Beechworth wine grape grower imports petit avine and cornalin for Australian debut
Mark Walpole has long had an interest in alternative grape varieties. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
In short:
A Victorian grape grower has imported two European varieties into Australia for the first time.
Mark Walpole says it is satisfying to see petit arvine and cornalin grapes being harvested after a lengthy importation process.
What's next?
The consumer demand for alternative wine varieties is growing as people seek to move away from more traditional fare.
Grape growers in north-east Victoria are busy harvesting day and night to start the process of turning their fruit into wine.
This is a special vintage for Mark Walpole at Fighting Gully Road Wines in Beechworth because it is the first time the petit arvine and cornalin grape varieties have been picked in Australia.
"It has been a long process to get to this point," Mr Walpole said.
"We started the process of trying to get the new varieties into Australia back in 2017.
"Petit arvine is a white grape variety native to the Aosta Valley in the north-west of Italy and over the border in Switzerland.
"Cornalin is a red grape and is also found in the north-west of Italy as well."
Petite arvine is a white grape variety grown mainly in Valais, Switzerland and Valle d'Aosta in Italy. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
Before entering the lengthy quarantine process, Mr Walpole needed permission from the Italian and Swiss governments to bring the grape varieties to Australia.
"They are minor varieties in Italy so it's very hard to get permission to get them into quarantine," he said.
"When they came out of quarantine we took the vines up to Mildura to Bruce Chalmers.
"He propagated the vines for me and now we have the first commercial crop of petit arvine and cornalin in Australia."
Some of Mr Walpole's petit arvine seedlings. (Supplied: Mark Walpole)
Appetite for alternatives
Leanne Altmann, the beverage director for Trader House, which owns restaurants and bars in Melbourne and Brisbane, says customers are keen to try less common wines.
"Whilst pinot noir and chardonnay are our most demanded varieties, we are seeing lots of curiosity and interest from our guests in different varieties and regions," she said.
"The varieties that we're talking about are really significant to other parts of the world, they're just a little bit different from what we classically know.
"We have so many guests that want to try new things and they hand that trust over to us."
Cornalin is a red grape variety grown in the north-west of Italy. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
Ms Altmann, who is also an Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show judge, says Mr Walpole's venture is very exciting.
"The process of getting a variety into Australia is incredibly challenging — it's a labour of love," she said.
"It's long and expensive.
"Mark is to the top of that list of producers who have influenced the Australian wine industry so widely because of their passion and dedication for new varieties."
Mr Walpole has been growing grapes in Beechworth for 30 years. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
Climates and markets
Mr Walpole has long held an interest in alternative varieties, particularly those suited to certain conditions.
"They are both late-ripening varieties with high natural acidity, so they are a perfect for a warming climate," he said.
"There's been a real interest in a lot of alternative varieties for hot climates in the past decade or so, but the suite of cool climate varieties is pretty limited."
Alternative varieties comprise the vast of majority of Mr Walpole's vineyard.
Customers are looking to try new drops, industry figures say. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
"The Australian wine industry has really been focused on shiraz, cabernet, riesling, chardonnay, but you soon realise that there's choice," he said.
"We have a growing market for things like tempranillo and sangiovese.
"On the other hand, we're struggling with things like shiraz and cabernet as the market has faded."