Wine Review: A Fruity Foreign Correspondent from Heartland

I like what winemaker Ben Glaetzer is doing here, it’s an airy, lower alcohol take on two North–Italian grape varieties. Lagrein hails from north–eastern Italy around Alto Adige where it produces fresh, aromatic, highly seductive red wines.

Dolcetto, from over in the north–west around Piemonte, is overshadowed by Nebbiolo but produces beautiful wines, ones with a lushness of fruit, but do that typically Italian thing of walking the razor edge between sweetness and bitterness with an earthiness to the form.

In the glass, the first striking thing you’ll notice is how light the colour is, Pinot–esque in hue, perhaps even closer to a robust Rosé. There are aromas of red cherry, cranberry, red currant and blueberry fruits on display, all very high–toned, bright and pretty. Hints of spice, red licorice, amaro herbs, cherry Danish, rosewater and delicate, purple floral notes. It certainly has the mouthfeel of Rosé — light, spacious and airy and the flavours are similar in spectrum to a deeply structured Rosé wine.

All crunchy red fruits, again with cherry, red currant and cranberry making a major showing. Come spring and summer, chill this down and have a few glasses of this with some charcuterie or perhaps some grilled tuna and it will bring a smile to your dial.

At 12.5 percent alcohol you can have an extra glass for good measure.

2016 Foreign Correspondent Lagrein/Dolcetto

heartlandwines.com.au