Ballandean Estate continues its winning streak with a swag of medals awarded this weekend at a national wine show for boutique winemakers. The Australian Small Winemakers Show is held annually in Stanthorpe, attracting wine entries from across Australia and New Zealand.
Vintage 2022 delivered Queensland’s oldest family-owned winery 3 silver and 2 bronze medals, bringing the tally to 5 medals at one of the most prestigious shows on the annual wine circuit.
Fourth-generation vigneron Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi says,
Ballandean Estate is famed for alternative white varietals, our Strange Birds™! This year, our great Italian whites Malvasia, Fiano and GFM (Giallo Fiano Malvasia) were awarded silver medals, which means they had to score greater than 17/20 points; and be considered exceptional on the palate, with freshness and finesse highly prized by the judging panel.
We’ve just released our 10th vintage of Fiano, a wine we’ve won critical acclaim for since 2012, thanks to its richer Italian style with mouth-watering acidity, grippy texture and mineral undertones. We sell out of this varietal every vintage within weeks.
Malvasia is another of our fastest-moving white wines at the cellar door. People fall in love with its big aromatics, richness and complexity. It is the kind of wine that has you excited before even taking your first sip.
Dad (Ballandean Estate owner Angelo Puglisi) is always keen to experiment with Italian varieties. His interest in Italian varieties is not just about the increased diversity of aromas and flavours, but most importantly about structure: and, specifically, acid. Grapes grown for natural acid balance deliver a fresh expression of our granitic terroir and require minimal intervention in the hands of the winemaker.”
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi
A wine pioneer, Angelo’s vinicultural vision has delivered 13 new Strange Birds™ for the Granite Belt Geographical Indication.
Ballandean Estate’s 2022 Viognier and Bolle Rosa, a refreshing sparkling pink Moscato, were both awarded bronze medals. A remarkably strong line up of wines was presented, with a marked increase in medals awarded for each class at the 2022 Australian Small Winemakers Show, which held its inaugural event in 1987, open to small wine producers who crush less than 500 tonne a year.
Our Fiano has high acidity, a hint of nut and an almost honeyed texture — a bit of sting to it! It’s a lighter bodied, rich and textural dry unwooded white, with a blend of tropical and stone fruits on the palate, blessed with a honey, biscuit and floral bouquet.
Ballandean Estate sells out of Fiano every vintage, our last release was in 2020. This year, we’ve made just 235 cases.
“When we were deciding where to plant Fiano here, we tried many different styles from Australia and Italy. What we found was that most Australian Fianos are fruit-driven and reminiscent of sauvignon blanc. Italian Fianos, on the other hand, are much more complex at higher alcohols, which we preferred. We pick our Fiano at around 13 Baume to build weight in the palate. This year, we were able to pick 3 tonnes from the half a hectare we have planted.”
Robyn Puglisi-Henderson
Master of Wine Peter-Scudamore-Smith says,
“Winemaker Dylan Rhymer continues to finesse Ballandean Estate’s Fiano, building sophistication as it evolves to a stylish and savoury tasty style with fruit-driven aromas. The 2021 vintage has the tell-tale hints of ripe melon sweetness, lifted by sweet mint and white flowers, a result of the high ripeness of the fruit when picked at 13 Baume.”
“There’s restraint and sophistication here. This comes with whole bunch pressing, as it extracts some savoury stem and skin flavours also. So the palate is more sublime and savoury than the previous vintages of juicy fruit, sweet mouth flavours. The commendable lengthy finish: always the higher crispy acid, such a clean expression of Granite Belt’s terroir and cooler climate.”
A Strange Bird™ Wine Trail stand-out, Ballandean Estate is famed for its Fiano. The 2021 Fiano vintage is now available for tasting and sale at the cellar door and for sale online. Fiano was first planted in Queensland in 2009 by Angelo Puglisi, the father of Queensland wine and Ballandean Estate founder.
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Price: $32
- Closure: Screwcap
- Drink: 2021–2022
- Fruit: 100%, Fiano single vineyard from Bellevue at Ballandean, 850m above sea level
- Palate: Dry, unoaked, tropical and stone fruits, hints of honey
- Weight: Light to medium bodied, similar weight to viognier, pinot grigio and unoaked chardonnay
- Winemaking: A mix of whole bunch and destemmed fruit was combined into the press. The juice was settled quickly in stainless before yeast was added. Stabilised, no finings added, filtered and bottled, unoaked.
Ballandean Estate has released the latest vintage of its much-anticipated single-vineyard Fiano. Could this Strange Bird™ be Australia’s best alternative white wine? Originating in southern Italy, and widely grown throughout Sicily and the Campania region, this is a truly rare varietal. Ballandean Estate’s 2015 vintage took out Winestate’s Top Alternative White award.
The latest Fiano vintage is now available for tasting and sale at the cellar door and for sale online.
Fiano specs
- Alcohol: 12.3%
- Price: $30
- Closure: Screwcap
- Drink : 2019–2020
- Fruit: 100%, Fiano single vineyard from Bellevue at Ballandean, 850m above sea level
- Winemaking: A mix of whole bunch and destemmed fruit was combined into the press. The juice was settled quickly in stainless before yeast was added. Stabilised, no finings added, filtered and bottled, unoaked.
A fresh take
Ballandean Estate winemaker Dylan Rhymer has lent a sophisticated finesse to the varietal.
When deciding if we should plant Fiano here in the Granite Belt, we tasted as many different styles from Australia and Italy as we could.
A lot of the Aussie ones were more fruit-driven, in the style of Sauvignon Blanc, while the Italian examples were more complex at higher alcohols, which we preferred.
Our Fiano is picked at almost 13 Baume. It’s 12.3% alc to build weight in the palate, and was handpicked in April 2019 at optimal ripeness. This gives us delicious stone fruit and biscuit aromas with a touch of honey and citrus.
Ballandean Estate winemaker Dylan Rhymer
Find out what the Puglisi family has to say about Fiano
Fresh and fabulous, our award-winning single vineyard Fiano is a southern Italian classic made modern by winemaker Dylan Rhymer. A Strange Bird™ Wine Trail stand-out, we are famed for our Fiano—Ballandean Estate is the first to produce it in Queensland.
Be seduced by our Fiano‘s intense bouquet with hints of tropical fruit including pineapple. The palate is fresh with an intensity that is created by some innovative new winemaking methods. The outcome is a flavoursome, delicious dry unwooded white that is perfect for summer. It’s wonderfully aromatic with a great weight of palate and long finish.
In a sea of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, Fiano is a luscious lighter-bodied alternative for wine lovers wanting to try something new.”
Estate Manager Robyn Puglisi-Henderson
Fiano was first planted first planted in 2009 by Angelo Puglisi, the father of Queensland wine and Ballandean Estate founder. Having seen Fiano in the south of Italy and near his ancestral home in Sicily, Angelo thought he would give it a go.
You should see my Fiano! The vines just love their position and the reach for the sky—beautiful!”
Angelo Puglisi
