Celebrity chef & grape grower Stefano de Pieri wins at Australian Varieties Wine Show

Celebrity chef and grape grower Stefano de Pieri has been awarded a trophy and three medals for his range of Italian-style, food friendly wines at the Australian Varieties Wine Show - which attracted 840 entries in Mildura over the weekend.

Stefano, renowned for his ABC TV series ‘A Gondola on the Murray’ has won many awards for both his wines, and his restaurant: 'Stefano's Restaurant'. 

Now, unsurprisingly, he was awarded a gold medal and a trophy for Best White Italian Variety Wine for his Stefano De Pieri Fleurieu Vermentino 2017 at the 2017 Australian Varieties Wine Show. 

“Italians have been enjoying wines made with the Vermentino grape since the 14th century, and I’m excited to see that more Australians are falling in love with this exciting white wine variety,” said Stefano.

“This wine is made from grapes sourced from the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, and is a light, crisp and refreshing white that pairs perfectly with seafood.”

Stefano was also awarded two bronze medals for his Stefano’s Mia Vita Pale Rosé 2017, a vibrant Rosé wine made predominantly from Sangiovese grapes, and Stefano De Pieri Di Qualita Sangiovese 2016, an elegant red wine which is the ultimate pairing with pasta.

Stefano, who has studied wine in his motherland Italy, has launched an entire Italian style wine range with Cellarmasters. The chef says he is passionate about creating wines specifically to be paired with good food.

“My approach to making wine is similar to cooking – it’s all about finding the best ingredients. We seek small, delicate parcels of fruit to make balanced and exotic wines,” he explained.

“The flavours of my wines are vibrant and fresh, with their taste leaning more towards savoury rather than fruity and sweet. We have aimed for a pleasant acidity to make the wines balanced, so they can be matched with a range of food.”

Originally grown in Sardinia in Italy, Australian winemakers have recently started growing the Vermentino grape with great success.

According to Christine Ricketts, Cellar Director at Cellarmasters, alternative wine varieties such as Vermentino and Sangiovese are growing rapidly in popularity, and Wine Australia confirms the Vermentino grape has ‘huge potential in Australia’.

“Vermentino is one of the alternative wine varieties that our customers are loving at the moment. Aussies today are extremely educated and confident when it comes to wine, which is why they are keener than ever to try new varieties and regions – and they’ve definitely fallen for this crisp white wine,” said Ricketts.

The Stefano De Pieri Fleurieu Vermentino 2017 is available exclusively at Cellarmasters, for $20 per bottle (in case), and you can check out Stefano's other wines here.