The JOSEPH d'Elena has been rated #1 Pinot Gris in South Australia! 🥳

The JOSEPH d'Elena has been rated the #1 Pinot Gris from South Australia on The Real Review!

Here's what the judges have to say about it:
"A soft bouquet of citrus and yellow apples. The palate is dry, with flavours of sweet pear and lemon jam. My favourite feature is the texture, soft and slippery with racy acidity and a crisp finish" - Amanda Yallop, The Real Review, 2020.

Elena poured a glass of d'Elena to celebrate...

04/02/2021 at 1:44 PM Permalink

We are delivering wine and olive oil to homes across Australia as usual! 📦🍷

Primo Estate is continuing to deliver wine and olive oil to homes across the country. Australia Post has taken action to protect the health and safety of all delivery staff and customers.

We are offering 15% off our mixed pack specials, plus FREE SHIPPING and a BONUS bottle of extra virgin olive oil with every dozen ordered.

Thank you for your continued support; we can't wait to welcome you back to McLaren Vale,

Joe Grilli & The Primo Team

18/11/2020 at 5:15 PM Permalink

The 2019 Nero d'Avola is here! 🍇🍷

We have just released the new-look 2019 Nero d'Avola!

Joe fell in love with the Nero d'Avola grape during his trips to its home of Sicily, Southern Italy. McLaren Vale’s warm maritime climate is ideally suited to the rich, spicy Nero d’Avola grape. This limited release is made using traditional open fermenters, and is matured in seasoned oak barrels.

The resulting wine combines spice liquorice and pepper on the nose with ripe black plum and black cherry flavours on the palate.

11/03/2020 at 4:36 PM Permalink

We are hosting an incredibly special lunch on Sunday 5th of April! ✨🚣

This April, Nino Zoccali, owner and executive chef of Sydney's premium Italian dining restaurants, The Restaurant Pendolino and La Rosa The Strand, will be travelling to Primo Estate to celebrate the release of his new book: Venetian Republic.

Part culinary journey, part cookbook, Venetian Republic dishes up rich, evocative recipes and stories from the history of the Venetian empire, and explores all things Italian through a unique perspective.

It is with great excitement that we invite you to join us for a special lunch celebrating Nino and the release of his new book on Sunday, 5th April, 2020.

We'll be enjoying a four-course feast of dishes from Nino's book accompanied by a flight of matching Primo Estate & JOSEPH Wines. La Dolce Vita Catering will be sourcing incredible ingredients from Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, the Fleurieu Peninsula and Port Lincoln to fulfil Nino's vision.

Each guest will go home with a signed copy of Venetian Republic. Tickets are extremely limited; do not miss the chance to join us for a day of incredible food, wine and stories from Nino Zoccali.

Only a few tickets remain. BOOK HERE

02/03/2020 at 12:18 PM Permalink

We're Hosting Pizza and Wine Nights Around Australia! 🍕🍷

Our 2019 Nero d'Avola is being released in March, and to celebrate we're taking the wine on the road!

As restaurants in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane serve up a delicious selection of antipasti, pizza and dessert, we will be pouring the 2019 Primo Estate Nero d'Avola and four other classic Primo Estate wines.

Invite your friends to share the fun!

Melbourne - Tuesday 24th March - BOOK HERE

Brisbane - Thursday 26th March - BOOK HERE

Adelaide - 8th April - BOOK HERE

24/02/2020 at 1:02 PM Permalink

The Origins of the JOSEPH 'Moda'

For over 30 years Joe Grilli's signature wine has been the JOSEPH 'Moda' Cabernet Merlot.

The Moda is made using partially dried grapes in the style of Northern Italian 'Amarone' wines. As a young South Australian winemaker in the 1980s, Joe pioneered the use of this technique outside of Italy. 

In a recent interview with Peter McCombie, Joe discussed the origins, techniques and philosophy behind this unique wine style.

What inspired you to make wine from dried grapes?

Actually the origins for my making this style go back to a London wine bar in 1984. I was there on my first ever overseas trip (incidentally with a very young Chester Osborn straight out of Roseworthy College who had yet to commence working as winemaker at his family's d'Arenberg winery), and at the time I was searching for ideas to make a flagship Primo Estate red - something to really hang my hat on. I do not remember the name of the wine bar, but the sommelier there recommended we try a Masi single vineyard riserva from the early 70s - one of those with a hand written label - and I remember being blown away by it. He explained how it was made from air dried grapes and I pretty well resolved on the spot that I would conduct trials making wine from dried grapes. I also had the drying infrastructure -racks, covered drying area - from my experiments with inducing botrytis on Riesling grapes so I was able to put the idea into practice quite readily.

