2023 Delinquente Roxanne the Razor NND
WINEMAKER: Con-Greg Grigoriou
REGION: Riverland, SA
VARIETY: Negroamaro, Aglianico, Nero d'Avola
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
40% Negroamaro, 35% Aglianico, 25% Nero d'Avola from the Bassham Family Organic and Biodynamic vineyard in Barmera. Wild fermented in stainless steel, each variety is were picked and fermented separately – the Negroamaro and Nero d’Avola on skins for 7 days, the Aglianico pressed off after 3 days. Everything is blended prior to bottling.
The cooler vintage this year sees this wine tip further into the “chilled red” zone than previously. Bright and juicy with very little tannin, the lovely earthy, amaro-esque savouriness, cola berry/chinotto characters are still there, but play second fiddle to the sour cherry jubey fruit vibe. A Riverland version of Beaujolais, using varieties appropriate to the place they are grown.
Con-Greg Grigoriou grew up on a vineyard in the Riverland, South Australia, where his father has managed wineries for over 35 years. A few years ago, while working for an advertising agency in Melbourne, he tasted his first truly interesting Riverland wine and something clicked - why weren’t people producing high-quality wines in his home region?
Greg’s idea for Delinquente Wine Co was to take advantage of the Riverland’s small vineyards planted with Southern Italian varieties, which are suited to the region’s dry Mediterranean climate. He sources grapes from trusted growers many of whom he has know his whole life, who work organically. In the cellar Greg takes this organic philosophy forward, all his wines are small-batch and single-vineyard, fermented in stainless steel with wild yeast and without acid adjustments. His aim is to make wine that is pure, drinkable and delicious - or as he would put it, “smashable”.