Out of the Comfort Zone
Directions
The truth hurts. A quote in last week’s WineDown, caused creeping unease in loungerooms across the nation. Karen MacNeil, in her seminal work, The Wine Bible, throws down the gauntlet: “The best way to learn nothing about wine” she avers, “is to continue to drink what you already know you like.” The velvet sledgehammer clearly struck a chord with some readers: Guilty as hell, they confessed. No judgement from WineDown – we’re as fond of the comfort zone as anyone. So, in the interest of everybody’s ongoing self-education, here are a few alternatives to tempt you away from your Road More Travelled.
IF... THEN MAYBE...
Chardonnay Lover?
So, you’ve made Chardonnay your safe harbour. It’s understandable. The world’s most popular white wine is very easy to love. And because she cloaks herself in such an array of styles, it seems there’s a Chardonnay for everyone. If plump and creamy stone-fruit flavours, with nutty, toasty barrel-ferment characters have captured your heart, then consider stepping out with Viognier. You’ll find heady apricot, honeysuckle, and peach aromas, and a rich, mouth-filling palate with good acidity. If the Chardy you love is full-bodied, but a little less... voluptuous, then you might consider a flirtation with full-flavoured, food-friendly Marsanne. One of the rarest white varieties in the world, Marsanne offers rich and nutty lemon, pear, and melon flavours, with hints of spice. Victoria’s Nagambie Lakes district is home to some of the world’s oldest continuously producing Marsanne vines.
Cosy with Cabernet?
If the smell of Ribena makes you long for wine o’clock; if deep purple is the colour of your favourite liquid and not an iconic hard-rock band; if you think the sun rises in Coonawarra and sets over Margaret River, then you’re a card-carrying Cabernet cot case. And you may be a tough nut to crack, but WineDown adores a challenge... In the northwest of Italy, just south of Turin, there’s a cluster of foggy hills, home to the Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards of Piemonte. This is the birthplace of your new favourite wine: Nebbiolo. A famously finicky grape (easily as fussy as Pinot Noir), Nebb is intensely aromatic (whiffs of roses, violets, woodsmoke, tar, and yes, even fruit); richly flavoured with cherry, coffee, anise, and earthy flavours, and powerfully structured – with a take-no-prisoners line in tannin. Nebbiolo can take a few years in the bottle to relax (take your dentures out before Nebb does it for you) but, like Cabernet, rewards careful cellaring. Away from its Italian homeland, Nebbiolo does really well in the New World, and in particular, in cool-climate Victorian regions.
Sucker for Sauv Blanc?
So juicy, lip-smacking, tropical-fruited Savvy with a whiff of herbaceousness has stolen your heart? Then you need to meet Sardinia’s fresh ’n zesty star turn, Vermentino. Like Savvy, Vermentino is highly aromatic – though it draws more from the citrus and stone-fruit families. Typically, you’ll get green apple, peach, and grapefruit on the nose, along with subtle mineral notes. There’s lush pineapple and fresh lime on a textured palate, but Vermie’s secret surprise is a subtle salinity and intriguing notes of bitter almond on the finish – making it a refreshing, complex, food-loving wine. Too cool for school. This tangy Italian variety has really taken to Australia, and is flourishing in regions like Riverland, Hunter Valley, King Valley, Margaret River, and McLaren Vale.
Smoochin’ with Shiraz?
Oh, you sexy things! Elegant and aromatic with juicy red fruits and peppery complexity; lush and velvety, with opulent blue fruits and hints of choc; or richly powerful, with brooding dark fruit and heady spice. Little wonder you fell for its many charms. But Shiraz isn’t the only Vamp in town... Gorgeous Malbec is a real attention-grabber. An intense purple colour, with inky mulberry tones, and a glamorous magenta-tinged rim are only the beginning. Flirtatious dark berry, red plum, and cocoa aromas, with a naughty lick of sweet tobacco, suggest that you’re in for a very good time – which Malbec delivers on an exuberantly juicy, plush, and berry-driven palate. Complex spice and trademark velvety tannins complete the promise. Malbec originated in France (Bordeaux) but has been more successful away than at home. Here in Australia, Clare Valley, Langhorne Creek, Margaret River, and Great Southern all produce great Malbec. But its adopted home and heartland is Argentina. Just imagine all that Malbec charm swathed in a smouldering Latino attitude. Be still my beating heart.
Riesling Tragic?
Crikey... You’re in a very select group. Riesling tends to be (inexplicably) overlooked by Australian consumers, so we’re inclined to say, “Good job, change nothing!” But this issue is WineDown’s rallying cry against complacent consumption, so wrap your Riesling-loving taste brain around this: Mouth-watering citrus and tropical aromatics on the nose... a palate of vibrant guava, nectarine, and ruby grapefruit with textural spice and a line of acid that explodes like pop rocks on the tongue. That, my friend, is your new bestie, Grüner Veltliner (check out WineDown’s introduction to the Austrian superstar). Or, if your taste in Riesling runs more to golden oldies, where citrus tang gives way to fascinating kerosene, toast and honey, you’re going to adore the rich, lanolin-and-straw-scented grilled-nut characters of bottle-matured Semillon. Get yourself to the Hunter and start collecting, Riesling Freak.
Pinotphile
As you were. You’ve got enough to worry about.