What makes your wine different to the traditional Italian Amarone?

Well firstly I am using Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot originally because I thought the Cabernet berries were suited to all the handling required to spread them on the racks being quite resistant to squashing.

I always wanted to limit the drying to make wines of just under 15% alcohol and retain a vibrance without too much raisin character that might make the wines look like dry vintage port! I also wanted to avoid some of the mouldy/bitterness that some of the really old fashioned Amarones were like.

Cabernet grapes for the JOSEPH Moda undergoing the Amarone process

Do you think the appassimento (drying) process dominates terroir expression?

Good question - undoubtedly the appassimento process changes the whole complexion of the wine. Apart from the concentration factor the wines come out with a velvetiness and softer mouthfeel no matter where the grapes come from. I see the drying process as being part of the terroir.

At tastings of older Moda's (10 years or more) I often say that I see in the wine the natural exuberance of Aussie fruit, a bit of cigar box as in Bordeaux and then an Italian-like layer of compost/antique furniture. In short I believe the drying process adds a touch of Italy into the wine!

What do you think is the appeal of dried grape wine for wine drinkers? Is it power, weight, intensity, etcetera? Or perhaps sweetness? Or…?

Once again very good question - I think it instinctively appeals to wine lovers who understand that with a dried grape wine, whether it's my Moda or a Sfursat or a passito Sagrantino or an Amarone, they are guaranteed of getting a powerful mouthfilling wine and some bang for their buck!

Click here to discover the latest release of the JOSEPH Moda!

03/02/2020 at 12:04 PM Permalink

The New Primo Estate Prosecco NV 🌞🥂

We have updated the Primo Secco and created a new wine: The Primo Estate Prosecco NV.

This is winemaker Joe Grilli's tribute to the fresh, crisp and savoury sparkling whites produced in his in-law’s home region of the Veneto in Northern Italy.

The nose has delicate stone fruit aromas with a hint of lemon blossom. On the palate, fine, refreshing fruit flavours marry well with delicate bubbles and crisp acidity. Mouth-watering and moreish with a crisp, savory finish.

29/01/2020 at 12:59 PM Permalink

The JOSEPH Sparkling Red is out for Christmas! 🎄🍾

The JOSEPH Sparkling Red is made with museum vintages dating back to the 60's; this really is the history of Australian wine in a bottle.

To create the JOSEPH Sparkling Red a hogshead of the ultra premium JOSEPH Moda Cabernet Merlot from every year since 1991 and Primo Estate Shiraz from 1989 is added to a unique blend of museum vintages from the past 40 years. A tirage is completed only every 18-24 months, ensuring the base wine retains its unique character derived from the aged wines in the blend. After traditional fermentation in the bottle, the JOSEPH Sparkling Red disgorgement is rested on yeast lees for 24 months before hand disgorgement. It was liqueured carefully with a blend of aged Australian fortified wines to ensure a savoury style with perfect balance.

This is an extremely limited release which will sell out fast.

03/12/2019 at 11:31 AM Permalink

New Release: The 2017 Primo Estate Sangiovese

The 2017 Sangiovese a tiny batch limited-release wine which bursts with aromas of dark cherry and mixed spice. The pallet is juicy and succulent with a fine savoury finish.

2017 was a perfect year for McLaren Vale Sangiovese, where a long, cool ripening period led to wines with balance and elegance. The wine has now had over a year in bottle-ageing and is drinking magnificently.

To celebrate its release, we are offering a 2017 Primo Estate Sangiovese Straight Dozen Special: $220 per dozen with FREE shipping and a FREE bottle of olive oil.

12/11/2019 at 1:20 PM Permalink

Our September Recipe of the Month: Fennel-Crusted Pork Ribeye 🐖🌿

Ingredients:

- 1 clove garlic, peeled

- 1 heaped teaspoon of fennel seeds

- 6 whole pepper cloves

- 1 half-teaspoon of salt

- 1 tablespoon of JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- 2 pairs of pork ribeyes, bone in, scored with a slit between to ease cutting after cooking

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C

Mortar and pestle the garlic, fennel seeds, cloves and salt until they are finely crushed and JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Rub the mixture thoroughly into the pork skin.

Place the pork in a baking tray and put in oven. Immediately turn the heat down to 180°C.

Cook the pork ribeye for 30 minutes or until it's skin is golden and crispy.

Serve with any pan juices and fresh, crunchy salad. 

Our Primo & Co 'The Tuscan' Shiraz Sangiovese provides the medium body and savoury tannin that matches perfectly with this pork dish.

Buon Appetito!

25/09/2019 at 3:37 PM Permalink