#7 The Piemontese grape
Welcome to the first technical details of Vintage #7!
We’re choosing the grape variety earlier than usual because it helps set the direction for everything that follows. It gives us time to plan properly, explore interesting options and potential vineyards, and get ahead of any curveballs (like wild boar feasting on our preferred vineyard again). Having this decision made now means we can line up some thoughtful votes in advance and be ready to act when harvest kicks off. Of course, we still expect some last-minute decisions to pop up mid-harvest — they always do — but with this head start, we’ll be better prepared when the chaos hits.
Don’t let this opportunity slip through your fingers
Nebbiolo
The noble grape of Barolo and Barbaresco. Nebbiolo makes serious, complex reds with aromas of rose, tar, cherries, and spice. It’s naturally high in acid and tannin, which makes it built to age — but that also means it can be a bit grippy in its youth. A grape with drama and structure, often paler in colour than you’d expect from its intensity.
We’ve done the Australian version already this calendar year, but I’d expect something very different in Italy. I’m a firm believer that region has a much bigger impact on a wine’s style than the grape itself, so I wouldn’t count on it tasting anything like our antipodean effort. Tannin is definitely the hallmark of Nebbiolo, and one of my most vivid memories of tasting grapes (including Nebb) down under was how different that tannin felt. The ‘chew test’ — a pseudo-scientific method of counting chews until bitterness hits — was useless. The whole grape was pulversied before you noticed any bitterness. The Italian version, especially having tasted many of Gianluca’s wines, will certainly be more savoury than our Unico Zelo take.
Barbera
Juicy, vibrant, and effortlessly drinkable. Barbera is all about freshness — zingy acidity, low tannins, and loads of red fruit like cherry and raspberry. It’s the everyday hero of Piedmont: easy to enjoy young, but with enough depth to be interesting. It works for fun, approachable styles or something more polished with some work in the cellar.
The ‘Dictator’ has already had a play with this variety in South Africa. It really does hold onto its acidity — a big plus in warm climates, where it’s increasingly common to add tartaric acid before ferment. Barbera was the exception in South Africa. Picked much later than our Chenin and most reds, it still held natural acidity beautifully, letting us give it some extended hang time.
Dolcetto
Soft, dark, and charming. Dolcetto (ironically meaning “little sweet one”) is dry, fruit-forward, and typically the easiest of the three to drink young. Expect flavours of blackberry, plum, and cocoa, with gentle tannins and a smooth, rounded finish. It’s the kind of wine that feels like a warm hug — ideal for casual drinking, yet with enough character to stand out.
This would be a first for me — and for us! Unico had some, but it was mostly blended into other wines rather than bottled solo. A single-varietal Dolcetto would be something new and exciting. Dark and chocolatey, it brings early-drinking joy but still offers plenty of personality. If selected, expect lots of renditions of '“Just one Dolcettooo… give it to me…” a ditty stuck in my head since last vintage. Thanks Joe G.
Value for money?
As if the decision wasn’t tricky enough, there’s a little economics to consider too. We’re working with a fixed price for our grapes, since you’ve already locked in your price by buying in advance — Nebbiolo, being in higher demand, usually commands a premium. That means that, at our price point, we might be working with younger vines, higher-yielding plants, or less-prime vineyard sites.
If you believe in free market economics, then all of that should already be baked into our fixed price — meaning no impact on quality. So really, your vote should be based on the characteristics of each grape, not the assumption that any one of them is inherently better than the others.
There you have it! Now, head back to the email to cast your vote. Or if you’ve found this page via other routes, be sure to subscribe to the vintage so you don’t miss out on joining the fun!
