Grape varieties

Sagrantino

The late-ripening, tannic Sagrantino variety is rarely mentioned without reference to its central Italian homeland – the town and environs of Montefalco, between Spoleto and Perugia in Umbria. (The Montefalco Sagrantino DOC was created in the 1970s and promoted to DOCG in 1992.) While it is also planted to a limited extent on Sicily, Italy’s roughly 1,000ha are concentrated around Montefalco. The wines are generally dry and firmly structured, often smoothed by time in oak, and with a fine bite of cherry and mulberry fruit. A traditional sweet wine made from dried grapes (passito) is now rare (try, for example, Tabarrini’s Colle Grimaldesco) but can be delicious. Sagrantino owes a huge debt of gratitude to Marco Caprai, who rescued it from virtual extinction in the 1960s and has done so much to show its quality and ageing potential – which is perhaps why it is one of the many Italian varieties now finding favour in Australia. From Italy try Adanti, Arnaldo Caprai, Còlpetrone, Di Filippo, Lungarotti and Perticaia. Successful Australian examples include Amadio, Chalmers, Coriole, Koltz, Oliver’s Taranga, Andrew Peace and Preston Peak. Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson MW, Julia Harding MW and José Vouillamoz; www.winegrapes.org