Lesser known Italian varieties are muscling into the limelight right now, and this wine captures why. Packed full of flavour, this has grip and race to keep things fresh – killer with spicy salami pizza.
There’s plenty of intensity and complexity here, but it’s bright and engagingly fruit driven, with an array of red and black fruits, red and dark cherries, raspberry and tartly fresh blackberries, backed up by brown spices and red florals. There’s quite a bit of fruit here, but it’s got such an appealing tart and tannic side, which carries from the wild fruit flavours through the palate, finishing super crisp and clean, with a good whip of grapey tannin to finish.
Reaching the greatest heights in the central Italian region of Umbria, montepulciano is widely planted in central Italy – though not at all near the Tuscan town of the same name – as well as down south, especially in Puglia. It has a modest presence in Australia, but it is proving very promising. With lower acidity and softer tannins than some Italian varieties, it still has plenty of grip and freshness to match the forward fruit.
While it couldn’t feel any more removed from city life, the McLaren Vale wine region is actually inside Adelaide’s metropolitan area. And although the township itself is only 40 minutes by car from central Adelaide and vineyards brush up against ever-encroaching housing, McLaren Vale remains unaffected by the urban sprawl. With deeply etched history, the Vale has a slow-paced sense of calm and an extraordinary wealth of untrammelled beauty. It is home to some of this country’s most beautifully pristine beaches, as well as some of the world’s most forward-thinking grape-growers and winemakers. And with over 80 cellar doors, it is an essential destination for wine lovers – and anyone else, for that matter.
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