Durif from the Riverina has not exactly been recognised as a quality wine style. So it came as something of a shock some years ago when Calabria’s Three Bridges durif performed very well at the Brisbane wine show, knocking off quite a few more fancied wines in the process.
However, if you’ve had the chance to taste the wine over the
years, you would recognise that it is a distinctive style well worth seeking
out.
It may not have the trademark firm tannins of its Rutherglen counterparts but it
has all the rich, blackberry and plum fruit for which the variety is noted. The
tannins are still there but not as obvious as in its Rutherglen counterparts.
The latest vintage, the 2019 ($25), can be drunk now alongside hearty red meat dishes such as beef cheeks with polenta or lamb shanks but it will be even better in a decade.
It’s part of an impressive line-up of Calabria’s flagship
Three Bridges wines, with other reds coming from the family’s Barossa Valley
vineyards. There’s a 2019 Mourvedre ($35) from 1914 plantings, 2019 Grenache ($35)
from vines aged more than 50 years, 2019 Shiraz ($25), vine age about 50 years
and a 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon ($25), vine age 25-50 years.
The whites in the range are a Riverina Semillon ($30),
Tumbarumba Chardonnay ($25) and a Riverina Botrytis Semillon ($25 a 375ml
bottle).
They’re delicious wines that have always offered well above
value for money and are worth trying.
You can find out more about the wines, the vineyards and the
Calabria family at www.calabriawines.com.au
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