WINES OF NOW – DEEP DIVE VERMENTINO – YOUNG GUN OF WINE
24 April 2025. Words by YGOW.
Vermentino has been made in Australia for 20 years, but it has steadily been growing to become an important player in the burgeoning market of emerging grape varieties in this country. It’s predominantly a coastal variety, with its most famous growing areas in France’s southern regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, as well as in the Italian regions of Liguria, Tuscany and Sardinia. In Australia, it has found coastal homes, but the bulk of it is grown further inland, with it adapting well to warmer climates when handled carefully in the vineyard. Now grown in well over 20 regions, vermentino has become a readily recognised name for more curious consumers, so we thought it timely to check in to see exactly where Australian vermentino is at with a Deep Dive.
We gathered every Australian varietal vermentino we could find and set our expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines. Below are the wines that made the panellists’ top-six selections from the tasting.
2024 Vino Volta ‘Sole Bambino’ Vermentino, Geographe $32 RRP
Bird, Parkhill, and Scarcebrook all selected this wine in their top six from the blind tasting, drawn to its quieter, more introspective take on Vermentino. “Soft and autumnal,” noted Bird, “this wine drapes itself over the senses like a well-worn cashmere scarf,” with aromas of peaches and cream and “a nostalgic nod to arrowroot biscuits.” Parkhill found it “less aromatically exuberant” than some but praised its “aromatic precision,” with “white grapefruit zest, almond blossom, and just-ripe white peaches” gliding across a “silky body” defined by a “latticework of acidity.” Though not overtly long, he admired its subtlety, calling it “the best example of the ‘light, bright, and relatively austere’ school of Vermentino currently being made in Australia.” Scarcebrook offered a more playful lens, describing “real mojito vibes,” with “fennel, lime, and a mintiness” leading to a “soft and ripe” palate that’s “ideal for drinking by the pool.” With supple texture, gentle salinity, and delicate citrus and spice notes, this is a quietly compelling wine that whispers rather than shouts.
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