I’m not saying I’m an old fella by admitting to knowing who Dean Martin is (click here if you don’t know or want more information about him). Some of his songs are legendary and he had such incredibly dulcet tones. The reason I mention this is because I reckon he could have swooned many with a song about this grape variety. It would’ve been so easy for him.
Vermentino seems such an, I don’t know, intimate yet strong word and how good is it that it’s attached to an Italian grape variety. And, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if some Italian ‘Madre’ (Italian for mother in case you were wondering) named their children ‘Vermentino’. This isn’t as silly as it sounds you know. For instance, ‘Valentino’ means brave or strong in Italian so a suitable meaning for Vermentino could be something like “attractive and moreish”. Something to think about…or not.
This is delicious from head to toe. Quite aromatic with floral notes, pears and a hint of lemons/limes. The nose is pretty much an invite to…”come on, you’re going to enjoy this wine”. The palate is fruity but be prepared for a nice zesty punch that it has. Pears make an appearance here too and probably adding the nice texture it has. There’s some bit part players like grapefruit, lemon and a hint of apricot as well. It sits very nicely on the palate with some subtle acid doing its bit on the finish.
For me it was singing out, “Where’s the food?!” As much as we drank it on its own, this would shine with food but don’t get too fancy. This is what Italian varieties are all about. Ciao!!
Region: McLaren Vale, SA Price: $20 (Sadly sold out at cellar door) Source: Swap
Words from a Wine Glass 