Sangiovese is Italy’s most widely planted grape variety, responsible for reds that range from simple weekday slurpers through to some of the country’s most iconic wines (with price points to match). That breadth of style can be pinned to its combination of approachable fruit flavour – predominantly red and black cherries, with a savoury streak of dried herbs or leather – and its high acidity and firm tannins, which can provide the best examples with serious cellar-worthiness. In Australia, sangiovese didn’t really start making inroads until the late 1980s, and poor genetic material gave it a slow start. But with higher-quality cuttings now available for growers, and a surge of interest in Italian varieties amongst consumers, sangiovese is currently making quite an impression, and is popping up in most of Australia’s wine regions. Seven years after our inaugural Deep Dive into Sangiovese, and two years after our most recent tasting on the topic, we thought it was high time to take another Deep Dive into this ‘alternative’ variety that’s on the cusp of the mainstream …
We gathered every example of Australian sangiovese that we could find and set our expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines. Below are the wines that made the panellists’ top-six selections from the tasting.
Our panel: Michael Dal Zotto, vigneron, Dal Zotto Wines; Madeleine Marson, vigneron, Vinea Marson; Joel Pizzini, vigneron, Pizzini Wines; Audrey Donovan, sommelier, Marion; Conor Brasier, winemaker, Mt. Bera Heritage Estate; Clarissa Lorenzato, sommelier, From Here By Mike; Jordan Veltheer, wine communicator, Vino Champ and Club Vino.
The Top Wines
This isn’t an ordered countdown. There’s no ranking – just the top six wines each panellist found most compelling from the blind tasting, in all their different ways. Everyone’s palate is different, and that’s the point.
2026 Georgiadis Estates Sangiovese, Barossa Valley $28 RRP
Both Veltheer and Lorenzato claimed this among their standout six picks from the blind tasting. Veltheer was overcome by playful fruit character: “I feel like I’ve just been slapped in the face by nostalgia,” he said. “Intense confectionary notes of Allen’s Red Frogs and red liquorice making way for a red fruit party – who’s invited, you ask? Raspberries, cherries, red currants and cranberries. No need for a serious tannic structure here – it’s just good times backed up with a fresh line of acidity to clean up after the party.” Lorenzato found sensory resonance with summer memories and elegant aromatics. “Ripe citrus fruits like blood orange and grapefruit,” she began. “The smell is warm – it reminds me of the end of summer in Italy, when citrus fruits are ripening and with the hot temperatures you are surrounded by the warm smell of their oils and skins. The smell of fruit and their leaves – a very elegant one. A beautiful minty note cuts through the fruit, with a tomato leaf note. Tomato skin is another aroma that brings back memories. It’s August and you just finished making tomato sauce with Nonna. Those sun-baked tomato skins – that’s what you smell in this wine.” On the palate, Lorenzato found softness and mineral character. “In the mouth it’s soft, mineral and sapid, with a nice round feeling and a subtle hint of blood orange sweetness. Fabulous wine.”
Both Marson and Pizzini made this one of their standout six from the blind tasting. Marson found freshness and elegant restraint: “A mix of red and purple fruits on the nose with some floral lift – dried strawberries and tart red cherries, with oak shavings and terracotta,” she said. “A typical nose, yet quite pleasing. The palate shows lovely juiciness, well casing pretty tannins, with fresh strawberries and cherries, a lick of balsamic and deft oak. Good acidity throughout, though not as lengthy as it could be. But a fresh, nice example – probably my favourite of the bracket.” Pizzini was captivated by the wine’s aromatic exoticism and elegant structure: “Garnet purple in colour,” he noted, “with intoxicating notes of exotic spices and tobacco. Sweet, earthy and elegant on the palate – fruity and pure, with a nice line running through. Earth, leather and spiced plums create complexity, leading to a long, persistent finish.”
2024 La Cantina Sangiovese, King Valley $28 RRP
Both Dal Zotto and Lorenzato chose this as one of their standout six selections from the blind tasting. Dal Zotto appreciated the wine’s clean architecture and savoury depth: “Purple hue, clean with no signs of colour degradation,” he said. “Dried herbs, dark cherry and hints of mocha chocolate on the nose, leading to clean plum and savoury notes on the palate. Dark cherry and tobacco follow, with firm tannins and clean acidity.” Lorenzato was enchanted by the wine’s aromatic journey and imagined place: “A deep ruby colour with a light garnet nuance,” she began. “A jammy cherry nose invites you to smell longer – that very dark cherry that when ripe is so sweet. A lovely, refreshing aroma of undergrowth brings everything together: the cherries, the berries, minty notes with a touch of wood and wet leaves. I like it finishes with a note of candied orange skin and acacia honey. A nice walk in the forest that ends in a shelter where a juicy braised roast is waiting for dinner.”
Both Lorenzato and Donovan selected this among their finest six picks from the blind tasting. Lorenzato was transported by the wine’s place-specific aromatics: “This wine brought me to a wedding in the countryside at the end of spring,” she said. “The flowers are red and dry, it’s warm, and the cherries have been harvested, though some on the trees are still overripe. Wood mixes its aroma with resin. Plum syrup, herbs and pink pepper follow. The freshness on the palate is like a cool breeze on a hot day, nicely balanced, closing with a surprising raw honey note.” Donovan was captivated by the wine’s dual nature – playful fruit giving way to subtle depth: “Crushed violets and a whole lot of fruit explode out of the glass first – raspberry frogs, baked strawberry tarts, blueberries and redcurrants all fighting for their moment in the spotlight,” she began. “It’s bright, pretty, and almost nostalgic, like opening bag full of a type of lolly you haven’t seen since you were a kid. But once on the palate, there’s a little more going on beneath all that fruit – bright acidity gives everything a lively kick of freshness, while sandy tannins sit underneath and keep the wine grounded, giving it shape without stealing away any juicy fruit character. The violets return, weaving through the berries and giving the finish a lovely floral lift. What starts as a burst of fun quickly becomes something with more depth and structure – playful at first, certainly, but with the grace to pair beautifully with pizza on the couch or slow-roasted lamb.”
