THE JOURNAL
From left to right: Jim Barry Assyrtiko 2019. Miani Friulano 2018. Feudi di San Gregorio Aglianico Rubrato. Rafael Palacios Louro do Bolo 2019. Dominio do Bibei Lalama 2017
Broadening an appreciation of wine will inevitably involve taking a few risks. When you’re faced with shelves of wine, most of which you may never have heard of, let alone tried, do you reach for the trusty old favourite that never lets you down? Or do you take a walk on the vinous wild side and grab a bottle from an unheard region or a grape that you can barely pronounce?
There’s plenty of fun to be had by exploring some of the indigenous grape varieties of lesser explored regions, whether it’s the soaring perfume and aromatics of Ribeira Sacra’s mencía grape or the bolshy character of Campania’s aglianico. Wines that manage to capture the essence of their region with a distinctive flourish can be the ones that ignite the imagination and kickstart a new love affair with a region or grape.
The good news? This experimentation doesn’t have to involve straying too far from what you already know. While each grape retains its essential character and vinous DNA, there are those that share certain characteristics and are reminiscent of each other in some way, which could be its aroma and flavours or even simply its structure and weight, such as godello’s canny ability to pull off a very decent white burgundy impression.
Then there are the true wild cards. Assyrtiko planted in Australia’s Clare Valley is pretty unheard of and a rare beast, a trailblazing idea from a winemaker inspired by holidays in Santorini, a charming story of how a grape has found a new home, and a new groove, thousands of miles from its homeland. Take a risk. The rewards can make you glad that you did.
01.
If you like riesling, try assyrtiko
From left to right: Photograph courtesy of Maltby & Greek. Photograph courtesy of Strictly Wine. Photograph courtesy of Filos Estate
Riesling is often touted by wine professionals as the most profound white grape, with an ability to produce both dazzling dry wines as well as luscious, sweeter styles. Assyrtiko shares its mouthwateringly high acidity, some of its electrifying citrus-scented flavours and aromas of lime, lemon and grapefruit, as well as a certain steely minerality, which often calls to mind the characteristics of the stony, chalky, slate soils that they may be grown on. It’s as if the roots of these vines reach deep into the soil and extract some of the essence of the rock, some of its essential minerals. This rather nebulous concept is often discussed and debated in the wine trade and, despite its presence in certain wines being more of a feeling than a definable character, it adds a magic and charm to wines that are able to pull off this party trick.
Vourvoukelis Assyrtiko 2020
From vineyards in Avdira in northern Greece, the family of Mr Nikos and Ms Flora Vourvoukeli planted their vines in 1999 and cultivate 12 hectares of vines organically.
Jim Barry Assyrtiko 2019
The first assyrtiko to be produced in Australia by winemaker Mr Peter Barry, with vine cuttings imported from Greece. He was inspired to do so after holidaying in Santorini and seeing a similarity in the climate of the Clare Valley. A blast of lime and minerals.
Filos Estate Assyrtiko 2020
A riper style with some tropical lushness alongside its mineral edge. This wine from Florina in northern Greece is a good introduction to the grape.
02.
If you like sauvignon blanc, try the wines from Friuli
From left to right: Photograph courtesy of Hedonism. Photograph courtesy of Hedonism. Photograph courtesy of Lea & Sandeman
Although not immediately apparent in terms of its style, the grape friulano is related to sauvignon blanc, and has also been called sauvignon vert or sauvignonasse. Grown in the northeastern Italian region of Friuli, sharing a border with Austria, Slovenia and the Adriatic, the climate lends itself particularly to the production of fine white wines. It has more weight and texture than its relative and certainly fewer of the grassy, vegetal aromatics, but it shares excellent acidity, which keeps the wines nervy and refreshing. When the best examples are introduced to oak barrels for ageing, we experience a grape that can make genuinely world-class wines.
Miani Friulano 2018
Mr Enzo Pontoni is a legendary self-taught Italian winemaker. At his boutique winery, named after his mother’s maiden name, wines are barrel-fermented in French oak and aged for a further year in barrel. Taut, mineral, precise. Truly world class.
Livio Felluga Friulano 2019
One of the trailblazers of the region, Mr Livio Felluga established the winery in the 1950s. Textbook example of how classy, perfectly balanced and elegant these wines can be.
Visintini Friulano 2019
A family winery of 24 hectares set up in 1973, it has recently been fully certified as biodynamic and organic. Great purity in these wines, with lovely definition and tension.
