Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald, 19 January 2010
'All this tasting and writing is worthwhile when an unusual variety hits the right note.
The job of a wine writer is misnamed: it should be "wine taster", because we spend a lot more time tasting the stuff than we do writing about it. I spent the four weeks between mid-December and early January catching up on tastings: I had never been so far behind and the pressure was on to get the stockpile of samples down to a reasonable level. I tasted 950 wines and, as I write, still have about 350 to go ...
While there was plenty of exciting wine to make drudging through the dross worthwhile, it was the oddball varieties that most raised the eyebrow - Fiano in particular.
This is a new variety to Australia, although in Italy it's considered an ancient grapevine ... Fiano nearly died out until tradition-conscious wineries such as Mastroberardino, in Campania, revived it in 1945. It's still quote a minor grape in Italy, where it's grown in several southern provinces. Obviously a warm-climate grape ... I liked:
RUTHERGLEN ESTATES SINGLE VINEYARD FIANO 2009
Silken texture, some nutty hints of barrel, good length and harmony, a wine of personality and subtlety, yet definite flavour. 89/100
This is all exciting stuff: Fiano will never be the new Sauvignon Blanc but it's already adding colour to the rich tapestry of Australian Wine. In 2001, in Brunello to Zibbo: The Wines of Tuscany, Central and Southern Italy, Nicolas Belfrage wrote of Fiano: "... there are growers experimenting with Fiano in various parts of the south ... next thing you know it will be an international star, I don't think."
I may have news for you, Mr Belfrage ...'
Take the time to learn more about our fabulous 2009 Fiano ...