2024 Santa & D’Sas ‘… ish’ Sangiovese, King Valley $30 RRP
Both Dal Zotto and Lorenzato chose this as one of their standout six from the blind tasting. Dal Zotto appreciated the wine’s savoury character and momentum on the palate: “Red brick, cherry and strawberry notes with hints of chinotto on the nose,” he said. “Dried herbs and savouriness on the palate complement firm tannins and supple acidity. Good length gives the wine drive through the palate.” Lorenzato was delighted by the wine’s playful, confectionery-like appeal: “This is a fun one,” she began. “First sniff: strawberry cotton candy! It’s a wine that paints the world pink around you. Then: red berry lollies, face powder, Polish dog-rose jam, poached rhubarb. In your mouth all these aromas keep going, with a buttery texture adding a note of white chocolate.”
2025 Coriole ‘The New Australian Collection’ Sangiovese, McLaren Vale $30 RRP
Both Marson and Donovan gave this a place in their top six from the blind tasting. Marson found structure and food-friendly appeal in a darker expression: “Darker cherries and fruit with a little brooding intensity,” she said. “Savouriness comes through too. The palate is bright and crisp, with nice prominent tannins better encased in fruit than in other examples. A brooding mix of sweet and savoury shows more layering than elsewhere in the line-up, with good acidity throughout. This would be a good food wine, though it could have a touch more fruit concentration and persistence on the palate. Still, it’s bright and enjoyable – a lovely Italo-Australian iteration.” Donovan celebrated the wine’s darker ripeness and savoury structure. “This wine shows a darker and riper expression of sangiovese, with baked strawberries and blueberries wafting from the glass alongside a touch of red liquorice – everything I love and enjoy about this grape,” she said. “This fruit carries through onto the palate, tasting almost like fresh mixed-berry compote, packed with blueberries, mulberries, strawberries and blackberries. There’s good structure here, too, with sangiovese’s classic fine tannins hugging the palate and increasing the perception of the wine’s savoury edge of dill and balsamic. The finish is long and lingering, wanting you to savour every last sip – and why not share that experience with friends over a home-made ragù?”
2024 Redman Sangiovese, Limestone Coast $30 RRP
Brasier selected this among his standout six picks from the blind tasting, captivated by its structured intensity and textural presence: “One of the more structured wines of the day – bigger, bolder, more brooding,” he said. “Aromatics of plum skin and bay leaf sit on the richer end of the red fruit spectrum without falling into flabbiness or cooked characters. The palate shows red liquorice, fennel seed and a touch of allspice. Lovely texture and mid-palate density fill the mouth before finishing with length given by chewy, well-integrated tannins and brightness from vibrant acidity. To pair with this, think wild game, open fire, and rustic bread under a clear night sky.”
2024 Village Wines by Merth Vineyard ‘Sangiovese Nouveau’, Heathcote $32 RRP
Both Veltheer and Marson claimed this among their favourite six from the blind tasting. Veltheer was enchanted by the wine’s juicy appeal and textural balance: “Beautiful jammy plum compote with the most luscious mouthfeel makes way for Allen’s Red Frogs, redcurrants, and just a hint of tomato leaf to give it excellent contrast,” he said. “Very sneaky, subtle tannins and the perfect amount of acidity. An incredible drop to slurp in the sunshine – but there’s also enough elements here to make it a perfect pizza wine.” Marson found a wine that bridged sweetness and savoury complexity: “Evocative nose – more sweet-fruited and fragrant, with a real mix of sweet and savoury on the second smell,” she noted. “There’s a nice broodiness here on the nose, with pretty red and purple fruits. There’s a prettiness to the palate too – bright and fresh, with some nice sweet fruit notes, perhaps from a cooler climate than some other wines. Admirable length on the finish, with tannins well encased and a little bit of heft. Definitely a favourite of the bracket.”
2025 Mr. Mick Sangiovese, Clare Valley $19 RRP
Both Veltheer and Brasier picked this as part of their standout six from the blind tasting. Veltheer was captivated by the wine’s perfumed complexity and structural elegance: “The most intoxicating perfumed violets and purple roses giving way to tart red plum and underripe strawberries,” he said. “Lovely grippy tannins with a hint of quince, however there’s this creeping acidity that makes this a very well-structured wine but also extremely moreish. Top-notch winemaking going on here.” Brasier found playful brightness with hidden structureL “This wine is fun – bright red boiled candies with a jube-y, bouncy character that puts me in mind of Red Frogs and raspberry lemonade,” he noted. “This wine avoids the trap of being one-dimensional and simple. It has a fine line of tannin that holds the back palate together and adds much-needed structure. There’s vibrant acidity that cleanses and freshens the palate. This is a wine to match with summertime, the smell of the sea nearby, and something cooking over charcoal.”
Dal Zotto selected this among his favourite six wines from the blind tasting, drawn to the wine’s bright aromatic profile and well-balanced structure. “Vibrant brick-red in colour, with bright floral notes – toffee, cherry, and plum,” he said. “Vibrant and exciting on the palate – delicious fruit initially, then leading to firm, lingering tannins and well-balanced acidity.”
2024 Pikes ‘Luccio’ Sangiovese, Clare Valley $28 RRP
Marson featured this among her standout six picks from the blind tasting, enchanted by the wine’s inviting character and textural balance: “Juicy and bright, with integrated tannins and good length,” she said. “Very pleasant on the palate. The nose is a hint more restrained but alluring. Tannins are present but beautifully encased in sweet fruit, with persistence about the mouthfeel and a nice finish. There’s something really inviting about this wine. There’s austerity in the right places – slightly chalky tannins balanced by persistent palate length and red fruit.”
2024 Tim Adams Sangiovese, Clare Valley $28 RRP
Pizzini selected this amongst his top six choices from the blind tasting, captivated by the wine’s woody complexity and lengthy finish. “Smells like a cellar, in the best possible way – the nose opens with cedar-like oak and a little vanilla,” he said. “From underneath that overlay of new oak tones come lovely earthy notes of sour cherry, leather, and pouch tobacco. A great palate follows – impressive length, with persistent plum and cherry flavours, and chalky tannins balanced by bright acidity. Pop a bottle of this the next time you cook veal saltimbocca.”
