Australian_Gourmet_Traveller_2017

2017 Vigna Cantina

Rosato di Sangiovese,

Eden Valley, $25

Don’t be fooled by the

delicate hue. This is pink

wine with plenty of savoury

flavour and terrific tangy,

mouth-tingling freshness.

It pairs wonderfully well

with char-grilled fish.

torzimatthews.com.au

2010 Tedeschi Capitel

Monte Olmi, Amarone

della Vapolicella, $217

One of the best examples

of amarone – vino di

meditazione – I’ve ever

tasted (and I’ve tasted lots):

stunningly rich, pure black

cherries, wrapped in layers

of chewy tannin. Imported

by enoteca.com.au

2017 Margan Albarino,

Hunter Valley, $30

Grown miles from the sea,

but exactly the kind of

white you want when

there’s seafood on the

table. Crisp and tangy and

refreshing, it has lovely

succulent melon fruit

flavours that linger on the

palate. margan.com.au

2011 Tim Adams Reserve

Riesling, Clare Valley, $29

This is an extremely

reasonable price to pay

for a classic Clare riesling

with five years’ bottle

age. Still fresh and

lime-juicy, but beginning

to fill out with toasty,

savoury richness.

timadamswines.com.au

Leclerc Briant Brut

Réserve, Épernay, $90

The Champagnes of Leclerc

Briant, now available in

Australia, deserve to be

widely known. I love the

fresh fruit and finesse in

this non-vintage; the Brut

Rosé and 2007 Millésime

are also superb. Imported

by frenchvine.com.au

Rosa – and is garnished

with both orange and lemon.

And others see the Spritz

as more of a concept than

a recipe. This Must be the

Place in Sydney’s Oxford

Street, for instance, is billed

as a Spritz bar and always has

a few variations on offer – but the Gloss Spritz, for

example, with its strawberry, Ketel One Citroen,

watermelon riesling and rosewater, is not

something you’d be likely to encounter in Italy.

Ever since my first Spritz encounter in Venice

(it was a Campari Spritz, by the way), I’ve

experimented with various ingredients and

combinations. I’ve found – as have many others

• that the 3-2-1 rule is a good guide to mixing a
  perfect version of the drink: three parts sparkling
  wine, two parts bitter liqueur, one part soda
  water. Some people advocate using a rocks glass,
  some a large-bowled wine glass. I like to go
  halfway with a stemless wine glass that’s roomy
  enough for plenty of ice and a citrus slice.
  And I know the Spritz is a classic Italian
  aperitivo, but I find myself mixing an all-Aussie
  version on warm, golden Australian afternoons,
  using a good prosecco from Dal Zotto in Victoria’s
  King Valley, the brilliantly dark, bitter Red Økar
  riberry-based liqueur made in the Adelaide Hills,
  Capi soda water, a slice of Mildura-grown
  blood orange, and a home-cured green
  olive from my backyard. ●

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“Many people

both in Italy and

beyond assume

that ordering

a Spritz means

you’ll get an

Aperol-flavoured

sparkling drink.”

Drinks

GOURMET TRAVELLER 55

PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREW FINLAYSON (SPRITZ) & RODNEY MACUJA (TOP DROPS). ILLUSTRATION LAUREN HAIRE