From aglianico to zibibbo: Australia's 'ugly duckling' wine grapes set to become swans

Weird and wonderful alternative grape varieties are challenging to say – and, quite often, sell – but they're certainly exciting to drink. The good news for adventurous consumers is that such grapes are also increasing in popularity in both the ground and glass.

Award-winning vigneron Ashley Ratcliff grows the likes of negroamaro, nero d'avola, tempranillo, lagrein, aglianico, durif and fiano in South Australia's Riverland region – not to mention his plantings of greco, vermentino, monvedro, arinto, tinta barroca and zibibbo.

The former Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show chair is devoted to the production of these grapes and isn't afraid to push boundaries. The annual show takes place in Mildura in November and offers a glimpse into an alternate, climate-appropriate future for wine grapes in Australia.

Ratcliff and his wife Holly champion Mediterranean varieties suited to warm, dry climates. For their efforts, they won the Innovative Vineyard of the Year gong at the 2021 Young Gun of Wine awards. Of the 35-plus varieties Ratcliff grows, it's zibibbo especially that's having its heyday.

"It was an ugly duckling that was generally used by big companies for blending," says Ratcliff. "Now it's having a Cinderella moment."

That's largely thanks to experimental, small-batch producers such as Brash Higgins, the McLaren Vale winery run by Brad Hickey and business partner Nicole Mayer-Thorpe. Hickey, former New York sommelier, first toyed with zibibbo in 2013 after taking fruit from the Ratcliffs' Ricca Terra vineyards.

The juicy zibibbo grape, as it's called in Sicily, is also known as Muscat of Alexandria. It has historically been used for inexpensive, sweet sparkling wines and even goon bags. Hickey was one of the first winemakers to discover that zibibbo grapes could develop amazing length and complexity through longer skin contact during fermentation.

Hickey's Brash Higgins ZBO is wild fermented in clay amphorae (terracotta vessels) on skins for 150 days and the fruity, spicy, bone-dry wine leaps from the glass. The 2021 release is set to hit bottle shops in September. It also makes bold appearances at hatted restaurants across the nation.

"It really holds its own with spicy food and complex flavours so chefs and sommeliers love it," says Hickey.

He believes varieties such as zibibbo are fascinating to winemakers due to their power, personality and aromatic punch. "You can ferment them totally dry [without residual sugar] and change the way they look completely in the palate," says Hickey.

The white grape is not just appealing to winemakers. Sydney's Wildflower Brewing produces Zibeerbo, a barrel-matured Australian wild ale aged with Brash Higgins zibibbo skins. The limited release collaboration is available now through the Wildflower website. Brown Brothers makes a sparkling zibibbo priced at $14 a bottle.

This year's Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show provides insight into other old and upcoming grapes. Chief of judges is sommelier Sophie Otton, owner of Sydney wine bar She Loves You.

"It can take a while for an alternative variety to emerge," Otton says. "For example, it took a few years but montepulciano is now experiencing a groundswell. It's an exciting time because the younger generation of consumers is so easily and happily guided to try new things. They are engaged and excited, and not afraid to try something different."

Three more grape varieties to watch (and try)

Refosco

Sophie Otton loves this Friulian red variety from northern Italy. "It's got a lovely lightness and savoury element to it," she says. "And a real aromatic profile. People tend to be looking for drier Italian and lighter styles, as opposed to something that's weighty and full." Try Billy Button's "The Renegade" Refosco 2019 ($30, billybuttonwines.com.au) – just a few cases of winemaker Jo Marsh's reds are left.

Picpoul/Piquepoul

Coriole Vineyards' Mark Lloyd was the first to introduce and release an Australian vintage of picpoul – a white grape grown primarily in the Rhone Valley and Languedoc regions of south-west France. "When I first tried it with some Irish sommeliers in France it was a 'wow' moment," says the McLaren Vale winemaker. "When I tasted it again it was like a bag in a box."

But Lloyd was hooked by the potential of the lean, high acid variety and has been championing it ever since. It's a wine that pairs particularly well with oysters and shellfish and Coriole's Piquepoul 2021 ($28, coriole.com) is available now.

Meanwhile, fellow McLaren Vale wine brand Lloyd Brothers now grows the variety in the Adelaide Hills. The company's owner David Lloyd fell in love with picpoul while living in Britain where it is popular in pubs). The Lloyd Brothers Adelaide Hills Picpoul 2021 ($25, lloydbrothers.com.au) is astounding value for money and great summer drinking if you can wait that long.

Cinsault

This pretty French variety has long been grown in Australia but usually disappeared in blends until recently. "It is a red that lends itself to the type of drinking [Australians] are seeking – refreshing, good acidity, lower alcohol and delivering joy in a glass," Brad Hickey says. "Cinsault has a fresh, vibrant cherry quality."

The new Brash Higgins CINS is released in September (brashhiggins.com). Until then, seek out the Rusden Wildwood Cinsault ($30, rusdenwines.com.au), or a South African twist on the variety with the delightfully delicate Testalonga Baby Bandito Chin Up Cinsault 2020 ($36 from differentdrop.com).