2019 Pizzini ‘Rubacuori’ Sangiovese, King Valley $165 RRP
Donovan claimed this among her top six selections from the blind tasting, enchanted by the wine’s maturity and savoury complexity. “In the glass, the wine is starting to show beautiful garnet colours around the edge, showing that this wine has seen some age,” she said. “The aromas confirm this, with so many umami notes floating out – mushroom, tomato leaf and a little bit of forest floor, another sign of age. On the palate, however, is where the fruit shines. Lifted by the acid, cooked strawberries and stewed red plums take centre stage, while a hint of black olive tapenade joins us from the wings. The tannins are fine, adding to the savoury flavours and giving excellent structure and length.” She envisioned the wine’s perfect moment. “This wine would prove exceptional with some aged pecorino on a little cheeseboard, with fig jam and crackers alongside – the perfect little afternoon treat.”
2025 Gargoyle Sangiovese, McLaren Vale $30 RRP
Brasier selected this among his standout six picks from the blind tasting, drawn to the wine’s savoury character and textural intrigue: “We’re in the savoury realm of sangiovese here – aromatics of saltbush, sage, and wild thyme flowers emerge,” he said. “The palate has length and draw to it – there’s a lovely density at the front that plays on the tightrope between red and blue fruits. Blood plums and blueberries sit in a bowl together, with fresh cacao nibs ground on top, adding grip and chew in the form of savoury tannins that are fine, full and mouth-coating. This wine is dying to go alongside some barbecued lamb and a punchy, aromatic salsa verde.”
Lorenzato chose this wine – made exclusively from the MAT7 clone of sangiovese, as sourced from Chianti – among her top six selections from the blind tasting, captivated by the wine’s paradoxical character and sophisticated maturity: “Dark, deep colour with nice grip on the glass,” she began. “This wine gives me a mix of cold and wintery vibes at the same time as warm and round feelings. The main character here is cherry – a dark cherry syrup, like Amarena Fabbri cherries – made warm by cherry wood and mahogany, all with a touch of oxidation. It’s opulent and sumptuous, a full-bodied sangiovese – big and bold. The acidity lifts the weight of the wine, making it feel both fresh and gentle at the same time. It reminds me of the sangiovese-based wines of Tuscany’s Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG – big, powerful, and deep, but also gentle and elegant.”
2024 Il Cattivo Sangiovese, Adelaide Hills $32 RRP
Veltheer championed this among his favourite six from the blind tasting, delighted by the wine’s textural interplay and refreshing nature: “Raspberry up front, with hints of pine needle leading to red liquorice, violet, and blood plums,” he said. “The tannins are here – they’ve got this grippiness that sticks to the back of your teeth, but this little lick of acidity comes along to save the day and cleans everything up. Unfortunately for me, that’s a recipe for finishing the bottle far too quickly!”
2024 Paulmara Estates ‘Cellar Reserve’ Sangiovese, Barossa Valley $40 RRP
Both Veltheer and Dal Zotto selected this among their standout six from the blind tasting. Veltheer was entranced by the wine’s buoyant energy and structural integrity: “Talk about vivaciousness – plum jam and big juicy raspberries with a real playful bounciness,” he said. “Crunchy cranberries and ripe strawberries, the kind that burst in your mouth. It’s fun, but there’s a backbone of perfectly balanced tannin and acidity here to give this wine shape. This nails the balance between something utterly joyful to drink yet structured enough to hold its own on the table.” Dal Zotto appreciated the wine’s brightness and drinkability: “Clear in colour, with bright floral violet notes – very pretty – alongside strawberry, fresh cherry, and plum,” he noted. “Cherry and plum fruit flavours follow on the palate – slightly sweet, with supple tannins and well-balanced acidity that combine to make this wine super-drinkable.”
2024 Signor Vino Sangiovese, Swan Hill $24 RRP
Both Dal Zotto and Donovan featured this in their standout six from the blind tasting. Dal Zotto found clean, savoury appeal in a well-structured expression of the variety: “Red brick in colour, with dried herbs, cherry and ripe strawberries on the nose,” he said. “Strawberries and cherry characters dominate the palate, with firm tannins and good acid length. A hint of tobacco leaf gives the wine a savoury edge.” Donovan was delighted by the wine’s expressive aromatics and generous fruit character: “Maraschino cherries burst out of the glass – I can smell them from a mile away,” she began. “They mingle and dance with aromas of balsamic strawberries and blood orange pith, bringing a little aperitivo-style bitterness and edge to the wine. As it sits in the glass, dried violets and thyme join the fun, creating an expressive bouquet that invites you to taste. The wine then carries those same generous and plush fruits through to the palate, with sangiovese’s naturally high acidity lifting the fruit and providing wonderful, cheerful freshness without being too in-your-face. This wine shows great balance between fruit and savouriness – definitely one to be enjoyed with roasted pork.”
2023 Shut the Gate ‘Ripple Iron’ Sangiovese, Clare Valley $32 RRP
Pizzini championed this among his top six selections from the blind tasting, drawn to its graceful sophistication: “Garnet in colour, with dusty notes of clove spice, liquorice, dried rosemary and dried oregano over a core of red cherries,” he said. “The palate is elegant, refined, long and lean, showing stewed blood plums and dusty oak notes, while a juicy carbonic character adds dimension. The plum flavours flow down the palate to a long finish, where they develop maraschino cherry and pleasantly bitter chocolate notes. Don’t let the fruit-forward façade fool you – this is a wine of sneaky finesse.”
