By James Atkinson
VIDEO: The Vermentino white wine variety is ideally suited to handle Australia's changing climate and consumer palates, according to winemaker Brown Brothers, which is continuing to experiment with alternative varieties at its winery in Milawa, Victoria.
Executive director Ross Brown told TheShout that with 80,000 visitors to the winery every year, Brown Brothers considers its cellar door customers to be a valuable market research base.
He said the 2011 Limited Release Vermentino has been trialled successfully by the winemaker, which accepts global warming is happening and is therefore looking to develop grape varieties that have a more natural fresher acidity.
"We see Vermentino as being a champion in that space," he said.
Brown Brothers has long produced Graciano, a Spanish red wine grape that is grown primarily in Rioja, the 2009 vintage of which was runner-up for last year's Jimmy Watson Trophy.
Brown said Graciano along with the Italian variety Montepulciano – recently developed by Brown Brothers as a cellar door exclusive – represent red wine styles that are very much in keeping with current fashions.
"Montepulciano's a spicy, elegant variety… in red wines today, people are looking for savoury, spicy flavours rather than those big, full-bodied wines of yesteryear," Brown said.
Click below to watch an exclusive video interview with Ross and Katherine Brown.
When I travelled to Italy in 2004 I fell in love with Vermentino – the wine that is! Back in Australia it was a hard task to find producers. Fortunately the likes of Chalmers, Riverland Vine Imp. Committee, Yalumba, Brown Brothers and Trentham Estate have embraced this variety. Try finding it in many bottle shops/retailers though. Many can’t even pronounce it. Funny name, great wine but needs better promotion. The last campaign lost me. Interesting creative but not appealing. Try the wine though! This WILL beat the Kiwi’s SB. Remember my words!
Yes as a producer of vermentino in western Victoria our cellar door clients just love it.
Absolutely the white wine of the mediteranean with huge potential.
Regards
Sheila McClure
Barangaroo Boutique Wines