Zonzo Sagrantino

Sagrantino is an Italian grape indigenous to Umbria, and Zonzo Estate grows it in Victoria under its Scoperta label. The wine is perfumed — floral spice and a dusting of cocoa over black pepper and dark berries — with cherry pip, blackberry and cedar through the palate. Tannins are fine and dusty rather than heavy, and the finish stays fresh and spicy.

Caroline Mooney grew up in the Yarra Valley and joined Zonzo in 2015 with two decades of winemaking behind her, including time in France. The Scoperta range is her project. She also designed Zonzo's urban winery in Lilydale, a converted warehouse opened in 2019. It recycles its rainwater and runs Swiss refrigerated piping to keep the tanks cold.

The 2021 vintage was picked at Heathcote on 18 March. The fruit sat chilled in an open fermenter for two days before the yeast went in. Mooney worked it gently, with hand plunges and run-downs, and left it on skins for sixteen days. Sagrantino usually brings heavy tannin. This one is silkier and lighter than the grape normally gives, closer to a cool-climate red.

Zonzo's own advice on food is to pair it with an open mind and any cuisine.