2025 Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Sangiovese, Beechworth $46 RRP
Both Brasier and Marson championed this among their standout six selections from the blind tasting. Brasier was captivated by its subtle delicacy and precision: “The aromatics are beguiling with hints of earth, stone, fig leaf and dried sour cherry,” he said. “The palate is equally intriguing and changing as it sits in the glass, with maraschino cherries and mixed preserved citrus rind evolving into a pretty finish that’s clean and persistent. Pour a glass of this in anywhere you would traditionally pour pinot and ask yourself: do the Italians do it better?” Marson found herself drawn to its more traditional flavour profile: “More savouriness on the nose than most, dominating the fruit at first glance,” she wrote. “Pencil shavings and dried herbs alongside redcurrants and cherries on the palate. Bright and fresh, with lighter tannins lengthening the wine as it moves down the palate. A complex finish where Dr. Pepper and amaro notes emerge, framed by slightly drying tannins that make the palate cry out for protein. Ever-so-slightly old school in character – this would be a great food wine.”
2023 Tonon Sangiovese, Perth Hills $55 RRP
Both Veltheer and Brasier selected this among their top six wines from the blind tasting, finding distinct appeal in its aromatic character and structure. Veltheer was captivated by the wine’s complexity: “An absolute delight of rose petal and red liquorice on the nose with a hint of green olive, followed by bitter Davidson plum and lavender on the palate,” he said. “There’s a lot of structure here, with just the right amount of tannin and acidity to tell you that this wine means business. Some time in a cellar would treat this really well, but it’s drinking spectacularly right now – this wouldn’t last long at a dinner party.” Brasier appreciated how it stood apart from its peers in the tasting: “There’s blood orange zest, grilled plums and macerated cherries on the nose,” he said. “Mulberries and satsuma plums on the palate – and a savoriness married a touch of bitterness that feels very Italian. Drying, savoury tannins give the wine a more serious frame. For some reason, tasting this wine made me crave blue cheese – think Waldorf salad, or gnocchi with crispy Brussels sprouts and a rich Gorgonzola sauce.”
2024 Frederick Stevenson Sangiovese, Adelaide Hills $40 RRP
This cherry-red expression from the blind tasting made Pizzini’s top six selections, his attention caught by its detailed aromas: “A cherry twist on the nose – raspberry, cinnamon, oak spices and nutmeg mingle with lifted floral violets and an earthy bass note of tar,” he said. “The palate shows chalk-textured tannins and a lovely long finish, with spiced plum flavours flowing through and liquorice notes layering in complexity. Vibrant, tight, and fresh – a brilliant example of what Sangiovese can do in Australia’s cooler-climate regions.”
2024 Dal Zotto ‘Lacrimae di Giove’ Sangiovese, King Valley $51 RRP
Donovan featured this among her top six picks from the blind tasting, drawn to its aromatic charm and layered palate: “High-toned aromas of crushed violet petals and glazed strawberries waft from the glass – this wine greets you with a cheerful little ‘hello’,” she said. “On the palate, however, the wine opens up into something much deeper – concentrated raspberry and redcurrant come through first, followed by elegant notes of black cherries, cooked red plums, and a hint of fresh menthol that entices you to take another sip. The wine has a lovely texture – almost as though some wet stone has found its way into the mix. Bright acidity gives it beautiful lift and freshness, while fine tannins gently grip the palate and provide incredible length. I can easily imagine bringing this along to a picnic with friends, snacking on fresh fruit and a little charcuterie board while enjoying a glass in the sunshine.”
Pizzini selected this among his favourite six selections from the blind tasting, drawn to its textured complexity and savoury character: “Cedar complexity on the nose, with lovely depth of fruit – plum, vanilla spice, black olives, leather and tobacco,” he said. “On the palate, savoury tones of black olive tapenade emerge alongside a lovely structure and blocky, chalky tannins that provide great balance and length. The complexity of flavour on the mid-palate – all plum and bitter cherry – holds throughout. A beautiful example of what quality Australian sangiovese can look like after a spell in the cellar.”
2025 Roots Sangiovese, Heathcote $33 RRP
Brasier championed this among his top six picks from the blind tasting, finding pure joy in its quaffable nature: “Another bright, fresh, fun wine,” he said. “This is a summer red wine at its best – confectionary fruits and lifted red berry high notes give way to a smooth and dangerously drinkable expression with zesty acidity. There are soft tannins that marry well with the generous fruit character to extend the finish and bring the wine together. It’s more a question of ‘What won’t this wine go well with?’ as opposed to what it will.”
Dal Zotto placed this in his standout six picks from the blind tasting, appreciating its vibrant character and elegant balance: “A vibrant purple hue,” he said. “On the nose, there are hints of tobacco alongside fresh red cherry, leading to raspberry jam – which then flows seamlessly on to the palate. Firm but supple tannins complement a lingering acidity on the palate, where cherry and strawberry flavours develop and build. A fresh and fruit-forward style of sangiovese that feels very New World – but one that’s still made for the table.”
Marson placed this among her top six selections from the blind tasting, intrigued by its darker character and cellaring promise: “A wine that tips its hat more towards Brunello di Montalcino than Chianti,” she noted. “A dark, brooding nose of black and sour cherries. Grippy, fresh tannins add brightness to the palate and balance out the broody nature of the fruit. A modern iteration of sangiovese – rounded, with this lovely little bomb of flavour. It’s still youthful, with powerful tannins and a structural grip that suggests real cellaring potential – I’d love to see how this evolves over the next few years.”
Pizzini featured this among his standout six selections from the blind tasting, appreciating its developing tones and textured palate: “Brick-red in colour, with an earthy, savoury nose of redcurrants, red cherries and spiced plums,” he said. “Vanilla from oak and black olive notes add complexity to the aromatic profile. The palate reveals long, chalky tannins and juicy acidity that give great length and balance throughout. It’s ready to drink now – but it will also happily wait a few years in the cellar for its date with your dinner table.”
