman on the label, it packs in sweet cherry fruit and juicy acidity, set against gently firm tannins. Pork chops, spicy sausages or hard cheeses would suit it well. Various prices in Alta., $27.55 in Que.

McWilliam's Canberra Syrah 2013 (Australia)

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $29.95

Full, chunky and well-structured, here's an energetic syrah showing cheerful candy-store berry fruit laced with cracked pepper, dark coffee and an aromatic nuance of herbs. Perfect for spice-rubbed roast poultry or red meats. Available in Ont.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2013 (Australia)

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $17.95

The white variety marsanne, often found in Rhône blends, gets star treatment in this floral, balanced example from the Nagambie Lakes district, 120 kilometres north of Melbourne, where Tahbilk was established in 1860. Light-medium-bodied, the wine hints at orchard blossoms, citrus and spice and should develop intriguing notes of nuts and honey with a few more years in bottle. A good match for medium-weight fish. Various prices in Alta.

Tyrrell's Brookdale Semillon 2013 (Australia)

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $24.95

Pale straw in colour and weighing in at just 11-per-cent alcohol, typical of delicate Hunter Valley Semillon, Tyrrell's 2013 Brookdale starts with a flinty nose that gives way to flavours of juicy pear and tangy lemon, with more intensity on the palate than your eyes might lead you to expect. Light shellfish dishes are in order, though this would gain honeyed complexity with a few years in the cellar.