Something Different from Downunder

When you think of Australian wine varietals the usual Shiraz, Riesling and Semilion immediately come to mind. But what you might not expect are grapes that are indigenous to distinct European countries such as Grenache, Graciano, Tannat, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Lagrein Dolcetto blends.

For the past seven years, winemaker Nick Bruer has been crafting these artisan wines. Some are produced and distributed throughout Australia, some are avaliable only at the Jacob's Creek winery in the Barossa Valley.

This past fall, the winery hosted a series of side-by-side comparison lunches in November that paired these wines and native European wines with traditional European fare and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

“As the traditional Australian wine palate matures and the ever-changing climatic conditions of our grape growing regions challenge us to adapt, innovate and experiment, Australian grape growers and winemakers are frequently turning to alternative grape varieties from the drier countries of the Mediterranean,” said Nick.

As noted, these wines are not, unfortunately, avaliable in the United States but they'd definitely be worth a trip to Australia to try!