For a long time now, there has been talk of alterative varieties being the only interesting thing happening in Australian wine. As someone who has, over many years, grown and made wine with these so-called "alternatives", I disagree with this sentiment and yet I want these varieties to succeed, to increase in importance and to add their unique textures to our drinking experience.
If you have a quiet moment with nothing to do except try to figure out how many different wines made from different varieties you have tasted in your life (well, no-one said wine people had to be interesting, did they?) here's a website you might like: www.winecentury.com
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| Vermentino, an Italian variety now making some exciting wines in Australia |
This site is essentially a scoreboard to help you tally up these different varieties. There is an astonishing number of varieties listed here and trying all of them should keep even the most committed oenophile busy for a good stretch. My personal tally is over 100 and I am still as keen as ever. My newest one is not even on the lists--it's Yapincak (pronounced yapinjak) and it is grown in a small area in western Turkey. In truth, its real worth is as a table grape since the wine is mediocre and oxidises easily but the grapes taste pretty good. What will be next?
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