What About a
Home-Grown Italian Drop? by Louis G. Egan
I
talian wine is world famous and it’s very easy to see why. Just the mention of Chianti conjures up images of rolling hills contoured with leafy green vines, a great table complete with a fresh tablecloth, which overhangs and sways in the breeze, steaming dishes made of fresh local ingredients, and in the centre, waiting to be poured into the stout glasses placed by every plate, a bottle of red wine (an old wicker-based fiasco if you’re a romantic). Wine grapes, though not native to Australia, have been grown and cultivated here since the arrival of the First Fleet. After a few failed crops in Sydney’s Botanical Gardens, diversity and production expanded greatly on the arrival of James Busby in 1832 with 363 carefully documented vine cuttings taken from a trip through the wine regions of Spain and France. Today, of the 130 varietals grown in Australia, 89 per cent of production is taken up by just 10 varietals, and 60 per cent is taken up by just four: Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Despite Australia’s significant Italian population, the Italian grape varietals
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have taken a while to gain any traction, and are still considered “alternative” varieties. Some Italian grapes, particularly Dolcetto, can be found in records from Victoria in the late 19th century, though it wasn’t until the late20th century that some producers started bringing Italian grapes and wine-making traditions here to Australia. After some trials in Barossa and Mudgee, the first successful plantings of Sangiovese (Chianti’s shining star) began in South Australia’s McLaren Vale in 1985, starting with Mark Lloyd of Coriole Wines, who said he wanted to try something “not French”. The trend continued to the point where South Australian Sangiovese has become a common sight on wine lists around the country. Sangiovese is a grape that really demonstrates the soil it’s grown in. Sangiovese maintains its Italian black fruit, herb and tomato leaf notes, but with a distinct Aussie twist that calls you back to the pale sandy soils and eucalypts of the McLaren Vale estate. Sangiovese can also make a wonderfully aromatic rosé. Since the 1990s in the Hilltops region of NSW, Freeman Vineyards have been
Segmento Issue XXIII • June-August 2021
