Drop Of The Week
Riverina Region
The Riverina region in southern New South Wales spans an area of approximately 350km and sits on the Murrumbidgee River. It is the largest wine producing region in New South Wales and has gained an international reputation for dessert wines and value for money table wines. De Bortoli’s famous Noble One comes from this region.
Wine production first starting hitting its straps in the 1950s with most of Australia’s cask wine coming from this region due to the sheer amount of fruit produced. Some of the big wineries in the region include McWilliams, De Bortoli, Casella who are famous for their Yellow Tail brand, and Westend which have recently renamed themselves Calabria Family Wines.
Recently I was sent some samples from Calabria Family Wines. The thing that blew me away with these wines was the high quality and incredible reasonable asking price. All wines are just $15!
The wines in the Private Bin range are all termed alternate varieties, that is, varieties not common or mainstream such as Chardonnay or Shiraz.
Vermentino is a white variety originally from Italy. It’s a fabulous alternative to Sauvignon Blanc delivering clean, crisp and refreshing fruit.
If texture is your thing, the Italian variety Pinot Bianco could be for you. It’s highlighted by melon and creamy characters.
Another Italian variety is Nero d’Avola. Wash down your favourite Italian food with this belter. A savoury type with buckets of cherries and some dried herb action. Cracking value for the money.
Finally, this is something new and very rare. Saint Macaire is a French variety and Calabria have the only planting of it in Australia. Initially it was planted to be used to make fortified wines but in 2003 it was decided to be used to make table wine. Fans of earthy, gutsy wines would be in heaven. There’s a mellow side matched by some masculine grunt. This screams beef! A belter for $15!
There is no distribution for these wines in Brisbane so I suggest you jump on their website here.
by Steve from Qwine
