Zonte’s Footstep Madrugador Tempranillo 2022

So many questions here. What is Zonte’s Footstep?  It’s a long story. What does Magrugador mean? It’s Galician for ‘early riser.’ They grow Tempranillo on the Fleurieu Peninsula? Not only does the Spanish grape variety grow on the Peninsula, but it’s thriving. This is a confident, well-made expression of the variety with a touch of Iberian-style savouriness to boot. Attractive, bright, deep purple-black cherry hues. Dark spiced aromas with plums and dark-cherry fruits, earth, briar and a touch of leather. Very inviting. Palate is fine-boned and balanced with dry, dusty tannins in place providing the kind of structure that elevates the grape’s fruit and spice. A gentle savouriness and good length seals it as a serious wine.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic