If my recent straw poll of white wine drinkers is any guide, so-called Savolanche \u2013 Australia\u2019s fascination with sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region in the north of the Shaky-Isles \u2013 seems to have finally begun to decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that would be to the collective sigh of hundreds, if not thousands, of winemakers around the country!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while I had predicted that consumer\u2019s penchant for a sneaky chardonnay would eventually return, I may have to wait a bit longer for that prophesy to be fulfilled, as, according to my informants, they are looking for \u201csomething different\u201d with good fruit and \u201cnice texture\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps it\u2019s a case of the insult \u201cABC\u201d (Anything But Chardonnay) that became as fashionable as Kath and Kim in their heyday, but the rank and file punter is looking for a grape that they either can\u2019t pronounce or sounds exotic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it\u2019s gew\u00fcrztraminer from Germany, gr\u00fcner veltliner from Austria, or Pedro Gim\u00e9nez from Argentina, there\u2019s something strangely appealing about the adventure in ordering a glass of an exotic-sounding but under-exposed varietal. And I get that. Who doesn\u2019t like to add a bit of spice to our wine drinking journey?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if there\u2019s an imported grape that seems to be getting more traction than most, I suspect that it\u2019s Fiano – an Italian grape that is primarily grown in Campania in Italy\u2019s south as well as on the island of Sicily. It arrived in Australia some time ago and seems to have done very well in local conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll find it grown throughout South Australia and to a lesser extent, the Hunter Valley \u2013 though I expect it to pop up in other regions in the near future despite the challenges of it being a relatively low yielding grape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I came across an example of the style from Unico Zelo <\/a>\u2013 a small South Australian producer in the Adelaide Hills who source their fruit for their Fiano from vineyards near Waikerie in the Riverland region of northern South Australia. The vines are found at Ricca Terra Farm on the southern banks of the mighty Murray River and benefit from sand on limestone soils, an ideal climate and plenty of sunshine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Unico Zelo, they say that their wines are \u201cinspired by an intense passion for the land, we craft wines to showcase the unique sites and soils that Australia has to offer – in styles that are typified by the life and culture of this sunburnt country – from varieties that require minimal intervention\u201d. But the owners, Brendan and Laura Carter are also brave if you ask me. They go to the extent of packaging their Fiano with a cork cap under wax; giving an unmistakable impression of quality. It\u2019s a nice touch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pour yourself a glass and you\u2019ll notice the nuttiness and stone fruit characters from the first sniff, and the tropical fruit once on the palate. You have to admire the strength of character of the fruit across the middle and the delightful textural chewiness on the finish. It\u2019s muscular, fruit-driven, and lingers through the finale \u2013 a terrific food wine that would do equally well with creamy pasta dishes or even a chicken schnitzel! As with many small production wines, it\u2019s not cheap at $34-$35 a bottle \u2013 but when doesn\u2019t quality come at a price?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If my recent straw poll of white wine drinkers is any guide, so-called Savolanche \u2013 Australia\u2019s fascination with sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region in the north of the Shaky-Isles \u2013 seems to have finally begun to decline. And that would be to the collective sigh of hundreds, if not thousands, of winemakers around the…
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