James Scarcebrook has been a wine communicator, wholesaler, retailer and now winemaker. From studying all facets of the wine industry over the years, he recently turned his hand to the making of the juice, and turns out he’s a bit of a dab hand at it all. Whether it’s down to his years of study or simply natural talent remains to be seen, but his first forays into winemaking over the past few years have yielded great results!
After having spent time in Italy and developing a real passion for the food, wine and culture there, James works heavily with Italian grape varieties being grown in some amazing Victorian vineyards. His aim is to take things to a new level by starting his own project, selecting the varieties that are not only better suited in general to the Australian climate and soil, but have a region-specific focus. James wants to capture the essence of drinkability and a sense of place, and to him this means intervening only when it will benefit the final product. So, spontaneous fermentations are always preferred, and sulphur addition is kept to a minimum. Only mature oak barrels are used, and the wines are left to their own devices until the last possible moment. Whilst still early stages in the Vino Intrepido wine adventure, we already like what we see, and can’t wait for the next batch of releases.
Vermentino is a classic Italian white variety best known in Sardinia and Liguria, and is slowly gaining traction in Australia. This wine from Kersbrook in the Adelaide Hills spends time macerating on its skins as well as time on lees, both factors that contribute to the rich, broad texture. It’s a complex wine, full of lemon, ginger, melon and a slight nuttiness. Full throttle backed up with juicy acidity.
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