RICHARD SAYS
2021 Fighting Gully Road Sangiovese
14%, Beechworth Victoria, RRP $32
Sangiovese (SAN-GEE-OH-VAY-SEE) is a food-friendly, Italian red wine variety. Its Tuscan heartland boasts Chianti, Brunello plus “super-tuscan” styles.
Australia has its obsessive practitioners (I previously wrote about Coriole), but check out other Victorian exponents Pizzini, Tar & Roses, Vinea Marson – and more. Fighting Gully Road (great name!) is another from around scenic Beechworth.
This wine’s colour is a solid, bright, deep ruby colour; there is red cherry, sour cherry, redcurrant, dried herbs, and a tease of exotics – is it lavender, musk, juniper, flint? It’s a medium-bodied refreshing savoury style, bursting with red fruits, very fine tannins, and oak thankfully does not trample the lovely fruit. Hard to resist, this complex wine reveals itself progressively with each taste, and its structure guarantees thrills for at least another five years.
Choices: A bargain, much better value than “generic” Chianti Classico. The wine stood up to a chickpea curry, but will delight with numerous other food matches- a rich stew, pizza, or tomato-based pasta. Or shoot for a rib-eye steak or lamb with absolutely no qualms. Happy hunting.
GRANT SAYS
Alesandro Viola Rosé Sicily IT
RRP $39, ABV 11.5%
Footscray has a new wine bar to explore! Of course it’s an understatement to say that make yours truly rather chuffed. ‘Bud of Love’ is a wonderful family run online wine store (give it a Google!) with their shopfront situated on Barkly St. Their wines span the globe and their ‘on pour’ offerings frequently change with the season; a charming small menu caters for pairing to bring out the best in their wines. My wife ordered a glass of this Sicilian Rosé on a hot January evening to which she replied, and I quote; “ooh yeah that hit the spot”. Made organically from 100% Nero D’Avola (the beating heart of Sicilian reds…) it’s fresh, juicy, vibrant and plush. Aromatics of turkish delight, rose water and red currant really get the senses flowing. It’s deep and dark in colour (for a rose anyway) but don’t confuse richness with sweetness. The palate offers a generosity often lacking in Rosé so prepare yourself for notes of macerated strawberry, garden herbs and cherry pie all delicately hanging from a clean, minerally core. Your summer won’t be complete without a visit to Bud Of Love for a good few glasses of the good stuff.
Pair with: Homemade lasagne with a slow cooked ragu of beef cheek, herbs and orange truss tomatoes.
