Aussie Wines!

Now THIS is an interesting concept!

OK, so Primo Estate is a winery in the heart of McLaren Vale owned and run by Roseworthy Dux Joe Grilli and his wife Dina. They do some amazing wines including reds, whites, a great sticky and a killer sparkling red in a bottle that’s so big it doesn’t fit ANYWHERE. PLUS (caps overdose) some amazing olive oils. If you see the Primo Estate or Joseph labels, just buy them, you really can’t go wrong.

One of the wines they make under the Primo Estate label is the Shiraz Sangiovese blend called Il Briccone, which sells for about $23 and is a decent drop… grab it anytime you’re having Italian food and send me adoring e-mails for recommending it to you.

But that’s not this wine.

I dropped into Primo with a good friend in January this year and discovered this Tuscan drop. I’d never heard of it. It took me a second to piece it together, but it’s the same blend as the Il Briccone (Shiraz and Sangiovese) made by the same winemaker, but using grapes from Italy rather than Australia. Put the two wines side by side and it’s amazing.

The Aussie wine is a little richer while the Italian drop is a little more earthy. Both are decent wines, but the Tuscan stands out a little more than Il Briccone. A lovely spicy nose from the Shiraz (but quite restrained) with a bit of subtle cherry in the background and some well integrated cedary characteristics, but you really have to search for those. A rich mouthfeel with a slightly dusty, drying finish. Put it with pasta or anything from that neck of the woods and you’ll be a happy chappy. 90 points

Want some? Good luck finding it. It sold out quite quickly, which is a shame because I wanted some for my customers (snooze-lose philosophy at play). However, keep an eye out for future releases of the wine. To stay informed, sign up to their mailing list (check their website).

While I know a fair bit about French wines, my knowledge of the Italians is a bit more limited. So when one of the wine reps came through the store with this thing, I was happy to try it and learn.

Gavi is an area in Piedmont, in Allessandria, close to Liguria. It has a history of producing wine that dates back over 1000 years and produces both red and whites.

The whites, like this, are made from the Cortese grape. It doesn’t have a hugely pungent nose, but has a lovely rich mouthfeel. You’re looking for things like apple, honey and grapefruit flavours.

This is more of a dinner wine than a lunch wine, so stands apart from styles like Pinot Grigio or Toscana. If you want to try something different, this wine comes in at around $35 and is better with food rather than drinking alone. A nice creamy seafood dish might even work well. 89 points