This wine earned a place in Donovan’s standout six from the blind tasting, captivating her with its layered aromatics and earthy character. “A core of ruby fades into garnet around the rim, hinting at a little age behind all that bright fruit to come,” she began. “Crunchy cranberries and redcurrants come racing out of the glass, with strawberry softening the edges. On the palate, the fruit takes us somewhere deeper, with blueberry, fresh mint and oregano weaving through the red berries. Cracked peppercorn and worn leather lingers across the tongue, bringing a lovely savoury kick. The acidity really lifts the wine, keeping everything fresh and moving, while the tannins hug those savoury flavours and leave a gentle grip behind. The alcohol is there, but it knows better than to steal the spotlight, and instead presents itself as a delightful little warmth at the back of your throat. This wine is a little bit crunchy, a little bit savoury, and a whole lot of sangiovese – just the sort of wine that makes you pause to take another sip as you cook yourself a mushroom risotto.”
2021 Vinea Marson Sangiovese, Heathcote $46 RRP
Lorenzato selected this as one of her favourite six wines from the blind tasting, immediately drawn to its savoury, food-friendly character. “A ruby colour, tending toward light garnet nuances,” she said. “I love the savoury, meaty profile of this wine – it’s a wine for the grill, with notes of barbecue sauce, ketchup, cooked tomato and the crunchy caramelised protein that builds on the outside of your steak as it sears. A light coppery note of fresh blood and a touch of carbon on the finish completes the picture – yet it’s an easy wine to drink. A wine of primal appeal – and one that will make you want to fire up the barbecue not long after your first sip.”
The backstory
Sangiovese is Italy’s most widely planted grape variety, responsible for reds that range from simple weekday slurpers through to some of the country’s most iconic wines (with price points to match). That breadth of style can be pinned to its combination of approachable fruit flavour – predominantly red and black cherries, with a savoury streak of dried herbs or leather – and its high acidity and firm tannins, which can provide the best examples with serious cellar-worthiness. In Australia, sangiovese didn’t really start making inroads until the late 1980s, and poor genetic material gave it a slow start. But with higher-quality cuttings now available for growers, and a surge of interest in Italian varieties amongst consumers, sangiovese is currently making quite an impression, and is popping up in most of Australia’s wine regions.
Sangiovese is Italy’s most widely planted grape variety – based on 2022 data, sangiovese’s 65,083 hectares under vine eclipse prosecco/glera’s area by over 26,201 hectares and Pinot Grigio’s by 33,566 hectares. And while nebbiolo is responsible for some of Italy’s most highly sought-after (and pricy) wines, making it a valid candidate for supremacy on aesthetic terms, it only occupies a tenth of sangiovese’s vineyard area, and most of that is in Piedmont. Sangiovese, on the other hand, is the most prevalent variety in four regions, and it substantially occupies nine others. It’s the majority component of over 100 DOC/DOCGs and nearly as many IGPs, while contributing in a lesser way to countless more. It forms the basis for some of the country’s most famous historical appellation wines – including Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, and Carmignano – as well as comprising all or most of a group of establishment-shaking twentieth-century mavericks – such as Antinori’s ‘Tignanello’, Montevertine’s ‘Le Pergole Torte’, Fontodi’s ‘Flaccianello della Pieve’ and Isole e Olena’s ‘Cepparello’ – which irrevocably changed the direction of modern Italian wine. It accounts for some of Italy’s most revered bottles, and it is happily splashed into tumblers in osterie and trattorie across the country. Given sangiovese’s importance to Italian wine culture, it’s not surprising that the name itself has a holy connotation – some etymologists argue it descends from the Latin sanguis Jovis, ‘blood of Jove/Jupiter’.
Opposite: Sangiovese grapes on the vine. Above: Mark Lloyd of Coriole harvesting sangiovese at Coriole’s McLaren Vale vineyard.
Ripening relatively late, sangiovese can produce lean and green fruit in more marginal climates, but it is also in many of Tuscany’s cooler vineyards that it produces the best expressions. In warmer zones, it can become broad and lose definition, or just be a little simple. It also has a natural tendency to produce high yields, so quality-minded producers will always seek to limit vigour. The key flavour component mentioned when people talk about sangiovese is cherry, generally red, but sometimes black, with that primary profile generally accented with savoury notes of dried berries, hardy herbs, dried earth, leather and cedary notes. Lighter and fresher examples tend to focus on those bright fruits, but savouriness and structure often characterise the more serious wines, with grippy tannins and high acid also features. There are many different styles of sangiovese made, with large old oak traditionally used. Some makers aim for more concentration in the fruit and use smaller barrels, though new oak can be a little jarring, with the vanillin notes not sitting well with the savoury profile. Sangiovese is often blended with small amounts of local grapes for Chianti, such as canaiolo and colorino, as well as French interlopers cabernet sauvignon and merlot, though the latter two are now generally falling out of favour.
A bloody slow start
Sangiovese certainly doesn’t hold the same importance in Australia as it does in Italy, although its presence here is now building strongly. As of Australia’s most recent official vineyard census in 2015, a total of 438 hectares of sangiovese was in the ground, as opposed to almost 40,000 hectares of shiraz. Back then it represented only 0.5% of total red wine plantings, but even so it had by that stage already captured the imagination of both makers and drinkers. It now occupies a more significant position in our vinous landscape, with the total amount crushed increasing by 32% in the years between 2015 and 2021, where it has since roughly plateaued (albeit with a dip in the 2026 harvest figures).
Above: Sangiovese grapes being harvested at Lark Hill’s Dark Horse Vineyard in the Canberra District. Opposite: Victoria Kenny inspecting a shiraz vine grafted over to sangiovese in Kenny Wines’ Clare Valley vineyard.
Perhaps surprisingly, sangiovese didn’t hitch a ride to Australia with the wave of Italian immigration after World War II – but no Italian grapes really did, as those immigrants adapted to what they found available here. Fleeing a country and a continent cast into poverty by the legacy of two World Wars, Italians left ancestral homes to carve out new lives around the globe, and it is unquestionable that modern Australia was given shape through this mass migration – and also pretty unarguable that we are the better for it. Aside from the general input of industrious, hardworking folk, the impact on our understanding and approach to food and wine has been of incalculable cultural benefit. But though Italian immigrants brought much with them, it’s somewhat surprising that they did not generally bring wine grapes (with the notable exception of prosecco, which hitched a ride here as illicit cuttings).
