Grapevine: From niche to best sellers

One of the surprising things about wine consumption over the past few months is just how varied it has been.

The staples are out, and a great number of grape varieties and styles have gone from niche market to best sellers. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise though, really, with so many emerging varieties beginning to find their feet in Australia, delivering wines that show the typical character of the variety in an accessible manner for those new to them.
Mediterranean varieties and climates in particular have been a hot topic given the overall warmer conditions many of our regions are facing and the fact that grape varieties grown in these climates around Europe may be good candidates for the growing conditions of the future here. In Australia south westerly facing regions such as Margaret River in WA and McLaren Vale in South Australia are classified Mediterranean climates and McLaren Vale in particular has seen plenty of plantings of varieties such as Nero d’Avola, Sangiovese, Fiano and Tempranillo over the past decade or so. So too though have our warmer inland regions which are typically associated with dull, mass-produced wines.
A balance can be struck, though, between wines with character and production at a volume that makes those wines affordable to most. Trentham Estate have been doing that for some time now, growing from a crush of just 30 tons in 1988 to around 5,000 tons today. Over that time the wines have remained remarkably consistent in quality, character, and price from ‘common’ or ‘classic’ varieties such as Shiraz or Pinot Noir to a range of emerging varieties well-suited to their climate in the Murray Darling region. They do a particularly good job of taming otherwise bold wines into delicious drink-now wines without sacrificing the typical flavours or the ‘character’ of the variety. Whether you have come across Nero d’Avola before or not, their example is a delicious dark-fruited wine.
Nero d’Avola is often compared to Shiraz or Cabernet in different circumstances. You typically won’t find the tannins to be as assertive or astringent as Cabernet, they come across slightly sandy at times in texture or velvety at others, while the deeper darker examples showing black fruits will appeal to a Cabernet lover. The peppery note and meaty characters along with medium-full body may attract Shiraz lovers. In either case, it’s a good stepping stone in to the world of Italian reds, the fruit-forward nature and velvety texture are supported by acidity that helps to lend a subtle savoury edge hinting at what is to come in other Italian reds that can be too dry and savoury for many Aussie palates.

Trentham Estate ‘The Family’ Nero d’Avola 2018 – $15
It is not a complex wine, nor does it need to be. Simple delivery of dark berry fruits, some sweet spices, and a hint of oak in the background. It is medium-bodied, generous and the flavours are mouth-filling. Fine, soft tannins give it some shape, finishing dry and slightly savoury. A delicious deviation from the norm and offering great value.