AussiewinemakersareembracingItalian
varieties,andthey'reknockingit outofthe
park.Mike Bennie shares his top drops.@mikebennie101 @mikebennie101I N N OVAT I V EITALIANKOERNERPIGATO
VERMENTINO2018,$30
Anintriguingwhite
grapethatis fermented
onitsskins,thisis
a wineofinterestand
highdrinkability.It's
reminiscentoftonicwater
witha refreshingsqueeze
oflemon,thoughthere's
moregoingon,and
texturallyit'slightly
chalky and very frisky.LATTATRANQUIL
NEBBIOLO2018,$35
OwenLattais a brilliant
winemaker,reinventing
muchofwhatweexpect
fromItaliangrapevarieties
in Australia.Thisnebbiolo
comesoutmorelikea rosé
orverylightredandis
verydelicioustodrink.It
woulddressupanItalian
dinner party well.QUEALYPOBBLEBONK
2018,$25Quealyhas
curiouslyfermented
togetherItalianvarieties
pinotgrigio,friulanoand
moscatogiallowithmore
commonlyfoundriesling
andchardonnay.The
resultis a complex,wildly
deliciouswhiteofslippery
textureandhugeperfume,
perfect for casual drinking.CALABRIAPRIVATEBIN
AGLIANICO2016,$15
Aglianicois oneofthose
almostthirst-quenching
redwines,highin natural
aciditywhichlendsa
crunchinesstothetexture.
It'sprettyin perfume,light,
gentlyspicyandvibrantto
taste.I'dseespagbol,pizza
orlasagnein itsnearfuture.
And maybe a light chill.DELINQUENTEHELL
SERIESREDBLEND2018,
$33Froma younger-
generationwinemaker
andanorganicvineyard
intheRiverlandwine
region,thisunusualblend
ofmontepulcianoandnero
d'avolais a redoffleshy
textureandrichness,but
vibrantspiceandgreen
herbcharacter.Pairit with
heartier Italian fare.VIGNERONKATHLEENQUEALYis one
ofAustralia’spioneersofItaliangrape
varietiesandstyles.Beforepinotgrigio
wasubiquitouswithsummerfunand
casualdrinking(andnowmorecomplex
versionsofthevariety),Quealyandher
winemakerhusbandKevinMcCarthy
wereaheadofthecurve.
“Italiangrapevarietiesarewell-suitedto
‘ourplace’andAustralia,”offersQuealy.
“TheItalianvarietiesandblendscome
withinherentdrinkabilityandinterest,not
tomentiona synergywithfood.”Quealy's
MorningtonPeninsulapinotgrigiosare
outstandingandhelpedcementthe
varietyin Australiandrinkingculture.
Indeed,Italianwinesseeminherently
linkedtofoodandculture,and
havebecometouchstonesfor
winemakersseekingtoproduce
friendlywineswell-suitedtoourlove
ofal frescoeatinganddrinking.
Also,therisingimpactofclimate
changehasshiftedthegazetoSouthern-
Italiangrapevarieties.Hence,grapeslike
theincreasinglypopularvermentino,nero
d’Avola,fianoandaglianicoaremaking
groundin ourdrinkingvernacular.
Younger-generationproducershave
beenflockingtothesevarietiesand
puttingan‘Australianaccent’onmanyof
them.Young-gunwinemakerOwenLatta
hasa particularaffinityforpinotgrigio,
makingskin-contact‘orangewines’with
thevariety,buthisbestwinescomefrom
thegrapevarietyofPiedmontnebbiolo.
“There’sjustsomuchinterestin these
varieties,youdon’thavetoover-makethe
wines;theyjusthappentohaveinterest
andgoodflavourandweight”.
WinemakingduoDamonandJono
Koernerhavebeenquietlyreinventing
theimageofClareValley,withbright,
texturalstyles.“Italianvarietiesbring
aboutfreshnessandpurityin whites,and
forusredsneedtoshowlivelinessand
vitality.Inessence,Italianvarieties,
innovativelyhandled,havebecome
wines for our Australian lifestyle.”delicious.com.au/drinks
ToperusemoreofMike’s
favourite drinks. MIKE BENNIE IS ALSO CO-OWNER OF A SYDNEY-BASED WINE AND LIQUOR RETAIL BUSINESSMOOROODUCPINOT
GRISONSKINS2018,$40
Thougha traditional
MorningtonPeninsula
pinotnoirandchardonnay-
focusedproducer,this
skin-fermentedgrisis a
greatadditiontotherange.
It'slightlychewyin texture,
rosé-likein itsfeel,fragrant
andcharming.Getthe
fancy glasses and jump in.DRINKS.
26 delicious.com.au