The Auswine Forum

i thought it might be interesting to do an offline based on two grape varieties commonly grown next to each other in their homeland, that display both some striking differences but also similarities. The tannic Nebbiolo and the considerably less tanic barbera, the wines that both go so beautifully with pizza, pasta, traditional Italian food.

It was this statement by Jancis Robinson that encouraged me to put this theme out there;

"Light, tart Barbera was the everyday drinking wine on Piemontese tables, something to wash down the wondrous local cuisine and its succession of courses, paving the way on special occasions for a bottle of a serious red wine made from Nebbiolo."

So as for the food, I think a good quality Italian putting out traditional style Italian pizza with a decent menu of traditional Italian entrees and pasta in a not too formal setting, kind of like a local pizzeria in Italy but as close as we can achieve here.

As rooman mentioned a while back in another thread that he had been interested in exploring local Italian white varieties I have found myself enjoying the same exploration too, however with such little experience in this category of wine what better way to accelerate that exploration by incorporating that component into this offline to balance the line up with whites.

Venue: Love Supreme on Oxford St maybe? We always BYO there and never been charged corkage. I would encourage bringing our own glasses but for those that can't they actually have 2 Types of glassware, the standard which is a bit average but a burgundy style glass that is quite impressive and would hold the wines of the night more than adequately.

Rules of theme: all wines must be Italian including the whites and the whites must be Italian grape varieties. Blends are cool but preferably the blend is just a small percentage added to the theme grape. bear in mind the Nebbiolo's are going to generally be more expensive than the Barberas so aim to impress and surprise with the quality of the Barbera if you decide to bring that.

Numbers: 12 max

Finalised date: Thursday, 29th September, 6.15pm

Finalised venue: Love Supreme, Oxford St, Paddington

Attendees:

1) bobthebuilder
2) barbthebuilder
3) TiggerK
4) Dingozegan
5) Polymer
6) Hacker
7) winetastic
winetastic +1

Count me in Bob!!

Sounds good, count me in.

I'm good for this I think...

i'm interested

Do wines have to be made in Italy? I mean, are wines made from mentioned grapes in AU included?

Thanks Nick, put me down as a starer please mate.

ufo wrote:Do wines have to be made in Italy? I mean, are wines made from mentioned grapes in AU included?

Italian only is the theme, because it's more a comparison of the two grape varieties grown under the same / similar terroir.
I did to and fro a bit with a Nebbiolo theme without Barbera, and the neb could be from anywhere, but that's quite a different comparison altogether, more a comparison of terrior than grape. I think that would be quite an interesting theme too, but it's just inherently different to this one.

I also had concerns with the fact the Nebbiolo would generally outdo the Barbera in most cases, hence its not a this vs that theme. I kinda like the challenge of sourcing a Barbera that will impress and the fact a good Barbera will likely be harder to source than a good Nebbiolo, costs aside.

That said, I don't want the boundaries to be set to tight that people have trouble attending due to sourcing the wine they bring.
Did you have something else in mind that doesn't fit the spec?

The whites however do need to be Italian, and an Italian grape variety.

Was also thinking of moving outside the norm with the flights, in the sense of moving from young to old so the Barberas come first and the Nebbiolo last, with the whites in the middle.

I think that might work best with the food as the Barberas would be served with the entrees, the whites with the end of the entrees and lighter basic traditional pizzas with very minimal toppings, and then more tannic Nebbiolo coming out with the heavier meatier pizzas and pasta.

But nothing is set in concrete yet, it's just ideas in my head and consensus on the night will prevail!

Haven't considered the stickies and desert yet so no boundaries there!

Woah Nick! sounds like you've really thought this through!

I need to try more Italians, but can't make this one, sounds like it's going to be another fun night!

Just as a bump..

Do we have a date for this yet? Hopefully not the first week of Sept .

