Sagrantino Red Wine Variety in Umbria and Australia

Sagrantino is a red wine variety from Central Italy, especially in Umbria. It is now becoming popular in Australia, as consumers here look beyond Sangiovese for other interesting Italian red wines.

Sagrantino in Italy

The most famous expression of this red grape in Italy is Sagrantino di Montefalco, named after the town of Monteflaco in Central Umbria.

These wines are big full bodied reds showing fruity spicy aromatics and flavour. Sagrantino is sometimes blended with Sangiovese.

A sweet version of Sagrantino di Montefalcino is made using the passito method where the grapes are dried to some extent before the wine is made.

Sagrantino in Australia

The passion for Italian wines, first by grapegrowers and then winemakers and finally consumers was mainly about Sangiovese in the nineties and the noughties. Now Australians are busy trying the myriad of other Italian varieties, both as imported wines and as locally produced wines.

Sagrantino is still at the early stages of viticulture and production here but there are a few Australian Sagrantino wines around that you might like to check out. For those who are wordsmiths as well as winelovers d'Arenberg's Cenosilicaphobic cat is worth seeking out...it's a mainly Sagrantino, with a touch of Cinsaut

Australian wineries using Sagrantino

The wineries in this list are among the pioneers of the variety in Australia. They either have some available or will have in the next year or so. Let me know if there are any more.

• Amadio Adelaide Hills
• Andrew Peace Wines Swan Hill
• Chalmers Murray Darling
• Coriole McLaren Vale
• D'Arenberg McLaren Vale
• Domain Day Barossa Valley
• Gracebrook Vineyards King Valley
• Heathvale Eden Valley
• Olivers Taranga McLaren Vale
• Preston Peak Granite Belt
• Quarry Hill Canberra
• Rupert's Ridge Estate Heathcote
• Tall Poppy Murray Darling
• Tallavera Grove Winery Hunter Valley
• Terra Felix Upper Goulburn

Sagrantino and food

Sagrantino wines can be little too acid and tannic for some Australian palates, especially if they are not accompanied by food.

A clue as how how best to appreciate these wines is to look to Sagrantino's home base in Umbria. One food specialty of the region is Noricineria - hams and sausages made from pork and wild boar (cinghiale). There are produced in the town of Norcia, famous for its pork butchers and delicatessens.

If you are not having a meaty antipasto you could serve your Sagrantino wine with a meat based pasta or a game dish.