There is no greater memory than sitting by Fornillo beach in Italy’s seaside hillslope of Positano with two of life’s basics: a glass of Italian wine, fiano and a fresh tuna steak. Now fiano is grown in quite a few Australian sites, often as with the three Aussies tasted here, growing regions much cooler than its homeland inland from Naples, and the most respected in the Avellino area (DOCG). So it was important to taste some cool examples from three Australian states alongside an Italian original.
Read more →
Master of Wine Peter Scudamore-Smith delivers you the latest wine reviews and wine and travel news. You can also search this blog for our e-news, press releases and media clippings.
A very recent revelation by a leading Australian wine writer pointed out that the plantings of syrah (shiraz) in Australia’s wine making Barossa Valley were less than those of Sicily. Well that sounds a bit dramatic, and it is. The Barossa holds the role of the soul for Aussie shiraz; it was where Penfolds Grange grew up. And a good majority of the Barossa’s plantings are shiraz anyway. I would expect Sicily’s production to have more clout than a single, small Australian region- after all, when surveying the total area of European vines planted, the Gironde has around 124,000 ha, Sicily is second at around 108,000 ha. All of Australia just reaches 148,000 ha, and we wish it would shrink some more!
Queensland’s premier wine show for consumer participation is undoubtedly the Australian Small Winemakers Wine Show (ASWS) held annually in Stanthorpe. Recently, after the 2013 event last October, I spoke with ASWS president andy Williams … Read article here
By Peter-Scudamore-Smith, Master of Wine
Published in Queensland Country Life, Dec 2013 – Jan 2014
Latest Posts
-
Chardonnay, the classic wine that transf
January 25th, 2024 -
Why age wines – and how to do it right
December 14th, 2023 -
The Real Review – Top Rank Wines dinne
November 10th, 2021
