Oliver’s Taranga Fiano 2025
- 93
- $29
- Drink by: 2025-2033
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Is there anything more annoying than when some poor contestant on Masterchef serves a bowl of ice cream and gets dubbed the Dessert Queen for the next three months. Yes, there probably is, but this is up there. This particular random thought popped into my mind when I almost referred to Corrina Wright from Oliver’s as the Fiano Queen. Shall we just leave it as Fiano royalty. It is certainly fair to say that few people have done as much to promote this really excellent Italian white variety in this country as Corrina (embarrassingly, I’ve just seen the Oliver’s press blurb refer to her as the Queen of Fiano, so another battle lost). At this stage, Fiano is still what one might call small bikkies, with just over 100 hectares planted in Australia, but the figure that did surprise me is that only 10% of that is in McLaren Vale. The range from Olivier’s must surely be encouraging others to plant the grape there. This is their standard Fiano and it is an absolute cracker, not to mention excellent value. The colour is a bronzy straw. The wine is beautifully perfumed with spices, lime leaves, citrus, hazelnut and stone fruits. There is focus and energy, a seductive texture, good acidity and excellent length, all the while exhibiting underlying power. Enjoy this for at least the next eight years. Love it.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
