In the spirit of the season (and understanding the planning for Father’s Day is around the corner) we’re delving into our deepest darkest wines. There are plenty of people out there who love a big red, but what makes it big? Is it colour, weight, alcohol, wood? We all have our preferences, and some might find it hard to put a finger on it, so the below categories might help you isolate what you’re looking for. Please note we have magnums, back vintages and special packaging for some
of our flagship red monsters – please ask us about limited releases.
Colour
Some reds are seriously inky in colour, but this doesn’t necessarily have to translate to heaviness. Three varieties to explore in our portfolio that are opaque and purple-tinged in colour but have softer tannins and bright acidity are: Refosco (Duca Catemario); Montepulciano (Fantini); and Nero d’Avola (Cusumano). This seems to be a common theme across countries, so for example, the Tshcarke ‘The Master’ Montepulciano has that same seesawing balance of darkness and light as many a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC.
Body
Most of us have grown up with Australian Shiraz, so a big red to us is mainly about body. We’re talking mouth-filling
viscosity, sometimes almost to the point of a chocolate mud cake. So, a Barossa (Charles Melton Father in Law) or McLaren Vale Shiraz (Serafino Black Label) will of course do the job here, but if you want to go further afield, look at the Mesa Cannonau di Sardegna—an opulent 100% Grenache in the Priorat style rather than our brighter Aussie versions; or perhaps a plush Primitivo from southern Italy (e.g. Pasqua’s fun DLZ); or step all the way up to Fantini’s Edizione 21, a multivarietal Primitivo-based wine that is as fat as the bottle that holds it, with ultra-ripe fruit and smooth, velvety weight.
Texture
If structure is your game, tannin is the aim. Muscular phenolics usually come with a measure of body to balance this in the mouth, and they’ll also often be dark in colour due to the extraction of the compounds from the grape skins. It’s not always the way though, for example Nebbiolo’s skin pigments work differently to most red varieties, so they’re often deceptively Pinot-like in the glass but colossal in the mouth (e.g. Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo). Coonawarra and Margaret River Cabernet (like the classics from Majella and Howard Park) are the kings of texture in Australia— their age-worthy structure partnered with cassis intensity and minty freshness—but if you’re looking for something different, wrap your teeth around a Sagrantino from Umbria (e.g. Alzatura), noted to contain some of the highest polyphenol levels of any red grape variety.
Colour
If the three characteristics above aren’t enough to fill your cup, then the next steps are the varieties of Aglianico and Negroamaro. The former (e.g. from Cantine del Notaio) holds an awe-inspiring amalgam of pepper, leather, blue fruits and
dried rose over an umami base; and the latter is an extremely complex dance of dark fruits, wild herbs, spice and earth, with
substantial meat on the bones (try Leone de Castris). Both are produced in the warmer zones of southern Italy, late ripening
varieties that allow each grape the time to suck every drop of flavour from the sun and soil around it. If you’d prefer to take your flavour bomb from winemaking technique, then you’ll want some Brunello or Amarone. Brunello is 100% Sangiovese, but it’s always Sangiovese Grosso (a thicker-skinned clone than used in Chianti), with stricter regulations around harvest and a lengthy maturation. This means the fruit is more concentrated and the oak and time influence more perceptible (try Belpoggio). Amarone (like the epic Masi Costasera) is the same blend as Valpolicella albeit from a stricter geographic zone, but the slow drying of the grapes over winter in specially designed lofts allows for a far more concentrated must. This is followed by mellowing through extensive aging in large oak over a period of 4-5 years. This means we’re only just starting to see the 2020 releases for Brunello and Amarone now.
