Aussies tame wild Italian reds: barbera, montepulciano, sangiovese and nero d’avola

Curious wine lovers are falling under the spell of exotic Europeans such as barbera and montepulciano. Here’s four locally grown gems with Italian DNA.

These four wines made from Italian red varieties are thriving in Australia.

She’s a wild grapevine barbera – like a colt that needs to be broken in.

Left to its own devices, this hot-blooded Italian grows like crazy, shooting off leaves in all directions, packing berries into crowded bunches and producing enough grapes for a Roman bacchanalia.

All those grapes and leaves, though, make it hard to ripen the crop and the flavour of each berry loses intensity. The wine produced can taste green and diluted.

Put a keen vigneron in charge, though, armed with a set of sharp secateurs, and barbera produces magic.

“You prune them well – then you can create a lovely, soft, plush wine, full of fresh flavours like cherries and raspberries,’’ says Ben Crossing, general manager of the family’s vineyard and wine operation, Angullong, in NSW’s cool-climate region of Orange.

The Angullong Fossil Hill Barbera 2023 leads a specially selected mixed dozen offer from The Australian Wine Club, highlighting four wines made from Italian red varieties now thriving in Australia.

Grapes such as barbera, montepulciano, sangiovese and nero d’avola used to be regarded as “alternative varieties” in Australia but curious wine lovers looking for something new are falling under the spell of these European-styled gems.

Angullong Wines general manager Ben Crossing in the barbera vineyard at Orange.

“People’s tastes are shifting,’’ says Ben. “Lighter reds are becoming more popular; people are looking for food-friendly wines, they’re travelling overseas more and trying these types of wines.”

Good pinot noir, with its light-footed complexities, was at the vanguard of this shift to the lighter side. More recently, savvy drinkers are finding a new appreciation for carefully crafted grenache and, now, flavour-packed Italians.

Barbera is native to Piedmont, in Italy’s cooler northern region, also home to heavier-punching Barolo and Barbaresco wines (made from nebbiolo grapes).

Barbera tends to produce medium-weighted wines high in natural acid, which creates a brightness and zippiness in your mouth. They’re light on the tannins (which come from grape skins, seeds and stalks) and made to be opened at the table in their first five or six years.

“That natural acid gives you a nice bit of cut through when it comes to enjoying things like roast lamb or roast pork,’’ Ben says. (A barbera with a fresh tomato and basil homemade pasta is also hard to beat.)

“We mature our barbera in French oak – about 20 per cent new – for about 10 months, and release them about a year later so they are ready to go.”

The first barbera plantings found their way to Australia, via the University of California, in the 1960s. The Crossings planted their vineyard on the family’s cattle property in the 1990s and now care for 17 different varieties, with Ben’s elder brother, James, in charge of viticulture. Their wives, Heidi and Edwina, also work in the business.

“I guess we wanted to see what would work where, and with Orange being a new wine region back then we thought it made sense to be a bit different,’’ Ben says.

“Not all the experiments worked – viognier would be one – but pinot grigio has become very popular and reds like barbera and tempranillo are coming on.”

Along with the exotic “alternatives”, Angullong also produces highly rated cool-climate chardonnay and cabernet, two of the Orange region’s headliners.

“Like most things Australians do, we’re proud of doing things our own way rather than conforming to what other people think we should do. We’re making our own traditions,” Ben says.

Angullong Fossil Hill Barbera 2023

Barbera’s beckoning call of cherries and raspberries rise from the glass, with hints of vanilla, spice, aniseed and earthy notes following. Juicy fruit flavours flow on the back of silky-smooth tannins. Tangy acidity brings a fresh finish. Super enjoyable. 14.5% alc; RRP $30.

SPECIALS $23.99 a bottle in any dozen; $18.99 a bottle in Aussie Italian special dozen

d’Arenberg The Hunjee Heartstrings Montepulciano 2021

Italy’s montepulciano grape is celebrated for delivering robust, full-flavoured wines that balance concentrated red fruit flavours with savoury notes of dried tobacco, olive, thyme and tar. d’Arenberg has delivered a blockbuster here. Floral, mouth-filling and full-bodied. Decant well and start roasting your favourite meat. 93 points and a red star for exceptional value from Halliday Wine Companion. 15% alc; RRP $32.

SPECIALS $28.99 a bottle in any dozen; $18.99 a bottle in Aussie Italian special dozen

Claymore Blackbird Clare Valley Sangiovese 2023

The hero of Tuscany is at home in Clare, delivering trademark raspberry, strawberry and cherry characters, with hints of cured meats and black tea. Juicy acidity and mellow tannins drive on to a lingering finish. 94 points Wine Orbit. 13.5% alc; RRP $29.99.

SPECIALS $21.99 a bottle in any dozen; $18.99 a bottle in Aussie Italian special dozen

The 5OS Project Nero Blend 2019

Adventurous McLaren Vale winemaker Steve Grimley describes this creation as “Italy meets Portugal Down Under”. Italy’s nero d’avola grape (known for producing bold dark cherry and plum flavours) comes together here with barbera and Portugal’s touriga. The result is a wine of opulent richness. Dangerously easy to drink. 14% alc; RRP $25.

SPECIALS $18.99 a bottle in any dozen; $18.99 a bottle in Aussie Italian special dozen

AUSSIE ITALIAN DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $18.99 a bottle. SAVE $123 a dozen.

Order online or phone [phone] Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.