As we move closer to Australia Day, what better way to acknowledge our national day than to focus upon a couple of unique Australian grape varieties. The first is Tarrango, bred by the white coat brigade at Victoria's CSIRO Merbein laboratory in the mid-1960's, the grape named after the small town of Tarrango in north-west Victoria.
A cross between the red Portuguese variety Touriga and that humble white all-rounder the Sultana grape, Perhaps Australia's answer to Beaujolais, it was designed specifically as a light, fruity red wine to be drunk in countries that experience hot summer months.
To be originally grown in that region of Victoria where summer temperatures can be brutally hot, Tarrango vines have high, late ripening yields, fresh acidity, soft grapey flavours and low tannins. Brown Brothers has been producing wines from this grape since 1980 and document the use in recent years of the carbonic maceration technique by which a certain amount of the fruit is allowed to ferment whole as it is done in Beaujolais, to add both complexity and flavour to the final product.
A light cherry red colour in the glass, similar to a cross between a Pinot Noir and a Rose.
A dry and light-bodied wine that is characterised by lifted aromas of fresh red currants, raspberries, cherries with a nice spicy nuance on the palate. There is a lovely juiciness that abounds throughout with low tannins and acid balance that add to the mouthfeel.
Tarrango needs to be served slightly chilled and enjoyed while young, not that this vintage sent me into retroperistalsis! The wine's versatility would match a wide variety of cuisines, even the heat of Indian curries shouldn't be an issue.
Not an overly complex wine but refreshing and delicious to drink. Get on board if you haven't yet tried it. Keep one or two in the fridge over the warmer months.
Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 13.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 89 Points. Website: http://www.brownbrothers.com.au/
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