Get ready for a summer fiano festa

 

Are you ready for a fiano frenzy?

Fiano is a white Italian wine grape that is grown primarily in the Campania region of southern Italy and on the island of Sicily.

It is a variety that is enjoying a serious moment in Australia - particularly during summer - and has been championed by Corrina Wright at Oliver's Taranga in McLaren Vale.

In the 2025 vintage, the fiano crush in Australia was worth over $3.7 million. And predictions are that the fiano boom will continue.

"Here at Oliver’s Taranga, we’ve been growing fiano since 2004, following our friends at Chalmers who brought this Italian varietal into Australia," Wright says,

"It’s now one of our most sought-after wines."

Wright is affectionately known as the Queen of Fiano for her love of the variety.

"Of course, as with all ‘emerging’ grape varieties, we have some work to do in introducing the broader wine consumer to fiano and helping them understand the versatility of the style," Wright says.

"So, this year we’re launching Fiano Festa – a summer-long celebration of this exceptionally delicious variety that’s perfect for the Australian spring and summer.

"Fiano has moved from fringe to fashionable,” the sixth-generation vigneron adds. “It’s perfectly suited to our climate, delicious, and versatile - both for drinkers and in the vineyard.” 

Fiano (the one above is particularly delicious) saw an 86% growth in tonnes crushed (2025 vs 2024) and there are now over 70 Australian wineries making fiano.

Look out for Fiano Fridays events around Australia so you can try the refreshing, food-friendly and textural variety.

The inaugural Fiano Day will be Friday, October 17.

More info here: https://www.oliverstaranga.com/what-is-fiano/

Australian winemakers are coming up rosé

 

It is not that long ago that rosé wines were something of a distraction for many Australian winemakers.

A batch of leftover grenache, or shiraz: "fine, let's make a simple, sweet pink wine for the ladies to enjoy at cellar door".

In the wake of the continued success of pale savoury rosés from Provence, however, Australia is now producing rosé wines in a variety of styles; most of them dry, some of them very stylish indeed.

Sydney PR company Blend PR recently week put on a Zoom tasting of four new wave rosés, one each from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, all made from different grape blends, but all super food friendly.

The wines featured were the 2023 Marchand & Burch, Oliver's Taranga and De Iullis Wines releases and the 2022 Yarra Valley rosé from Handpicked Wines.

It is an indication of just how seriously rosé is being taken nowadays that winemakers Nic Bowen, Corrina Wright, Mike De Iulliis and Peter Dillon all joined for the tasting.



All four wines sit at between $28-30 on retail shelves and all are certainly worth a look. The two wines that saw oak, the Marchand & Burch and Handpicked, are candidates for short-term cellaring, while the other pair were ready to be enjoyed the day they were bottled.

The Marchand and Burch 2023 Villages Rosé is a pale and crisp blend of grenache, pinot noir and shiraz from the Swan Valley, Great Southern and Margaret River.

The Handpicked Regional Selection 2022 Yarra Valley Rosé is 100% sangiovese from the Yarra and is aromatic with mineral notes.

Oliver's Taranga 2023 Chica Rosé is a savoury blend of McLaren Vale shiraz and mencia (with fiano lees in the ferment to add texture and complexity).

The crisp, zippy De Iuliis 2023 Estate Rosé is 60% shiraz, 40% merlot, all from the Hunter Valley.

"Rosé really was an afterthought for a very long time," says winemaker Mike de Iuliis. "Now it is given serious consideration. We used to make rosé from crap shiraz; now we make 3,000 cases and take it very seriously."

Marchand & Burch winemaker Nic Bowen agrees, saying. "There is a real push now to make rosés of complexity and interest. That said, all rosés should be easy to drink. You don't want anything that is too challenging as rosé is a lifestyle wine."

Peter Dillon from Handpicked tried pinot noir for his rosés but found it too "tutti frutti". "What we want is to make a wine that is savoury and interesting, and sangiovese is perfect for that," he says.

Corinna Wright from Oliver's Taranga says her wine showcases "florals and freshness" despite being from a warmer region. .

All four wines are thoroughly modern in style. Paleish, dryish and savouryish.

Get some Lebanese takeaway in, and you have an instant feast with any one of the four.           .   

Top image: Agi Gob, Scop.io 

Meet the Formula One ace roaring into the wine industry

Meet the latest celebrity wine release: a most unlikely one.

Finnish Formula One driver Valterri Bottas has combined with winemaker Corrina Wright from Oliver's Taranga to craft a McLaren Vale shiraz he is calling Ihana.

The name Ihana is Finnish for wonderful or fantastic and is a word Bottas uses for "the truly exceptional".

The collaboration has been tagged Valtteri Bottas x Oliver’s Taranga.

Bottas says "a wine made by two such driven perfectionists was only ever going to be ‘Ihana’."

The F1 racer spends a lot of time in Australia - his partner is Australian professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell - and has apparently fallen in love with the bold reds of McLaren Vale.

A two-bottle gift box of the 2022 Ihana Shiraz costs $160 and is described as a limited release collectors item. Each bottle is individually numbered. 

I shared tastes of the wine with several enthusiasts. The verdict: “It is seriously good, isn’t it?”

He’s on a winner. 

See https://ihanawine.com/