Hi Kev
No date as of yet
I'd be keen to see what suits people on the list so far so I can try to make the date suit as many as possible
The boundaries are a little tight and its clear from recent events that can drop the numbers
I really would like to see us get to 8 - 10 people atleast so there is enough examples to validate the theme
I'm also fine with moving outside the square with wines people are bringing if it means someone keen to attend doesn't opt out because they don't quite have something that fits the spec.
I must admit I would be very interested in tasting a Barbera made in Oz, and I've only had a handful of Aussie Nebbiolo so keen to explore that too.
But I am also really keen to have some neb and barbera where the grapes are grown in a very similar terrior, and ideally by the same producer. Same vintage would be awesome, but lets not close those boundaries too much!
Maybe late September or early October might be better?
It would give potential attendees a little more time to source their contribution so might help get the numbers up
Keen to hear how the current attendee list feels regarding the theme and dates

Hi Bob,

Would love to join if there is still some space!

Some Barberas will smash nebbiolo in a line-up. So I wouldn't have a set rule as it's stylistically dependent.

I was thinking of bringing a white - Italian whites of often overshadowed by reds (and not without reason) but I think there are some good whites too. Happy to bring an Italian Barbera (or Nebbiolo) too.

Nic, since you are so inclined, I could bring an Aussie Barbera (that I consider among the best I've had).

Late September/early October should be OK for me.

Would love to come if there is room.

Please put myself and my partner down if there is room

Tarija, Hacker, winetastic & winetastic +1 all added to the attendees list so we are now full.
Anyone else keen please let me know and I'll add a reserve list. There are always drop outs so its likely you will make it in.

ufo, wasn't sure if you were putting your name up but your on the list, so if you could please let me know if you wanted to come?
Please read my last post regarding the wine as I've expanded the scope and its cool to bring what you suggested.

Ben - Love the sounds of what you are considering bringing!

OP is updated and I have also moved the tentative timeframe to end of September - beginning of October to give people more time to source their wine and also more notice on peoples calendars. If there are any dates around that time that don't suit people then please let me know so I can try to fit a date that works for everyone. I was thinking a Thursday or Friday night, again, let me know what you prefer!

Cheers,
Nic

Many thanks. Thursday would be preferable for me, if possible. Looking forward to this!

JamieBahrain wrote:Some Barberas will smash nebbiolo in a line-up.

I've got to say I always had this slim film of hope you may be in Sydney around those dates as I know you would surely pull a wine out to validate that point!

Thursday 29th September - how does hat work for everyone?

Would much prefer a Friday, however a Thursday is workable

I prefer Friday too, but from past experience Thursday tends to suit most people better
Not set in concrete yet, anyone else have a preference?

Thursday preferable for me - cheers.

I'm easy though Friday is probably preferable since that leaves Saturday to recover as everyone goes clubbing on Oxford St post the dinner.

Any day is fine with me...although Thursdays do tend to work out better for most people overall...

For whatever reason I think Fri/Sat causes family tension for some..getting to go Thur but spending time with them on the weekend seems to work out ok.

I also think BYO is easier on non peak days....for the places that don't normally allow BYO at least....

Polymer wrote:For whatever reason I think Fri/Sat causes family tension for some

Haha yes this is why I voted Thursday

rooman wrote:I'm easy though Friday is probably preferable since that leaves Saturday to recover as everyone goes clubbing on Oxford St post the dinner.

I am rather tempted to move it to Friday if only to see you mark, bopping away on the podium of some Oxford St nightclub dance floor

Bobthebuilder wrote:

rooman wrote:I'm easy though Friday is probably preferable since that leaves Saturday to recover as everyone goes clubbing on Oxford St post the dinner.

I am rather tempted to move it to Friday if only to see you mark, bopping away on the podium of some Oxford St nightclub dance floor

Your only concern is the tight tee shirt comes off with the heat and the killer moves come out.

Wine wise, thinking:
Borgogno Barolo Riserva 2001
Vietti Barbera Scarrone 2011