Stefano di Pieri 2018 Sagrantino – Merbein Vineyard

Sagrantino, now there’s a grape variety you don’t come across every day. Have you tried a wine made from Sagrantino yet?

This red Italian grape variety is known for its polyphenol levels – which in normal language, means antioxidants. So I don’t know about you, but I think that means we should drink a lot of it this winter 😉

I received this sample bottle of Stefano di Pieri’s 2018 Merbein Vineyard Sagrantino from the lovely team at Cellarmasters recently. RRP $17 per bottle in a case.

Named after Stefano di Pieri, the winemaker (and celebrated chef, author, raconteur and TV presenter), this range is all about making wines to be matched with food. The wine hails from the Mildura region in Victoria.

We of course matched it with some home-cooking, nothing fancy, just some spaghetti bolognese, but oh boy it was a lovely match. Here are the notes I took down about the wine:

In the glass you can nearly mistake it for a shiny red gem. On the nose it makes me think of raspberries and black cherries with whiffs of tar and a forest like earthiness. In the mouth it’s fruity, dry, acidic and clean. Think savoury upfront with a fruity acid-drive backbone and silky tannins. It made me think of red and black fruits dusted with cinnamon.

This bottle was sent to me as a sample from Cellarmasters.

All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy!