Benalla produces award-winning grapes

When Melbourne brewer and winemaker Hop Nation released a syrah wine, using shiraz grapes grown just outside Benalla, they thought they had created something pretty special.

A bottle of its Site Wine 2020 Syrah was selling for just under $30 and despite great sales and positive feedback they had not considered entering it into any competitions.

So it was a pleasant surprise when it won one.

Local grape grower Mark Foletta has been collaborating with Hop Nation for nearly four years.

He said it was a great feeling to find out the syrah made from his grapes had taken out first place in a blind taste testing conducted by the Young Guns of Wine — one of Australia’s most respected wine reviewing groups.

“I’m a grape grower based between Benalla and Swanpool,” Mr Foletta said.

“I’ve got my own label, Saffron Gramophone, but I’m predominantly a grape supplier to a whole lot of different wineries.

“Hop Nation are a beer brewing company, but they were originally winemakers.

“I’m also a cherry grower, and have been supplying cherries for a cherry beer they make called Lapin.

“A couple of years ago they started taking shiraz and malbec and then some pinot grigio and nebbiolo.”

Hop Nation used Mr Foletta’s shiraz grapes to create its own syrah.

Mr Foletta said syrah was another name for shiraz grapes, however, the wine was a slightly different style to the shirazes that Australians know and love.

“I suppose what Australia is very famous for is shiraz, and they are the big fruit bomb shirazes, which were wining all the awards 10 years ago,” he said.

“Now there is this other culture of more syrah style, which is still a shiraz grape, but is grown in a cooler climate.

“There is this fresh fruit and spice and pepper and is a bit more refined, not as bold and big. It has a lighter, more approachable style. A bit more suppose.

“Anyway this crowd, the Young Guns of Wine, decided they wanted to find the top syrah, so they went out and found anything they could find in Australia.

“They did a blind tasting, came to 15 wines and the Hop Nation 2020 Site Wine Syrah, which is 100 per cent my fruit, ended up being the top pick, the outstanding one during the day.”

Mr Foletta said he supplied grapes to a number of wineries across the country, as well as producing limited batches of Saffron Gramophone.

“This award is significant as this area does not have its own GI, or Graphical Indicator,” he said.

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The GI is used by purchasers and connoisseurs to determine the type and quality of a wine.

Mr Foletta said he had had wine rejected by restaurants just because it had Benalla on the label, and the restaurant buyers could not find a GI for the area.

“So to be recognised as a top syrah for an area with no GI is great recognition.”

Mr Foletta said people in Benalla could pick up a bottle of Saffron Gramophone from local bottle shops, however, sadly the 2020 Site Wine is sold out.

However, he did say that if people kept an eye on www.sitewine.com.au the 2021 syrah was due to be available in November.