Freeman Secco Rondinella Corvina 2017
- 96
- $50
- Drink by: 2023-2035
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If you have tasted Amarone or Ripasso from Veneto before, this wine would make you feel like you are back in the north-eastern Italian region. If you haven’t tried it yet instead, what are you waiting for? This is a blend of native Italian black grapes rondinella and corvina, a portion of which has been dried slowly for 10 days before being married with the rest of the fermenting juice. Brian Freeman in the Hilltops (NSW) is the specialist of those distinctive dried, and semi-dried styles of reds. Similarly to those from the appassimento method (drying grapes) that is widely used across Veneto, the wine displays concentrated aromas of dried cranberries, prunes, Cherry Ripe, sweet liquorice. All seasoned by a good dose of spices: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla. Tannins are mouth coating, the sweetness on the palate is indicative of the drying method rather than the level of alcohol that, although high, helps to balance the concentration of the flavours. Full-bodied and highly tempting, it has, despite its armour, the freshness of those North Italian big reds that want to be enjoyed with food. Not just great with slow cooked meat but also homemade tagliatelle with duck ragout.
Lisa Cardelli is an Italian-born wine professional who has been based in Melbourne since 2010. She worked as a sommelier in some of the city’s leading fine-dining restaurants for over ten years before leaving hospitality to become a wine sales representative. Lisa is now a journalist for Il Globo, the newspaper for Italians in Australia and around the world, where she also curates her own wine column. She continues to write about wine for both local and international publications and is on track to become one of the few prolific bilingual wine writers in Australia. A certified WSET Educator, she teaches at various venues across Melbourne. She also judges at local wine shows and for the prestigious Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards. Lisa was the recipient of the 2022 Wine Communicators of Australia award for Best Published Feature Article, a finalist for the same award in 2024, the recipient of the 2022 Sydney Royal Wine Professional Development Scholarship sponsored by the Len Evans Foundation, and one of twelve carefully selected Len Evans Scholars in 2024.