03.
If you like barolo, try aglianico
From left to right: Photograph courtesy of Justerinis. Photograph courtesy of Mastroberardino. Photograph courtesy of Hallgarten & Novum Wines
The moniker of “barolo of the south” is one often tagged to the aglianico grape. It is regarded by many as one of the finest three grapes in Italy, alongside nebbiolo – from which barolo is made – and sangiovese, which forms the backbone of the great Tuscan reds. Mostly grown around the regions of Campania and Basilicata near Naples, it produces big-shouldered reds with firm tannins, boldly structured with high acidity, all of which lends itself to producing long-lived wines. It has a long and illustrious history, too, being highly regarded and mentioned in the writing of Roman author Pliny the Elder. Alongside its intense flavours, it’s also known for its savoury elements, often exhibiting characters of white and black pepper, leather and dried herbs.
Rocca del Principie Aglianico 2016
Husband and wife Mr Ercole Zarrella and Ms Aurelia Fabrizio make this characterful beauty, with a low-intervention philosophy, in their vineyard and winery in Campania. Rich and intense yet with a supple, silky texture.
Mastroberardino Aglianico Radici 2014
The Mastroberardino family are largely responsible for the revival of Campanian winemaking quality after WWII. Radici translates as “roots” and is a result of their own research into aglianico’s DNA. Powerful and ageworthy.
Feudi di San Gregorio Aglianico Rubrato
Based in a tiny village in Campania’s Irpinia region, near Mount Vesuvius. Cracking label designs, too.
04.
If you like white burgundy, try godello
From left to right: Photograph courtesy of Liberty Wines. Photograph courtesy of Liberty Wines. Photograph courtesy of Ehrmanns Wines
Chardonnay reaches its ultimate expression in burgundy, the finest and most fêted examples coming from vineyards that produce puligny-montrachet and chassagne-montrachet, the most famous being the legendary Le Montrachet vineyard itself. Broadly speaking, the wines are loved for their minerality and nutty complexity, rich texture and capability to take on the nuances of oak during and after winemaking, as well as a capacity for ageing gracefully in bottle. Godello, from its homeland of northwestern Spain, particularly around Valdeorras in Galicia, can pull off many of the same tricks, doing a very good impression of burgundy, sharing a similar fleshiness of structure, if perhaps showing off more flashes of aromatics and zesty acidity.
Dominio do Bibei Lapola 2018
Predominantly godello with a splash of albariño, this has the hallmark toasted-nut aroma of great white burgundy, with a lovely fleshy texture and bright acidity. Fermented in a mixture of oak barrels and concrete tanks_._
Rafael Palacios Louro do Bolo 2019
One of Spain’s most prestigious producers of white wine, this is made from small parcels of godello with an average vine age of 25 years, fermented in French oak foudres.
Bodegas Valdesil Sobre Lías 2019
Sourced from vineyards on the slate slopes of Vilamartín de Valdeorras, from one of the biggest and most historic owners of godello vines. Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in tank for six months for richness and complexity.
05.
If you like pinot noir, try mencía
From left to right: Photograph courtesy of Liberty Wines. Photograph courtesy of Indigo Wine. Photograph courtesy of Indigo Wine
The rugged landscape of Ribeira Sacra in Spain’s northwestern corner of Galicia is home to some of the prettiest, most fragrant wines in the country. Often referred to as the heroic wine-growing region, due to perilously steep vineyards that need careful hand harvesting, the vines line the banks of the rivers Sil and Miño, a dramatic landscape that takes in valleys and canyons, a lush green backdrop for a red grape that is still relatively under-appreciated. Mencía is sometimes referred to as the pinot noir of Spain, and with good reason. It’s bright red fruit character, redolent of cherries, raspberry and redcurrants, with a seam of bright acidity and low tannins, makes this a varietal that lovers of good red burgundy will readily appreciate.
Dominio do Bibei Lalama 2017
Winemaker Mr Javier Dominguez is credited with being the driving force behind the rise in the quality of wines in the region since his first vintage in 2001. Fragrant, pure, oozing with summer fruits and lip-smacking acidity.
Fedellos do Couto As Xaras 2019
Juicy expression of mencía, with a blend of fruit from two sites on opposite sides of the River Xares.
Lousas Parcela Camiño Novo 2019 Envínate
Ethereal, floral, herbal, from 70-year-old vines. Foot-stomped and fermented in whole-clusters in small open vats.