Description

Sagrantino is not a common household variety. But it should be. This (potentially) massively tannic red grape from Italy has broad appeal when wine lovers get Sagrantino into their mouths. Surrender to Vino Intredpido’s bold plums, ironstone rusticity, meaty and spicy flavours. VI Sagrantino has the weight and flavour profile of Shiraz, but it is definitely a different beast.

I showed VI Sagrantino to a group after we tasted a range of Greenock-based, Barossa reds and it was well-received. The charm, ease of drinking, the boldness of flavour really is what sets this wine above many.

VI Sagrantino is tannic, not as tannic as Montefalco grown, but it packs a punch. It would be better served with some parmesan cheese, but it can be served as is because it is so tasty. Drink the 2020 over the next 7-10 years.

Vino Intrepido Sacred + Profane Heathcote Sagrantino 2020, and all wines are eligible for at least 5% off any six bottles. And 10% off any 12 bottles. Some wines will be at a more significant discount and not subject to further discounts.

Vino Intrepido is what happens when wine is made by a podcaster, traveller of the known and unknown wine world, father and nice guy to boot? You get Vino Intrepido. James Scarcebrook, aka The Intrepid Wino, is a busy lad that loves wine. In 2016 he started a project for his interest and fun to see what it is like to make wine. And to see if he can make the wines express what he had in his head. In 2017 the range expanded from one batch to several, and this is the first release.

Vino Intrepido Sacred + Profane Heathcote Sagrantino 2020 Wine Review

Campbell Mattinson
The Wine Front
91 points
“Beautiful aromatics. Perfumed, lively, fresh and unencumbered. It drew me straight in. The palate follows suit, fruit-filled as it is, all free and flowing, with plum and game meat, fragrant herb and a woodsy note, hard to define but attractive. Texture, form, volume; everything is in good order here. When I first starting tasting this my only query was over its length, and whether it was a bit round-shouldered, but as it breathed it extended sufficiently. It’s a good, fresh-faced wine, with character.”

Heathcote

Victoria’s glamour region for lovers of big red wine. And the core production is Shiraz and Cabernet with ‘guts’. But it is a region that offers a lot of diversity when you scratch the surface. The cooler southern parts border Macedon and make lovely aromatic wines. There is a lot of experimentation and adoption of more drought-resistant Italian varieties with positive results too.

Sagrantino

Indigenous to the region of Umbria in Central Italy. The village of Montefalco and its surrounding areas is where Sagrantino excels. The grape is one of the worlds most tannic. Creating densely coloured and inky wines. Dark flavours, red fruits, earth and a hint of sweet spice. Until 1976 the grape was primarily used to make a thick, syrupy dessert wine. Australia has examples of Sagrantino planted in King Valley, Adelaide Hills, Barossa and McLaren Vale.

Australian Wine

The invasion of “Sunshine in a bottle” put Australian wine on the map.  The fruity, easy-going, somewhat samey wines were endearing for a short time. Then the next big thing knocked them off their perch.

This forced producers to increase quality and emphasise the distinctive terroirs of Australia. Of which, there are many. And many more yet to be discovered.

Wine

Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.

The wine grape is impressive. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.

Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.

The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.

Red Wine

Fun fact; most of the colour for wines comes from the skins. There are only a handful of grapes that have red juice. Alicante is the most well known of these grapes.

By macerating the juice on the skins, the wine gains tannin and flavour. Certain compounds change the chemistry of the wine too.

Red wines tend to have higher alcohol. More tannin and more oak flavours compared to other styles of wine. But the thousands of grapes and terroirs they grow in influence this.

The Wine Depository

I, Phil, have been running The Wine Depository since 2011. The Wine Depository exists to make sure you are drinking the good wines. You can browse and pick what is interesting to you. Or you can make contact with me. I’ll make sure you get what you want, to your palate, to your budget and to your door.