Above: A short Australian documentary from the 1970s about Montrose, featuring Carlo Corino. (Skip to 1:39 to see Corino in action.)
With a country so possessive over its culture in microcosm – of the sanctity of subtle variations in a dish of pasta from one village to another, in the barely perceptible mutations of a grape cultivar from one zone to the next – it seems unusual that more cuttings weren’t stuffed in suitcases or wedged into boots for the long voyage. The cuisine travelled, although no doubt it has been reshaped in isolation, and vital ingredients were imported, but the approach to grape growing seems largely to have been built around adaption. Many of the old vineyards planted and often still maintained by Italian immigrants were planted to shiraz, grenache, cabernet sauvignon and the like. It was not until much later that indigenous Italian varieties were planted, and until quite a bit later again that they began to take a meaningful foothold. While sangiovese is probably the pioneering Italian grape in this country, It wasn’t until the 1970s that Penfolds and Montrose planted the variety, with the latter making Australia’s first varietal sangiovese wine from Mudgee fruit under the watchful eye of great Italian consultant oenologist Carlo Corino.
By Jove – this is the next big thing!
In New South Wales, viticulturist Dr. Brian Freeman – one of Australia’s preeminent champions of alternative varieties – first came across sangiovese in the 1970s in Griffith. “I didn’t think much of it,” he noted, “It could have been the clone and not suited to the region. The early clone in Australia [H6V9, sourced from UC Davis in California] was high cropping.” It wasn’t until Mark Lloyd of McLaren Vale’s Coriole planted it in 1985 that the variety started capturing the public’s imagination – and Coriole still remains one of the leading players for the variety here. Lloyd didn’t exactly have instant success, but he persevered, working to both understand the variety and educate colleagues and consumers. Since then, sangiovese has taken hold across the country in diverse regions, spanning climates from the hot to the decidedly cool, from the maritime to the continental, just as it does in Italy.
Above: Dr. Brian Freeman, one of Australia’s preeminent champions of alternative varieties and a more recent convert to sangiovese after initially dismissing the variety. Opposite: The Pizzini family’s Whitfield vineyard in the King Valley, where sangiovese rules the roost.
In the King Valley, where Italian immigrant families turned more resolutely to commercial viticulture following the demise of the local tobacco industry, the Pizzini family planted their first vines – riesling – in the late 1970s. It wasn’t until around 1993 that they planted sangiovese. Today, sangiovese is “a solid 40%” of their vineyard – being their most planted red variety. “There’s not enough supply to satisfy the demand for King Valley sangiovese,” says winemaker Joel Pizzini. And while the variety’s progress may have initially been hampered by the high yields and relatively low quality of the H6V9 clone, the Pizzinis have seven different clones of sangiovese in their vineyards. “It’s a really important variety for the region,” Joel adds. “It grows really really well in most parts of the King Valley.”
“There’s not enough supply to satisfy the demand for King Valley sangiovese. It’s a really important variety for the region.”
At his Altura vineyard in the Hilltops region of New South Wales, Freeman sought to plant some nebbiolo in 2008. After planting the ‘nebbiolo’ vines he purchased, he later had these young vines DNA tested in France, and they turned out to be sangiovese. “I can now spot sangiovese from five hundred meters,” Freeman says. While there has been much talk about the number of new clones of sangiovese available in Australia, Freeman is having success with the one clone, which he has since doubled and tripled down on. “Ours is a very good clone. We originally grafted it onto two rows of pinot noir [in 2008]. We’ve since expanded our sangiovese plantings to ten hectares, propagating our own vine material. It could be the clone, or it could be our site, but we see floral notes in our sangiovese.” By contrast, Vinea Marson in Heathcote are clonal maximalists: “We’ve got between twelve and thirteen clones depending on what day you ask my father,” joked winemaker Madeleine Marson at our 2024 Deep Dive into sangiovese. “He bought in six clones himself from Italy. I like the depth of clones because it gives you some spread with climate variation, as well as depth of nuance. We’re looking at the best approach for each section of vines.”
Above: Sangiovese grapes on the vine at Sutton Grange, in the cooler reaches of Victoria’s Bendigo region. Opposite: Winemaker Madeleine Marson at our 2024 Deep Dive into Australian sangiovese.
When speaking to winegrowers and makers about sangiovese, whether you have one clone planted or multiple clones, the message is the same. “You need to get cropping right,” advises Freeman. “You need to manage tannins: grow the grapes properly on the vine and macerate the wines in the winery.” Duncan Lloyd of Coriole echoed this sentiment in the post-panel discussion at our 2024 Deep Dive into sangiovese: “You actually have to put work in the vineyard for sangiovese – you can’t get away with not shoot thinning and bunch thinning,” he said. “We’ll shoot thin everything. And then it depends. In certain blocks we might just do one bunch per shoot. So, in a standard season, anywhere from probably 20–30% [of the crop is removed], and if it’s a really big season, it might be more. You still get good yields, so it’s okay.”
“You need to get cropping right. You need to manage tannins: grow the grapes properly on the vine and macerate the wines in the winery.”
Sangiovese is still, for now, classified as an ‘alternative’ variety, but it makes a compelling case to likely be the next alternative red variety to enter the mainstream (with some serious competition from tempranillo). While the official figure for Australian vineyard land under sangiovese vine is a credible 450 hectares nationwide, that’s based on a dated vineyard census taken across 2014–15, and those plantings have undoubtedly increased since. As an example, that census records only a few hectares of sangiovese vines in NSW’s Hilltops region, but today Freeman alone has ten hectares of sangiovese in his Altura vineyard, while Pizzini in King Valley says their sangiovese plantings have grown 50–70% in the last ten years. And the location of those hectares under vine is changing, too – while the top three growing regions for sangiovese in Australia in 2015 were McLaren Vale, King Valley and the Murray Darling, there’s strong anecdotal evidence that much of the variety’s recent growth has been in cooler climes such the Adelaide Hills, the Canberra District, and Hilltops. While we wait for the official figures to paint a more detailed figure, this much is clear – sangiovese is on a roll in Australia, and its future is very bright indeed.
