2021 Chalmers Wines "Col Fondo", Heathcote, Victoria, Australia
ABOUT THIS WINE
We’re never shy of proclaiming our love of Aglianico, and rose…. and sparkling wine for that matter, so here is our love child of these passions; Chalmers Col Fondo, a sparkling Aglianico Rosato complete with the lees in the bottle.
What is Col Fondo? Col Fondo is unfiltered sparkling wine and it’s cloudy with the lees left in the bottle. With its second fermentation occurring in the bottle, similar to Champagne, the result is something drier and more savoury, and typically a terroir-driven wine which can be a little funky and pleasantly drying with no dosage. No funk here though. In the bottle you’ll find freshly squeezed cloudy pink grapefruit in colour, attractive, red-fruited perfume, tart yet moreish with lots of zip and texture on the palate. Fine fizz with a deliciousness that screams ‘pour me another glass’.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
Bruce and Jenni Chalmers began growing grapes in the 1980s, with their vineyard in Murray Darling, on the border of Victoria and New South Wales. This diverse and thriving vineyard spawned their nursery business, which is responsible for importing close to 70 new clones and varieties. These varieties were released to Australia in 2000 and have since been a major factor in the improvements in sustainability and quality seen in the Australian wine industry in the last 20 years.
There has always been a focus on Italian varieties, which has been amplified under the next generation; Bruce and Jenni’s daughters Kim and Tennille have been the custodians of the family business since 2005 and 2011, respectively. Under their care, Chalmers purchased an 80- hectare plot in the northern portion Heathcote, where they have been able to find the greatest Australian terroirs for the Italian grapes they’ve been importing and championing for decades. Their success has been largely dependent on
their ability to match Italian grapes to Australian climates, focusing on thick-skinned grapes that are drought tolerant, resistant to sunburn, and have plenty of natural acidity.
Kim and Tennille have been instrumental in the amplification of the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine
Show, and in 2015 they also spearheaded 21st Century Vino, an initiative to increase awareness and expertise in Italian varieties grown across Australia. Bruce and Jenni are still ever-involved in the company, “always looking for the next big thing,” as Kim says.