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/

Australia making more white wine than red

Total sales of Australian wine exceeded production for the second year in a row, but there is still a lot of red wine in tanks waiting for a home.

The good news followed successive small vintages, says the Australian Wine Production, Sales and Inventory Report 2024 released today by Wine Australia.

Wine production was just over 1 billion litres, an 8% increase compared with 2022–23 but still the second-smallest reported production in 17 years, and 16% below the 10-year average of 1.24 billion litres.

Peter Bailey, manager for market insights at Wine Australia, said that the below-average production from the small 2024 vintage was the result of a combination of seasonal factors and economic and market conditions.

“This was another difficult season in many regions, with heavy rainfall and flooding, widespread windy conditions affecting flowering, and dry spring weather leading to cold nights and the potential for frost damage,” Bailey said.

“However, the result has also stemmed from deliberate decisions by grape growers and wine businesses to reduce production or intake, driven by the current economic and market conditions affecting demand for wine.”

The overall increase of 8% cent compared with 2022–23 was made up of a 20% increase in white wine production, partly offset by a 2% decrease in red wine production.

This saw white wine’s share of production increase from 46% to 51% - the first time in 12 years that the production of white wine has exceeded that of red wine in Australia.

Bailey said that this change reflected adjustments made by the sector to counter the oversupply of red wine that had arisen over the past three years.

The total volume of sales of Australian wine in export and domestic markets was 1.08 billion litres - a decrease of 1% compared with 2022–23, with both domestic and export sales showing very small declines.

Bailey said growth in red wine exports was driven by the re-commencement of exports to mainland China following the removal of import tariffs in late March 2024.

“It will take some time before there is a clearer picture of how Chinese consumers are responding to the increased availability of Australian wine in–market,” Bailey said.

“Any increase in production is likely to result in stock levels rising again, unless there is a corresponding increase in sales. This is a particular concern for reds, where the stock-to-sales ratio is still well above the long-term average.”

Bailey noted that the global outlook for Australian wine remains challenging. 

World wine consumption has continued to decline over the past 12 months and is expected to decline further in the next five years, driven by economic constraints, overall alcohol moderation trends and competition for wine from other beverages.

Image: Elena Pasenko, Scop.io 

Meet a once-in-a-lifetime white wine blend

The 2023 vintage marked a once-in-a-century occurrence for Victorian wine producer Tahbilk - and not in a good way.

At Tahbilk, they like to say that every bottle tells a story, and in the case of the 2023 Tahbilk Flood Blend, the story is a cracker.

Back in October 2022, Tahbilk's estate vineyards suffered a once in a lifetime flood, which affected the vines, impacted yields for the current harvest, and destroyed parts of the vineyard.

The result was the new-release Flood Blend, which is made from whatever fruit could be salvaged from the flooded vines - eight different varieties - and will never be replicated again.

Jo Nash, Tahbilk chief winemaker and general manager, describes the wine as "a story of survival".

"This wine is not only a representation of the season, but also speaks to the wonderful Tahbilk team," Nash says.

"Some of the things we saw, we endured and we had to deal with at that time, are memories that will stay with us for ever. It was a moment in time, that changed us, and through all the devastation, tears and disaster, we as Tahbilk, remembered what was special to us, and you know we just got on with it.

"I have been lucky enough to make a lot of wines over the years, but I don’t think there is a wine that I have been more proud of. This wine represents resilience, determination and dedication; it represents the wonderful people here on the estate, that I am privileged to work with on a daily basis."

And guess what? It is a very nice wine indeed. 

Fresh, crisp and blessed with brisk acidity, it is ideal for immediate consumption, preferably served chilled.

This "wine of resilience and storytelling" retails for $21.95 and can be source at www.tahbilk.com.au.

One of Australia's best bistro wines now has a sibling

For over 30 years leading Barossa winery Torbreck has paid tribute to the wines of the Rhone Valley with its Cuvée Juveniles red blend, one of Australia's most notable - and affordable - food-friendly wines.

The Cuvée Juveniles blend was created by former Torbreck winemaker Dave Powell for Tim Johnston, the jovial expat British proprietor of Juveniles wine bar in Paris. It was one of the first Australian wines to be enjoyed by French wine lovers.

Johnston has spent decades in France, and partnered Mark Williamson at the famous Willi's around the corner before opening Juveniles, where he has championed smaller producers, particularly from the Rhone.

Powell was one of many Australian winemakers to befriend Johnston, making Juveniles - initially exclusively for the wine bar - in the last 1990s.

I have a special affinity for this wine as Juveniles was my watering hole for the five years I lived in Paris - just around the corner from my office on Place de la Bourse on Rue Richelieu. 

Juveniles opened in 1987 and to this very day is where you'll bump into the likes of Jeffrey Grosset, Chester Osborn or Vanya Cullen when they are in Paris.

I have spent many happy hours at Juveniles exploring wines at Tim's recommendation.

Now Cuvée Juveniles has a sibling: Cuvée Juveniles Blanc pays homage to the fresh and energetic Cotes du Rhone white blends enjoyed in wine bars and bistros across France.

A blend of roussanne, marsanne, clairette, grenache blanc and viognier, it is a racy white designed for immediate enjoyment with minimal ceremony. The 2022 vintage has a very reasonable RRP of $29.

Meanwhile, to the original varieties of grenache, mourvedre and shiraz, current Torbreck winemaker Ian Hongell (ex Peter Lehmann) has added two other grape varieties to the popular red Juveniles blend: counoise and carignan. The current 2021 vintage is bursting with juicy fruit and is also just $29 RRP.

Nowadays Tim Johnson has stepped back from day-to-day operations at Juveniles.

It is now run by his daughter Margaux and her chef/partner Romain Roudeau. It is as much a bistro now as a wine bar, but it remains a port of call each time I visit Paris.

I'll have to ask Tim what he thinks of the new vin blanc. I reckon he'll like it.  

An Italian option for Chablis lovers

It was a delightful summer afternoon in Verona's Piazza Brà.

The many cafes and bars were buzzing as the adjacent Roman amphitheatre was being prepared for an opera performance.

This being the Veneto, we should be sipping on a glass of Soave, or perhaps a Valpolicella or Bardolino.

Our sommelier has other ideas; "definitely a glass of Lugana" he advises.

I'm a lover of Chablis, Sancerre, South African chenin blanc and Hunter semillon, but Lugana has so far escaped my radar. 

It's crisp, aromatic, citrusy, dry and refreshing, is best served chilled and has some nice textural characters.

It comes from a region near Lake Garda that is partially in the Veneto and partially in Lombardy. And its is bloody delicious. I have a new vinous friend.

Lugana, it turns out, is a popular Italian DOC white wine domestically that has not been exported much.

The production area goes from the southern coast of Lake Garda to the morainic hills, halfway between the province of Verona and the province of Brescia.

It is delicate and fragrant on the nose, rich in minerality on the palate (hence the similarity to Chablis and the whites of the Macon).

The Lugana Denominazione di Origine Controllata produces both a table wine and a sparkling wine.

The wines are made from what is locally called turbiana, or Trebbiano di Lugana, and it is a very close relative of verdicchio.

British wine bible Decanter recently devoted a multi-page article to the wines of Lugana in its May edition.

Some of the top names in Italian wine have bought land and vineyards in the area, so we can, perhaps, expect to see more Lugana down the track.