Another 'long ago but not forgotten' tasting. a year-and-a-quarter ago this one. Apologies.
Just to be clear, once again we went to this Australia Trade Tasting not expecting to find rare grape varieties but to find ones unexpected in Australia.
At first we thought we might have found something truly rare. A bottle of a white wine whose grape was named Savarro which in turn was described on the back label as 'an ancient, green-skinned, tight-bunched variety.'
Searching feverishly, hopes high, we discovered Savarro was a pseudonym for Savagnin. A bit cheeky we thought. Then we remembered that there had been a problem with Savagnin in Australia not so long ago. Who better to describe what happened than Darby Higgs, author of the Australian 'Vinodiversity' book/blog and good friend of Slotovino;
"Until very recently Savagnin was not known to be used commercially in Australia. Since 2009 it has been known that the vineyards in Australia which thought they were planting Albarino were in fact planting Savagnin.
The wines are still excellent, it's just that the wine needs to be marketed under a new name.
Apparently propagation material from Spain via France labelled as "Albarino" was in fact "Savagnin". This material was used by vine nurseries to supply all of the vineyards who planted it in the early 2000s. By the end of that decade DNA analysis had revealed the mistake."
Maybe the producers, Soumah had wanted to take revenge on the importers of 'Albarino'?Darby Higgs goes on to say this was not the first time such mis-labelling of vines has occurred. He points to Carmenere being delivered to Chile as Merlot and in Australia people planting Carnelian when they thought it was Sangiovese. Also, Gros Manseng for Petit Manseng - a shocking one, that.
There was this Petit Manseng by Symphonia. We assume this really was Petit Manseng.
Otherwise there was the first Australian Assyrtiko we had ever seen.
Ditto, an Arinto. What next?
Brown Brothers, non-alcoholic Moscato and Cienna, that's what.
Not obscure in the slightest was Pike's Riesling. We note it here because we like it very much.
Good show!
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