Journey Wines, Fiano, Heathcote, Victoria, Australia, 2017

Fiano has enormous promise in Australia, where it thrives in warmer, drier areas such as McLaren Vale - and in Heathcote, where this example comes from. The vineyard is owned by the Chalmers family, who own a vine nursery and are the biggest importer of Italian varieties into Australia. They initially planted one hectare of Fiano, but they have been so excited by the potential that they are expanding plantings by another 10ha. This is the first vintage of this wine, half of which is fermented in steel, the other half in old Chardonnay puncheons with wild yeasts and more solids. The result is a wine which shows steeliness alongside a weight of ripe apple and Nashi pear fruit.