Above: Our expert panel gathered at The Lincoln, Carlton (Melbourne).
Outtakes from the tasting
We gathered every Australian wine labelled Sangiovese we could find and set our expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines.
Our panel: Michael Dal Zotto, vigneron, Dal Zotto Wines; Madeleine Marson, vigneron, Vinea Marson; Joel Pizzini, vigneron, Pizzini Wines; Audrey Donovan, sommelier, Marion; Conor Brasier, winemaker, Mt. Bera Heritage Estate; Clarissa Lorenzato, sommelier, From Here By Mike; Jordan Veltheer, wine communicator, Vino Champ and Club Vino.
Marson, who had been a panellist on our previous Deep Dive into sangiovese in 2024, commenced the discussion by comparing the line-ups to see what might have changed in the intervening years. She argued that this lineup showed more cooler-climate regions, and more consistent recent seasons than the cooler vintages of 2021 to 2023. Across the full lineup, though, some things hadn’t changed: “There’s some really traditional winemaking and perhaps clonal material and older vineyards evident in the tasting like there was last time, but there’s also a little bit of a middle bracket where there are a lot of wines that have similarities,” she said. “There’s a big segment buying fruit, there’s to a certain degree limited clonal material that’s been planted in a lot of vineyards, maybe a concentration of Brunello clones – but that’s where some wines can look a little bit similar.” Heavy use of whole-bunch ferments and carbonic maceration in the wider field was her other flag: “When it’s done with balance, it’s done really well. When it’s overdone a little bit, there’s a lack of varietal specificity. It’s a nondescript mid-weight, could-be-served-chilled red wine, as opposed to evidently sangiovese. Sorry – strong opinions!”
Above: Madeleine Marson. Opposite: Jordan Veltheer.
Veltheer agreed the more juicy style was everywhere, but wasn’t convinced it was a problem. “They could just be a nondescript chilled red – just drink a bottle in the park – but I don’t know if that’s a bad thing,” he said. “We use the word ‘approachable’ a lot, but they are totally just easy-drinking, good-time wines.” Some were among his favourites of the day: “There’s no way I would have known it was sangiovese in any other context – but I was like, ‘Fuck, that’s delicious’.” Marson agreed.
“We use the word ‘approachable’ a lot, but some of these are totally just easy-drinking, good-time wines. There’s no way I would have known it was sangiovese in any other context – but I was like, ‘F**k, that’s delicious’.”
Brasier pointed to what’s happening in the vineyards: “In the [Adelaide] Hills at least, there’s a lot of sangiovese going in the ground at the moment,” he said. “So you’ve got younger vines that are three to five years old, just starting to produce fruit, and you’re not getting any of the clonal or varietal character out of them. So you’re better off just making them quite fresh.” He added that he sees the virtue in that approach: “There’s a lot to be said for making things that people just want to drink … come back and buy another bottle of it.”
Marson allowed the logic, with a raised eyebrow. “I do sometimes wonder if there are easier varieties to grow to that end than sangiovese,” she said. “But I think in that youthful context, it makes absolute sense.”
Above: Michael Dal Zotto. Opposite: Conor Brasier.
Dal Zotto offered a more measured critique of the wider lineup. “There’s some delicious wines there. I just felt sometimes some of them got a little bit too ripe, and that seemed to just dominate,” he said. Oak was the other culprit: “There were some people who could probably benefit from not having used too much of their oak budgets, maybe. If it doesn’t have the weight there, it’s not going to carry that oak.” And while he’d happily sit and drink a glass of most of the lineup, he found fewer examples of “the wines that just stop you in your tracks – that you sit there and look at and absorb.”
“Within those easy-drinking sangioveses, I was looking for the wine that still has complexity, still has persistence.”
Asked what she hunted for in her favourites, Lorenzato refused to let ‘easy-drinking’ excuse a lack of depth. “Within those easy-drinking sangioveses, I was looking for the wine that still has complexity, still has persistence,” she said. The same went for the bigger, warmer-climate styles: “A big wine can be big but not elegant, and be kind of rough and tough to drink.” Yet some of those more robust examples were among her favourites: “They brought notes that are incredibly precise on the nose, and then they come to the palate, and with that fresh acidity they lift the body. That really surprised me.”
Donovan wanted the grape itself centre stage. “I was looking for wines that really made the grape shine, either with a little bit of age, with complexity, with concentration as well,” she said, rather than “overuse of oak or carbonic maceration or whole-bunch.” She added, though, that she doesn’t necessarily dismiss the lighter styles: “A lot of those wines can lead to your fun drinking wines in the park … beautiful, bright, very cheerful – and I do enjoy those.”
“It was very trendy to have lots of new oak. Back then it was about big, structural, solid styles of wine – and over the last twenty-five years it’s actually evolving to elegance and finesse.”
Pizzini, who has worked with sangiovese in Australia for more than twenty-five years, has watched the style change. “It was very trendy to have lots of new oak,” he said. “Back then it was about big, structural, solid styles of wine – and over the last twenty-five years it’s actually evolving to elegance and finesse.” The initial circumstances, he recalled, were stacked against Australian producers: “The first clone that we had was called H6V9, and it was selected for its yield – huge bunches and high yield. So the odds were stacked against us right from the start to try and make what all the critics were comparing us to, which is Brunello.” He added that this riper, heftier style that was initially in vogue was, paradoxically, not always the heaviest in colour: “It didn’t necessarily mean they had to have the highest colour either,” he said. “I think often most of the wines that have the biggest colour are actually underripe – they still have elements of green, herbal, unripe tannins and a little bit of astringency.” His favourites from the tasting leaned older: “more cigar box, tobacco,” but “they still had freshness and vitality … nice line and elegance and finesse.”
Opposite: Joel Pizzini. Above: The panel tasting in action at The Lincoln, Carlton (Melbourne). All wines tasted ‘blind’.
Turning to the market, Veltheer described a reliable reaction to the variety at the wine events he hosts. “Every time I talk about sangiovese, people kind of freak out a little, in this really nice way,” he said. “I reveal that this wine’s a sangiovese, and a room of fifty people will have this really positive reaction.” At an event last week, he added, “one of the six wines we poured was a sangiovese, and it was our highest-selling wine on the night.”
“Every time I talk about sangiovese, people kind of freak out a little, in this really nice way. I reveal that this wine’s a sangiovese, and a room of fifty people will have this really positive reaction.”
For a big slice of her guests at From Here by Mike, Lorenzato said, the appeal of sangiovese is “because of the fame of Tuscany somehow, which is good as well.”
Marson thought the answer was simpler: “Its drinkability and its enjoyability – it’s the most easy wine to match with a whole variety of food.” She loved the subtle examples, which she called “the best sangioveses to have with food”: “They’re not in this competition – they’re in this beautiful harmony.” That, she suggested, is why the variety can fly under the radar, overshadowed by nebbiolo and pinot noir.
Above and opposite: The panel tasting in action at The Lincoln, Carlton (Melbourne). All wines tasted ‘blind’.
“It’s people’s first alternative varietal wine,” Veltheer said.
“It’s the gateway drug!” Marson added.
“They go, ‘Oh my god, there’s more than pinot and shiraz!’” Veltheer continued. “And you’re like, ‘Yeah, man!’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, all right, I like wine!’”
“People open up the wine list and it’s like, ‘I don’t want pinot, I don’t want shiraz … what sangiovese do you have?’”
Donovan saw the same pattern on the floor at Marion. “People open up the wine list and it’s like, ‘I don’t want pinot, I don’t want shiraz … what sangiovese do you have?’,” she said. “There’s a sangiovese there for everyone, and people are discovering it more and more.”
Above and opposite: The panel tasting in action at The Lincoln, Carlton (Melbourne). All wines tasted ‘blind’.
The panel
Michael Dal Zotto started his working life as an accountant, but was soon drawn into the family business. Dal Zotto Wines was established by Otto and Elena Dal Zotto in Victoria’s King Valley region in 1987, which has expanded from a small vineyard planted to chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon producing a few tonnes of grapes to close to 150 acres of vineyard specialising in Italian varieties including barbera, sangiovese, pinot grigio, arneis and prosecco. Under Otto Dal Zotto’s leadership, Dal Zotto Wines pioneered prosecco production in Australia – guiding illicit cuttings of the variety through DNA testing and rigorous biosecurity procedures before planting Australia’s first prosecco vineyard in 1999 and releasing the first Australian prosecco in 2004 – which has since become a segment of the Australian wine industry worth an estimated $205 million. Michael has been the chief winemaker at Dal Zotto Wines for well over a decade now, and in 2017 became the co-owner of the business alongside his brother, Christian. In 2009 he was awarded an International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI) fellowship, given to industry leaders to travel and further nurture their chosen art from the masters in their trade. For this fellowship, Michael travelled to Valdobbiadene, the birthplace of prosecco – and Otto, of course – to learn from the original prosecco producers.
Madeleine Marson works as a winemaker at her family’s Heathcote estate, Vinea Marson, and is presently completing her Bachelor of Wine Science at Charles Sturt University. In 2023 she completed two research trips in Italy, focusing on climate change in Chianti and Montalcino, as well as completing harvest with Paolo de Marchi at Isole e Olena. More recently, she was a participant in Wine Australia’s 2025 Future Leader program, participating in a six-month program of Ieadership development. Her passions in wine include the role of Italian varieties in a changing climate and finding collaborative solutions to improve the sustainability of winegrowing and -making.
Joel Pizzini is the winemaker and leader of vineyard strategy and development at Pizzini Wines in Victoria’s King Valley. While studying at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, he did three vintages with King Valley Wines. Since finishing his degree, he has worked at leading wineries in both Australia and Italy, doing vintages at Leeuwin Estate (Margaret River), Stonier Wines (Mornington Peninsula), Marenco (Piedmont) and Isole e Olena (Tuscany) – one of the world’s top ten wineries, and producer of one of the top three Sangioveses in Italy. He spends a lot of time in the vineyard as Pizzini Wines constantly evolve their grape production in the pursuit of quality and making wines that people love to drink. He also takes a deep interest in new clones of Italian wine varieties as they become available in Australia.
Shannon Burgess-Moore grew up on a vineyard in the Hunter Valley, with his vigneron parents laying the foundations in viticulture and sales from a young age, and began his winemaking journey in 1998, just across the road from home. He has since worked with producers including De Iuliis, First Creek, and Hentley Farm Wines, balancing over two decades of vintages between Australia, North America and Europe. His qualifications include the Australian Wine Research Institute’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course and the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award in Wines. He is a regular wine show judge, a two-time Young Gun of Wine finalist, and a 2019 Len Evans Tutorial scholar. He is currently Group Winemaker at Tamburlaine Organic Wines, overseeing multi-regional production, supply chains and guiding diverse winemaking styles across the company’s brands, as well as the proprietor and winemaker of his own label, Grandis.
Audrey Donovan currently works as a sommelier at Marion.
Conor Brasier grew up around food and wine, with both of his parents being involved in wine and hospitality. After completing high school he bounced between the Hunter Valley and Europe working vintages before commencing studying viticulture and oenology at the university of Adelaide. Upon completion of this degree, he worked in Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley before moving back to the Hunter and working in winemaking roles at several Hunter-based wineries. In 2023 he took the responsibility to build and run the new winery at Mt. Bera Heritage Estate in the Adelaide Hills, with a focus on small-batch organic and biodynamic production of alternative varieties.
Clarissa Lorenzato currently works as a sommelier at From Here By Mike.
Jordan Veltheer has spent his entire working life around wine, from restaurants and retail to cellar doors, private appointment sales, and a vintage in the Yarra, covering every comer of the industry since he was nineteen. A Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 Award in Wines graduate, he runs Vino Champ, an Instagram wine education page dedicated to Australian wine, and Club Vino, a fortnightly social club helping everyday Australians learn how to navigate and buy better wine. His passion is Australian wine, full stop, and he is on a mission to tell its story.
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